The two best phrases of the last 24 hours have been "Congratulations on paying off your car, we'll be mailing your title to you in 10 days." and "It smells like sweet diarrhea!"
The first phrase means my Saab is all mine (or ours now, since I made a vow that everything I have or ever will have is Emily's – but she can't drive a stick, so it's still really mine). The second is Diana's shockingly accurate description of the smell of durian left from a passing durian truck.
Both were music to my ears. I've been waiting a long time for both the title to my car and a way to succinctly describe durian. Triumph!
These choice phrases, have been part of a tremendously busy time. In the course of 24 hours we've seen Bali top to bottom. From a Fire and Kecak Dance at the Uluwatu temple on the island's southernmost tip to the black shores of north Bali it has been gorgeous place after gorgeous place.
A Fire and Kecak dance is one of Bali's most unique art forms. Instead of using the traditional gamelan orchestra and drums, a chorus of men provide rhythmic dance music with their voices. Some are timekeepers with their constant, brief "ooh, ooh, ooh," while others make the fast repetitive "ke…chak…a chak a chak a chak."
An incredible Balinese dance with intricate costumes takes place around a specially designed pillar of flames, inside the circle formed by the vocal orchestra. A story from the Ramayana depicting Laksamana and Rama's rescue of Sita unfolds as the characters occasionally interact with the vocal orchestra.
The dance itself is unique enough, but the backdrop of sun setting over the ocean as seen from the high cliffs of the Uluwatu Temple makes it spectacular. It's impossible to decide which spectacle is more worth of your attention – the dance or the dazzling sunset.
After dusk arrived and the dance ended, we took Jacob and Diana to the beach at Jimbaran Bay where fisherman bring their fresh seafood daily and a long row of restaurants with tables on the beach barbecue it nightly. Jimbaran not only offers the pleasure of dining on the beach with a view of all of southwestern Bali, but it's a fantastic deal. For a mere $24, Emily and I enjoyed a platter of barbecued mixed seafood, side dishes, two beers and fruit for dessert.
After a long day of beach-going, swimming and snacking at Ku De Ta, an incredible sunset dance and seafood on the beach, we were spent. When we arrived home after the hour drive home, everyone was ready to collapse, knowing we had a big day ahead of us. Diana and Jacob in particular had sustained sunburns and needed the rest.
Today, after breakfast and some work time for Emily, we headed out to do "the loop" – the highlights of central and northern Bali all packed into one day.
Up to the magnificent Tamun Ayun temple – once the family temple for the kings of Mengwi – on to the Ulun Danu Temple on holy Bratan Lake, situated below a volcano. Jacob had loved Ulun Danu when he visited in 2005 and he told Diana how he had always wanted to share it with her. They had a romantic tour around one of Bali's prettiest temples while a ceremony took place in the inner sanctuary.
Ulun Danu actually goes into the lake itself and is accented by incredibly sculpted manicured grounds. It's hard to imagine that people could build and design things so ornate in the early 1600s. The temple is among Bali's seven greatest.
In the cool air of the volcanic mountains, we continued up the road to Banyuatis and my favorite coffee plantation. We enjoyed lunch, laughter and what besides Emily is the most breathtaking view in Bali. From our table, we could see the coffee plantations filling the hills below with sculpted rice terraces and spice growing regions below them, rolling out to Bali's black sand north shore.
After lunch and the obligatory coffee making tour, everyone piled into the car and braced themselves to enjoy the gorgeous ride down the hill to the ocean while I navigated the car through the constant dangers of narrow, bumpy Balinese roads. The one that leads down the hill from Banyuatis is extra narrow and managed to have Diana gasping most of the way down.
Unfortunately, down on the north shore we realized we were running out of daylight. We had taken our time at each stop and started a bit later than would have been ideal. So, we stopped in at the Banjar Holy Hot Springs only for a quick peak before heading to Singaraja and then back into the mountains for the long, windy ride home.
As dark fell in the mountains, the only difficult part of the journey began. Dark, windy, low light roads with crazy Balinese driving makes for a hard night ride. My passengers were a bit nervous and stressed as I stayed focused and made frequent use of my second gear and horn. Honking is often the only way to alert people you're turning a blind curve.
The harrowing drive was successful and dinner and drinks at favorite Ubud restaurant Three Monkeys was the perfect way to de-stress.
Although today's sights were new only for Diana, they remain – I think to Emily, Jacob and me – just as enjoyable each time. Bali's center and north are the island's quiet, gorgeous heart.
With a lot of driving, snacking and perseverance, our group managed to see Bali from both ends and the center of Bali in a day. Emily and I continue to proudly deliver our crash course in Baliology.
More importantly, the time along the way was filled with fun, laughter, music and the occasional whiff of sweet diarrhea.
Sent from my iPad
