I'm goin goin, back back to Bali Bali

[January 31]

After the rough patch and long journey back across the sea, we arrived safe and sound back in Bali. The final week of my vacation was here, and I was excited for new adventures in Bali! We arrived in Ubud early evening and immediately I knew this was going to be amazing! Ubud is the cultural heart of Bali, and exactly what I envisioned Bali to be, without even knowing it!

Lauren and I got checked into our hotel at Jalan Jalan Villas & Spa and headed out to scope out the scene. It was notably cooler in Ubud, and for that, I was thankful :) Also, I immediately seemed to get my appetite back, and the first thing we did was mow down on some seriously delicious pizza and pasta! After dinner, we were greeted so kindly back at our hotel (WITH WALLS!!!!), where I had a wonderful night's sleep. I could feel it in my bones....my happy self was back!

[February 1]
Saturday morning it was early to rise and time to explore. We wandered down to the market place for some shopping and sightseeing. It was such a buzzing place! It was quite entertaining watching tourists and locals bartering and exchanging.

Later that afternoon, we found our new yoga studio The Yoga Barn which was so conveniently located just blocks away from our hotel! It was an amazingly gorgeous yoga paradise! It was a full on campus complete with a lovely raw/vegan restaurant! After a long first attempt at Iyengar, we were ready for a refreshing smoothie. We spent the rest of the day walking the market place and planning our next adventure! We stopped at a tourist travel shop on the street to inquire about some fun ideas, and we decided upon a cycling tour! We settled in bed early that night for a good night's sleep before our early wake up call.

Studio 1

If all else fails, I'll just move to Bali and get a job here :)

[February 2]
Sunday morning we up and at 'em early for a fun full day of our cycling tour! We were met at our hotel by our private taxi service. It was quite confusing to Lauren and me, when the first stop on our itinerary of our cycling tour was a "coffee break". What could we need a break from, when we hadn't done anything yet?? We drove for a while though the windy roads up the mountain, until we finally reached our destination. The Coffee Plantation!! Oh Dear Me. For anyone who knows how obsessed I am with the intoxicatingly wonderful morning drink, you'd know how happy this made me!!

We got a little tour of the farm that grows everything you can think of! Along with the tropical climate, the rich volcanic soil is perfect for growing lush and beautiful crops. We stopped and observed a Balinese woman roasting the beans over an open fire. It was amazing. There were no factories, no machines. Simply a beautiful woman, working hard over a fire with nothing more than a spoon and a pan.  I admired her, so.  We also saw the Luwak, the creature responsible for "Poop Coffee". Yes, that's right, I said poop coffee. What is poop coffee, you might ask? Well, this little varmint eats coffee beans and poops them out. The pooped out coffee beans are washed, roasted, and served for your delight! In fact, it is such a delicacy, this coffee is very expensive! Now, you may think I am pulling your leg, which is what I thought the numerous times I saw 'poop coffee' listed on almost every menu at every restaurant and cafe, but when I saw the cute little guy with my own two eyes, it was confirmed truth. The Luwak was just the cutest little thing! But to answer your next question, No, I didn't sample the poop coffee.  Maybe next time. Now that I'm home, I do regret that I didn't have myself a little cat-poop-chino :)

Coffee poop

We then continued our tour to try many different types of teas that cure any ailment from stress to diabetes and cancer; rolled up fresh cigarettes; and then tried all the various fruits that I'd never heard of before! It was quite an exciting morning!

Oh ya know, just rollin up a smoke.

Our taxi man met us back at the van, and drove us to our next stop. We followed up our "coffee break" with breakfast. Haha, I was really liking this cycling tour so far! We had a delicious pancake breakfast overlooking the most beautiful view of Mt. Batur, an active volcano, with the most gorgeous crater lake in the distance! It was absolutely breathtaking! The morning was cool, and it even started to rain, and it was one of those "Pinch Me" moments! Eating banana pancakes, with one of my best pals, on an island, looking at a volcano. Wow. Just WOW!

Alas, it was time to start the cycling tour around 11am :) Our tour guide's name was Katut, and he was a lovely man. He lead us all over the beautiful countryside to explore everything from fruit stands, rice paddies, little towns, and temples. He was very interactive, insisting that he take our photo at every stop! We even stopped to really get up close and personal with the local wood carvers, rice planters, and temple builders. Katut loved showing us his beautiful country, and for that I admired him even more!

Me, Katut, Lauren :) Happy as clams.

We rode a little over 20KM in the extreme heat and rain that came and went as the day wore on. We were definitely ready for our mid day meal! At the end of our tour, our taxi man took us to a lovely restaurant for lunch. Lauren and I enjoyed a wonderful Indonesian meal underneath a little hut that sat right over a pond. We reflected on our favorite parts of the day as we lunched in the afternoon rain. This was my favorite day.

Just enjoying a simple lunch for two :)

[February 3]
Monday morning, Lauren and I got our artsy/industrial side out, and took a silversmithing jewelry making class!! We ventured to Studio Perak for an all morning class of silversmithing. For less than 30 bucks, we were able to make any sort of jewelry item we wanted! We both opted to make rings. Although I can not claim my design to be original, I did make it start to finish with nothing but tiny little silver scraps! It was so neat to see how it all came together in the end! We even had to use a very foot-pumped manual torch welder. I think I made my dad proud :) I had a little extra time, and a little extra silver left over, so I made my sister an adorable little "sister" ring. The two knots symbolize us :)

That afternoon we wandered for lunch, and I received one of the best pick up lines of my life. We were sitting outside at a lovely cafe, and the young manager was definitely making a strong point of checking in on our table. The Indonesian men I encountered were all so very bold in their professed affections for me :) When Laur and I were just about finished with lunch, the manager came over and kept saying to me, "I know you! I've seen you somewhere!" After I insisted that no, he's never seen me before, he very pensively said...."Ahhh, I remember, I've seen you in my dreams! You're the girl in my dreams!" hahahaha. oh geeeze.

That afternoon, I went solo to my very favorite vinyasa class back at the Yoga Barn. If I could ever describe to you with words how beautiful that 90 minutes of my life was, I would. This studio was on the second story of an outdoor structure. Our instructor was named "Gypsy" and she led such an amazing class. I felt so strong in my practice, yet humbled at the same time. Midway through class, it started raining. I very distinctly remember the feeling: Here I am; practicing yoga in Bali, in the most beautiful studio I've ever seen, surrounded by lush green tropical forrest, and it's so perfectly raining. I'd never felt so alive, and so happy to be alive. It was such a breathtaking moment of pure beauty, joy, and exhilaration that I couldn't help but cry. To say that I was moved, would not suffice.

Later that day; enjoying a delicious green tea cake and coconut coffee :)

That evening, Lauren and I rendezvous'd back with Elizabeth and her boyfriend, Douglas! They had made it to Ubud! We met them and a few more of Lauren and Elizabeth's colleagues from Korea, and we all went to see the Balinese Dancers. They put on such a fascinating and beautiful dance! The Balinese women are so very beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

[February 4]
Tuesday was our last full day in Ubud. It was really starting to sink in that I would soon be leaving, and things were just getting so good! I was definitely sad that our wonderful time was coming to a close. That morning, Lauren, Elizabeth, Douglas and I had our final vinyasa class at the amazing Yoga Barn, and enjoyed our final raw lunch and smoothies out on the cafe.

farewell to our favorite yoga paradise 

As Lauren and I walked back to our hotel, I couldn't help myself but to inquire about moving into the beautiful hotel that we passed every day while walking down the street. It was, after all, my final night in Bali, so I felt the need for a severe upgrade! For a little over one-million Rupiah, I was in heaven in my new hotel! Plataran Hotel was so gorgeous and offered the most luxurious amenities you can imagine! My only regret was that I didn't move in sooner!

The view from my room :)

After a shower and a change, Lauren and I decided to make use of the rainy afternoon and have a spa day. We got pedicures and hair conditioning treatments, complete with tea and fruit. I tell ya, the Balinese sure do go out of their way and know how to pamper you to the fullest!

This is the life. 

We finished off the evening by going to a Shadow-Puppet show. It was by far the strangest thing I've ever experienced, and I'd be lying if I said I liked it at all! It was a one man show, basically spent clanking around behind a screen, and making very weird jokes and skits. It was absolutely bizarre. And I wouldn't have enjoyed it if it had been free! haha. We all had one last dinner together before saying goodbye and parting ways. I really enjoyed the days I spent with Elizabeth, and I will miss her dearly! ((Until I visit her in New Zealand, of course))

Shadow puppets??

Goodbye, Elizabeth! It was more than lovely to have met you :)

[February 5]
I slept like a little lamb in my fancy, luxurious, room with air conditioning!! I woke up feeling like the queen of England! I had the most delicious breakfast spread by the pool, and I only felt a little homesick when I face-timed my sister and saw all the feet of snow back home in Fort Collins :)

I'm definitely going to miss this.

After breakfast, Lauren met me at my hotel for one final spa and massage session. I am definitely going to miss all this pampering!!! We ventured out to do some last minute souvenir shopping and had our final lunch date. Before we were ready, our private taxi, Putu was there to drive us 2 hours to Denpasar. I will NOT miss the balinese driving ;)

Laur and I got checked into our flights, and sat for a couple hours until it was time to depart, both from eahcother, and our lovely vacation. I don't know quite how we managed this, but our departing flights to Singapore and S. Korea left at the same time. We hugged goodbye and at about 8pm Bali time, departed into the night sky.  And just like that, my Balinese days were behind me. But they will be forever engrained in my memory.

Love Love Love this girl :)

I sat on the plane and I felt so enormously thankful for my friendship with Ms. Lauren Kuehster. I love this girl so so much, and the day that we became friends back in Crested Butte, was surely one of the best days of my life. I thank you, Lauren, for so many things. For being one of the best friends a girl could know, for leading life with such a fearless and adventurous spirit, and for being simply you! Thank you so much for letting me crash your winter vacation.

Four countries, 5 airports, and 40-something hours later, I finally arrived home. I will never forget this trip as long as I shall live.

So long, dear Bali

Now....where to next???