Waiting at the airport…
Filling out his customs forms…
Hitching a ride…
In transit…
Catching some rays at Seminyak beach…
Inspecting the rice fields…
Cruising…
Commuting…
Snoozing with/on Vanessa…
Checking out Dreamland beach…
Goalkeeping at BaliLife Orphanage…
Sightseeing at Ubud Royal Palace…
Little Darth is pleased with Bali, methinks!
Well, it’s here, the last day. Today we farewell the Leareys (are staying on, curse them!!!), Vicy (Who is staying on, curse her!!!) and Pak Paul, who has done a incredible job and will go on to doing an incredible job at University Dhyana Pura in Dalung!
A fairly easy morning, with church at 10am and checkout at 12pm, but most of us were awake and at breakfast by 8am, such is our conditioning to early starts! On the bright side, when we get home, we’ll sleep until at least 8-9am!
Church was lovely, with a very small congregation: the Indonsesian language service was at 7.30am! Our kids sang beautifully and the minister spoke on
Our penultimate day in Bali.
Technically.
I mean, I KNOW we are actually still going to be here for one hour of Monday morning, but I don’t think that counts!
Two groups went their separate ways today: 8 to the Elephant Park, and 7 to the Waterbom park in Kuta. The Elephant crew (including Bu Priscilla, who has always dreamed of riding an elephant and got her wish on her birthday!) left around 8am, while the Kuta crew hopped their shuttle at 10am. Needless to say, the Waterpark warriors got a sleep in and an easy morning!
I was with the gang heading to Waterbom, and we had a great time, riding some adrenaline-inducing, heart-pumping water slides, I can tell you! I headed out at 1.30pm in search of the legendary “either it” shirt, only to return, dusty, weary, sweaty and tired-y and with only one singlet, bearing the legendary expression:
This seems like a pretty short entry, but that’s because that’s all we did! 🙂
A nice change of pace from running all over the countryside! I will invite one of Pachyderm Procession to report on their fun, as soon as possible!
Pak Matt
Waterbom Report
Ok, so we took the 20 minute hotel bus service to the little town of Kuta. There, we were dropped at the entrance of the Waterbom center. My first reaction past the gate was that “this is just like home” as we came face to face with a pet cockatoo that wanted its photo taken with us. We sadly declined the honor in favor of discovering the rest of the park.
Given our leave to explore, we went in search of the most exciting rides we could. The first we came across was called The Boomerang. This started with a gentle curve before pitching downward towards a vertical rise. Our precariously inflated craft then sailed up before falling back down to land in a pool of water.
We also found rides like The Climax, in which you are sealed into a tube before the floor falls away and you fall feet first through a tube which included a loop the loop before skidding to a holt in a channel of water.
The other key feature of the water park was “The Tower”… This was the launch pad for about Five different rides, however one of the things this tower was.most memorable for was the stairs. There were many, many, many stairs. We are now very good at stairs!
One of the many rides that started from this impossibly high summit, slid down a slide that reminded of the old Waterworld slide. The ending however was significantly different, for we landed in a slow flowing river which wound itself through the park. This river became more than just a river as the boys, not content to simply take the ride as it came, raced around the course paddling and tipping each other in an attempt to get the others wetter that they were.
As the day came to the end, those left standing at the park caught a taxi back to Seminyak. This ride was evidence of the true Bali traffic, as we waited in the jam for our turn to move a car length. The trip home over an hour home, but the day was well worth it. We had so much fun.
Bex Learey
Elephant Park Report
The rest of us went to the elephant safari park for the day. We left at 8am on a shuttle bus up to the park which was near Ubud and took us about an hour and a half to get there. Once we got there we went into the park and looked around at all the elephants as well as feeding them bamboo and having photos with them. Some of the elephants dropped flower garlands over our heads and posed for the photos that we took.
Soon after that we were called for our elephant rides and we all paired off and sat on a chair that was strapped to the elephants back. The ride was about half an hour through the Taro park which was like being in a jungle as it was very dense and green. We saw lots of elephants along the way, some which were chained up, and having a rest for the day. Some of us learnt lots about the elephants and their carers, some being with their elephants for 15 years. At the end of the safari, the elephants went into a bathing pool, squirting water from their trunks, making a great photo opportunity.
After the ride we looked at the baby elephants which were having their lunch at the time. when we decided we had enough, we ventured up to the safari park restaurant for some lunch ourselves.
When our bellies were full we saw an elephant show with three elephants all performing different tricks. Some of these tricks included dunking a basketball, painting, addition and even being as cheeky as soaking Priscilla in water.
Being the shopaholics we are, of course for our last activity of the day, we went to the gift shop, then made our way home, stopping to watch rice being planted.
We were exhausted, but had an enjoyable day, that was truly unforgettable.
Vanessa and Jennie
8.30am start to the day, preceded by breakfast and RAIN! Sometime very early this morning it bucketed down…actually, bucketing is a gentle description: it was as if a succession of enormous waterfalls were simultaneously let loose upon us!
The grounds were quite wet and the entire area shrouded in fog, with intermittent rain: things were NOT looking promising for a day’s mountain-biking!
Nonetheless, we soldiered on, packing up our gear and storing it in Nick’s office before taking a deep-breath, crossing our fingers and jumping on the shuttle bus….
After an hour, we arrived at the edge of Kintamani volcano…
It’s out THERE! somewhere…..
We stopped there for a little while,for a balcony-shrouded-in-fog second breakfast to fuel ourselves for the ride ahead!
After this, things got SERIOUS. Seriously fun! The rain had stopped and it was all downhill for the first 10 km, we flew across the lush countryside, populated by orchards and small farms, punctuated by the omnipresent verdancy of the rice paddies. Small children ran out to the road to call out out hello and give us high-fives, and we went through small villages that specialized a variety of goods and services: one village produced small wooden statues, another stylised heads of Krishna, and yet another, imposing wooden Garudas, carved in myriad intricate designs, by hand.
Just when we thought that it was easy, we encountered a 60degree incline about 90m long that gutted us…our very own Heartbreak Hill!
We then slogged cross-country, through mud and broken trails, finally arriving, a bit muddy, and certainly dirtier and sweatier than when we commenced, on the outskirts of Ubud at about 2pm, having conquered 42km of road! A delicious lunch waited us: fitting reward for our labours!
We then embarked upon our final Odyssey, driving back to Nick’s Pension, picking up our bags from there (which were all a whole to heavier than when we began!!!), then back down to Dyhana Pura University to collect our main luggage (getting the chance to farewell friends Barnabas and Pak Sidhi) before making down to Dhyana Pura Hotel on the beach at Seminyak (opposite Grandma’s) by about 5pm.
A dip in the pool, followed by a dip in the ocean and sunset was upon us…again obscured by cloud, we did’t get the full effect, but as you see below, it was till pretty good!
Dinner in the Eden Garden restaurant on site was lovely, if not a touch subdued as we all started to feel the effects of a long day. After our meal, some went to bed, some went up the road to get some final spending money and some for a relaxing massage before bed!
Good Night!
Pak Matt
Well, I have already told you how my morning started! 🙂
Breakfast followed at a leisurely pace, with the group meeting at 10am at the ‘back gate’ and then heading into the markets at Ubud.
Now, I’m sure most of you are familiar with the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne. Well this place makes those markets look positively insipid. It’s an insane place overflowing with souvenirs, brand name rip-offs, manchester, clothing, you name it!
After an hour of fun there, we wandered over to the Royal Palace and toured through the public part of the grounds
We then headed to Cafe Lotus, which had breathtaking views out towards the one the main temples in Ubud:
We donned sarongs and went for a look around the temple grounds, with Pak Paul leading the way:
We then split up into groups: some skipped lunch to go shopping, some had lunch and headed back to their room for a sleep, some skipped lunch and went back, some (like myself and 8 others), had lunch (at one of the original Ibu Oka’s) and then headed back to the markets in search of gifts for loved ones and bargains galore!
At 3.30pm we headed out of Ubud and Wayan, our guide and host, took us up to his village’s rice paddies and spoke to us about the importance of rice to the Balinese,and to his way of life. We then were taken to his village, Laplapan, where we met his business partner and ex-girlfriend, Puspa.
They have been married for 14 years and they showed us around their compound, explaining the different roles of the building within it.
For the rest of the afternoon and evening, we learned about Balinese cuisine, chopped, prepared, fried, sauteed and sizzled meat, spices and vegetables for an assortment of dishes
Pak Matt
It’s Thursday morning and I’m sitting on the veranda of my little one bedroom cottage in Ubud, cultural heart of Bali.
Cicadas drone, squirrels scamper up and down tree and the river just outside my door sings and it trickles and splashes its way along its path. I prefer my morning caffeine strong, black and bitter, but as I sip the tea thoughtfully left outside my door when I woke, I am at peace.
In the background, I hear the voices of Balinese workers idly chatting. It is tranquil.
Where have the motorcycles gone? I don’t care! It’s a beautiful moment.
Yesterday? It already seems to be but a memory, but nonetheless, duty must be adhered to, so here goes….
Standard start to the day, breakfast, both at Dhyana Pura, or Warung Bali (or both!!) and packing up our gear, ready to trek up to Ubud. We are leaving our main bags here and taking a two-night bag up to the mountains, so rooms are cleaned, air conditioners silenced, keys gathered and final checks are done, before hitting the road again.
As is par for the course, we almost immediately meet gridlock: bumper to bumper car sandwich with moped filling…Eventually we get clear and hit the road to the mountains. First stop, a chance to view a traditional Barong and Kris Dance, which was both fascinating and entertaining. To fully understand what a Barong and Chris dance actually is, click here: Wiki Link
Second stop was a high end Batik manufacturer and store: very expensive, but some truly beautiful designs and fabrics. We shoved our way back into traffic, stopping next on ‘Silver Road’ to see the manufacture of silver jewelry and purchase 93% pure silver jewelry (if you wish). It is hard to resist such a ‘bargain’, but as I have found numerous times in foreign countries, it is very easy to fall into the trap of buying for the sake of it: getting caught up in the promise of a bargain and forgetting if we need it or not!
Off to work
Next stop, lunch at the world-famous Ibu Oka’s, home of her renowned Babi Guling (roast sucking pig). We sat on mats on the floor, ate with our right hand (NOT the left!) and had a lovely time..I told you, all we do is eat!!!
Miss Anderson eating with her hands!!!
After paying for our meal, we came across a Bali Post article, talking about our visit to Bali and including a photograph of our group at Dhyana Pura. Instead of Torrens Valley Christian School, the article refers to some place called ‘Judy’s School’…AND mentions her name seven times! Even Pak Paul only got two mentions. Such is the power of Bu Judy!!! (She says she is really embarrassed, but secretly, she is chuffed!
A long trip in the van followed, meandering through rice terraces and beautiful rural countryside was abruptly marred by corrupt traffic police who pulled our drivers over and exacted a 100,000Rp ‘fine’ from them (about $12AUD). This is equivalent to a day’s wage here – it makes me so mad to see this kind of blatantly immoral/corrupt behaviour taking place here.
Not long after, we pulled into the coffee and spice farm, learning all about how various spices and coffees are grown, including the world’s most expensive brew, Luwak coffee, made from the coffee beans partially digested by the Luwak, a small, cat-like animal that we would call a Civet (sieve-it). We saw coffee being roasted and ground, then sampled a range of brews. I found the Luwak coffee to be no more special than a high quality dark-roasted aribica espresso, myself and couldn’t justify the $27/100g price tag.
Luwak Coffee
Snake fruit: the skin FEELS like snake skin!!!
After waiting for a year and a half for the kids’ cards to be declined at the store, we finally got back underway, next stop, Ubud! Or so I thought…along the way, we found a spot on the road, where, maybe it was the light, the time of day, the vista, I don’t know, but we found the most beautiful spot to take a few snaps. You’ll see what I mean:
We finally arrived at Nick’s Pension (penn-see-on) and settled in: it’s an idyllic spot and very close to the Palace and markets. We wandered up the road to the Cafe Havana. There’s an old saying: “When in Rome…” and since we were temporarily in Cuba, the kids took the opportunity to learn some salsa, share tapas and sip mocktails. Words cannot describe the fun we had: ask the kids! The night was made complete by arguably the greatest waiter in the world, Karma, who taught the kids how to fold napkins and dance! We left our names on the wall, took masses of photos and wandered home with smiles on our faces!
Pak Matt
Up at the same time: priority number one was collecting our laundry and hitting up Mr Swastika (yes, that IS his name!) at Warung Bali for banana pancakes and Bali coffee. A wonderful start to the day!
We grabbed our gear and headed downstairs two floors to hear a talk about Dhyana Pura University and its courses from the Rector, Dr Nyandra.
After photos for the newspapers, we loaded up into three cars (space! Ahhhh!) and headed on a short trip north to the Head Office of the GKPB, the Protestant Church in Bali.
We toured the grounds to see the work of MBM, an independent Christian Organisation which serves the whole Balinese community in areas of micro-finance for the poor and agricultural development. MBM shares the property with the GKPB Synod head office. We sat through a talk by Dr Deborah, one of the department leaders within MBM, about their programs and services, as well as the roles of volunteers within it. Bali coffee and cake was served too!
After that we also were given a talk by Mr , the Superintendent of the GKPB synod in Bali (for three more weeks, anyway!). He spoke about the various branches of the church in Bali and the history of the church and it’s role in modern times and the ongoing struggle alongside/against/with the Hindu and Muslim faiths.
Lunch soon followed (gosh, anyone reading this must think all we did was EAT!!!) at another picturesque spot overlooking rice terraces. Buffet meal with satays, Mie and Nasi Goreng, curries, sticky rice, tea and coffee for 50,000Rp ($5).
A relatively early start today, with everyone up and at ’em by 7am in anticipation of an audience with the Rector of the University (we would call him the Chancellor). This didn’t eventuate, as he had meetings this morning, but we had plenty of time to get our gear together and head off on an all-day sojourn.
We headed into Denpasar, fighting traffic and claustrophobia (15 of us crammed into a 13 seated with one seat’s back on a 45degree tilt!) to meet our dear friend, Steve Crocker, our leader for the day, who then guided us to the Dump. The dump is typical of any such place, the smell, the flies, the garbage…except that a slum has been built up around it. we were told not to take photos outside as the tiny little ‘village’ that is there does not officially exist. Sheets of iron balanced over salvaged timbers make up the majority of residences, interspersed with sheds used for the processing of collected recyclable material by the residents of the ‘village’. Ironically, these shanties are interspersed with the occasional (and ridiculously out of place) opulent home, built in a time when would-be investors thought the area was going to appreciate due to a nearby by-pass road which never eventuated and the area was turned into a dump!
In the middle of all this, the Hope Valley Uniting Church has built a two classroom school to serve the children in the dump. A small oasis amidst the squalor, the school provides pre-education to the kids, because in Indonesia, students cannot attend primary school until they have completed a pre-education course.
I won’t lie to you, I found this profoundly disturbing and unsettling, not the thought, but actually SEEING small children, filthy and dirty, sleeping in doorways, played amidst rubbish. I thought my own girls back home and continue to wonder: WHY was I born into such prosperity? WHY do these children have to born into this? I don’t know and can only hope that it is all part of His grand design..anyhow, I digress, sorry! I left some playballs with some of the kids and marvelled at their unbridled joy at receiving something which to us seems so small. The Hope Valley Uniting Church do a powerful work here!
As we drove out of the dump, once more insulated from the all-pervading odour and the sight of cattle grazing upon the mounds of trash, I had to wipe away a tear. Thank goodness for dark sunglasses.
Crocks then led us down to a place known as Dreamland, located in the area (bulbous shape at the bottom of Bali island) a failed attempt to recreate Kuta in exclusive resort-style. Several resorts are functioning, but many are just hollow, unfinished concrete. A very nice beach area exists here at the end of a blocked off river, but on the whole, the place is expensive and reeks of slow decay, even one end of the beach is used as a rubbish tip! (see below!)
Lunch followed, a relaxed affair at Cafe Fusion, where most of the group ordered wraps, calzones and schnitty parmigianas….sigh! I rather enjoyed my Nasi Campa (Pronounced Chum-pure)…
After lunch, we headed off to see Bali Life’s new projects, the Farm and the new Children’s Home, before making our way to the current Bali Life Children’s Home.
Sadly the time was all too short, and in spite of a Spain-like drubbing, 7-4, at soccer, we sadly bade farewell to our new-found friends, leaving an assortment of sporting gear with them and promising to one day return!
We found ourselves caught in peak-hour traffic on the way home, moving at a snail’s pace for a large percentage of the trip..which lasted about 90 minutes! In the cramped confines of the van, I had to literally unfold myself, slowly, in order to stand up straight again!
Dinner was an adventure, as we walked down the street around the corner from the University, sampling all the delicious morsels offered by street vendors: fried chicken, steamed and filled buns, satays, omlettes, Nasi Goreng, corn on the cob and a multitude of delicious tid-bits for 20, 50 and 70 cents apiece!
We all headed to bed at 9.30pm, as we have another long day ahead of us!
Zzzzzzzzzz!
The sun’s bright disk struggles to rise, locked in combat with smoke and haze, for dominance of the morning. Electrical poles sizzle and pop. It is warm, but not warm, cold, but not cold, the light breeze plays across my body, refreshing but raising no goosebumps.
Smoke from umpteen dozen fires wafts in lazy drifts, then settles eerily around buildings and trees, like a pseudo fog. Pyramidal orange and red rooftops rise above the haze, like ghostly sentinels, silent and still. Whiffs of incense drift on the breeze, offerings from the penitent, devout and fearful alike.
Birdsong fills the morning air, punctuated by the ever present crackle of electricity and the light drone and buzz of motorbike and scooter. The chirrups and twitters are not yet drowned out by the hum of man made locomotion. It is still.
In the distance, the mighty mountain slumbers, shrouded in cloud, awaiting the haze of the day to cloak it and render it unseen. But always there. Watching. Waiting.
A voice breaks the air. A flag shakes and waves as the farmer protects his fields from the ravages of airborne thieves. Cockerels crow.
The sun breaks through and light streams forth. almost instantly, the heat haze begins to obscure the horizon. At almost the very same instant, motorbikes and scooters raise their voice to drown out the morning aerial choir. The volume slowly slowly increases and the birds are drowned out, save for one or two lone soloists railing against the day. Roosters punctuate the cacophony of sound with their wake-up calls, alarm clocks not yet silenced.
The Muslim call to prayer begins. An eerie, alien wail that floods the airwaves with its surreal musical invitation to praise Allah. It permeates everything and almost drowns out all else within earshot.
All except the omnipresent drone of the ‘bikes and their ever-increasing volume.
The day has begun.
Despite the fact that today is a rest day, we were up early (7am) for breakfast and getting ready for Sunday service at the GBPK Church just down the road. I committed a slip by wearing shorts: apparently mature males wear trousers (a few of the gang suggested it was apt…)
Despite the service being completely in Indonesian, there was no mistaking the joy and love for the Lord in the room, and we all had a great deal of fun singing hymns with familiar tunes, but in an unfamiliar language! Thank heavens for the hymn books!
The traditional dress worn by many of the men and women was beautiful to behold and our students acquitted themselves beautifully, receiving enthusiastic applause to our renditions of “Our God” and “The Desert Song”. They sang so well! I recorded the lot! The congregation were so welcoming and took the opportunity to welcome us, despite the language barrier. We were certainly overwhelmed by their friendliness and genuine interest in us. The Balinese people are truly beautiful.
After church, we headed back to Dhyana Pura and we collected our laundry (somehow Vicy’s and mine got mixed up….not awkward at all!) – it cost us 1000Rp per piece (10c) to have them washed and pressed. Wow!
Warung Bali was our lunchtime destination, with only 4 items on the menu, the choice was limited, but the flavor wasn’t. Each meal, including a drink, cost around $2 and there was lots of it! I know that I have learned a new new love for an old cuisine on this trip, that is certain!
A restful afternoon of fun and fellowship was had, as three of Pak Paul’s students came to visit, Stephanie, Stevie and Helena. They had a wonderful time interacting with our students, enjoying much laughter and fun!
As the afternoon rolled on, we headed back out to the rooftop to enjoy the cool breeze and Miss Anderson took the opportunity to give us some face painting tuition, the results of which are below:
The sun dropped below the horizon, a gorgeous backdrop to our face painting antics:
While the face painting was going on, Paul and Trevor went off to get pizza. Nearly two hours later they returned!!! Apparently they went to the pizza shop around the corner, but it was closed. The next closest one was about ten minutes away by taxi….Nonetheless they returned triumphant, with Trevor toting a whole coconut, cut with a straw hanging out of it!
Bed soon followed as we will be up early-ish tomorrow!
Pak Matt
Torrens Valley Christian School 2012 Bali Tour 