La Recessionista Files

Insert Marcel, a tall, handsome Dutch-Indonesian dance pro (salsa, meringue, tango, ballroom) turned instructor and luxury hotel magnate. Sort of like Ricardo Montalban.. "Same same, but different" as the locals would say. He moved to Lombok 8 years ago and now runs 2 (maybe more) lovely resorts here plus a dance studio.

We are staying at his resort on the beach in Sengigi and had the chance to meet him yesterday. He encouraged us to check out his other property a few kilometers away. He said the pool was great but what really snapped me to attention was his mention of exotic pets. He cautioned that some people consider it cruel to keep wild animals as pets (indeed, it pretty much is cruel) but that he has saved these animals from worse fates (illegal trade, etc).

Lisa cautioned me against getting too excited about the pets because "they may just be birds". I just knew there would be monkeys there and I was not disappointed! Well, aside from the disappointment of seeing a monkey on a chain... but he seemed pretty happy. All of the animals did.

On the property is Marcel's home plus a handful of villas he rents out. We entered the huge carved gates of his home/resort and entered Fantasy Island. Allow me to introduce you to his pets....

         

I took this pic outside Ashtari restaurant located on a hill overlooking Kuta beach.  There were loads of motorcycles with surfboards being held by these genius home-made racks.  The food was great and the view was spectacular. Their fresh tamarind cooler was a stand-out.

It was funny to be surrounded by surfers in the restaurant. I'd forgotten what an strong sub-culture they have. Surfers from all over the world having the same conversation in different languages about their plans to catch the best waves on the island.

With so many beautiful islands to visit in this area of Indonesia it was hard to pick just one. Which is how I found myself island-hopping from Gili Trawangan to Lombok to meet up with Lisa and Gretchen. We are staying on Sengigi beach on the island of Lombok. Palm trees, banana trees and beautiful blue/green ocean WITH actual waves. I can hear them now.

I'll share a few of the things that have made me happy here in Lombok:

- swimming in an ocean with waves!
- being next door neighbors to a herd of goats
- quiet walks along the beach at sunrise - just me and my friend the cow. He lets me pet his nose.
- finding last week's New Yorker by the pool
- languishing in our outdoor shower, gazing at the nearly full moon and hearing the call to prayer from a nearby mosque
- having an hour massage on the beach for $7 while watching the sun set

Lombok is a huge island. So far we've visited the West and South sides of Lombok. We stopped by a market where locals buy everything from tempe to tuna, a village where pottery is made (nice stuff but my suitcase is inhospitable) and another village known for weaving. Girls in the village start to learn weaving at the age of 10 and are not considered marriage material until they have mastered the art. You'll see Gretchen trying her hand at weaving. If she works hard, she could be married off by the time we leave the island.

We finished our day with an Indonesian dinner on the beach - lots of curries and noodle dishes. We splurged on a bottle of imported wine and it was delicious. Nothing fancy, but wine that is even remotely drinkable is hard to come by in this part of the world.

                     

I decided to leave Ubud a few days early for some quiet time at the beach. I took an early morning boat to Gili Trawangan, the largest of the 3 Gili islands. Though this is the "large" island you can reportedly walk the entire island in less than 2 hours.

There are no cars on the island. If you need to get somewhere fast you can either hoof it yourself or hire a hoof from one of the many pony cart-taxis.

Where my neighbors in Ubud have been roosters - my neighbors here in Gili appear to be goats. I think the goats and I share a common goal of sleeping past 4am, so I think we'll get along just fine.

I left the camera cord with Lisa in Ubud so I've "borrowed" these photos. I won't lie - it's lovely here. Clear blue water that i can't wait to snorkel in.

I like to bust out on a solo trip here and there, you know just to prove that I can. The goal this time is to spend so much alone time that I will have no other choice but to update my resume. Anyone want to wager bets on my completing this task? Better yet - anyone want to write this blasted resume for me? :)

     

We signed up for an Eco-Educational bike tour that promised to take us to small villages to see how Balinese people live, how they farm, visit temples, rice terraces and sample delicious Balinese cuisine...oh yes and do some bike riding too.

They delivered on each promise and then some. It was really a spectacular day. Riding by the vibrant green rice terraces with a breeze in the air... perfect.

We had breakfast overlooking Mt. Batur volcano and the nearby crater lake. Beautiful and thankfully there were no eruptions.

After some bike riding we paid a visit to a Balinese family. They live in a family community of 20. Once sons marry they raise their own family in the compound. When daughters marry they go to live with the husband's family. Depending on how many sons you have - things can get pretty crowded. Ever inquisitive, Lisa Carey asked what happens in families where there are no sons. The answer: you adopt a son from a family member with sons to spare.

The grandparents house (also within the compound) is always built on a higher platform to show respect. On honeymoon night the bride and groom sleep in the grooms grandparent's house so they can be closer to ancestors (or something like that). The grandparents (thankfully) sleep elsewhere for the night. But jeez - talk about a buzz kill...your honeymoon night in grandma and grandpa's bed with the rest of your family sleeping only meters away?

I made friends with the family's pigs (there were babies too!) and got a good laugh at the weight set made of stone. The Iron Maiden poster seemed a bit out of place - but apparently heavy metal has wide appeal.

All along the way kids line the streets to give the bike riders 'high-fives' and scream "hello!". So cute.

You'll notice a picture of a huge zucchini growing from a vine and defying the laws of gravity.

Later we rode by a wedding - you can tell where celebrations are happening because the front entrance is decorated in woven palms and flowers. The family invited us in - what an amazing experience. The celebration lasts for days and includes lots of eating and dancing.

Lastly (and thanks for sticking thru this long post) we stopped by a rice field where harvest was in progress. They asked for volunteers and I helped beat the rice grains out of the stalks and then sift the grains. Let me tell you - lots of work goes into growing and processing rice! Only order it if you realllly want it. My favorite picture is of the grandma who, while sitting amongst piles of dry rice stalks lit up a cigarette.

                                   

We are staying in a homestay in Ubud - it is a big compound where 5 families (all of them related) live along with 10 or so guest houses for rent. I love it because you get a better sense of what daily life is like from living with a family vs being sequestered in a resort.

When I left this morning all the family members were happily preparing offerings made of flowers and woven palm and doing all sorts of decorative work to the house in preparation for a big temple festival later this month. As I arrived home today a man was running from the house crying, literally tearing at his eyes. Some friends were running after him. When I entered the compound there were masses of people crying and some people trying to console a woman (I assume the mother) as she was wailing and thrashing on the tile floor. Her pain and the pain of the many family members around is absolutely crushing.

Death is so permanent no matter how much you protest. The word for 'no' must be the same in Indonesian because that is the one thing I heard the woman repeat again and again. Death is heartbreakingly permanent.

Fighting roosters are treated like kings, well that is until their owners strap razors onto their feet and lead them to the ring for a bloody battle till death. Men feed their fighting roosters special vitamins and massage their legs nightly to help make them better fighters.

The blood from the dead rooster is used as a sacrifice during temple ceremonies. Although I think it is against the law, people often place bets on which rooster will win.

I opted to pass on the cockfighting opportunity.

We lucked out and happened upon a temple outside of Ubud where a festival was being held. Before entering they dressed us in sarongs. I was really glad they provided sarongs because my only other option was to wear my zebra printed sarong.

This temple is one of the 3 largest on Bali and is known for it's fresh water spring. People come to give offerings and bathe in the spring water. It is hard to tell from the photos, but if you look at the black swirls in the water that is where the water comes up from the earth and creates little eruptions in the black sand at the bottom of the spring.