Holy Springs, Yellow Watermelon, Thanksgiving, and Dragons

Face on the wall .

Indonesia is synonymous with adventure. Had I discovered these lands in my 20's, the only limitation would have been how many of the 17,000 islands could I reach before exhausting my visa. Following the equator, Indonesia stretches between Malaysia and Australia in a long intoxicating sweep. The diversity is staggering, alluring, and inspiring. There are snow capped mountains, dense jungle, sandalwood forests, deep green rice paddies, Borneo, Bali, and of course, the Kamodo Dragons. The diversity is a travelers fantasy, but it's the mixture of people and cultures that's most appealing. Bali leads off the adventure but only now, have I realized how much more there is to explore. Whether it's a dreamy remote beach, monkey forest, or Bali all-nighter, this place really scores! And lets not forget the fabulous food. If time permits, I plan on taking one of the many Balinese cooking classes offered at several of the local restaurants.

Mr. Sudarma leads the way. Trina followed along through the ritual but was not allowed in the spring waters.

The Balinese Hindu's make a visit twice a year to the Holy Springs Temple, located in northern Bali. We decided to go along with Mr. Sudarma and I asked if I could participate in the rituals and prayers. The answer was yes and the water was clear and very cold!

Mr. Sudarma brought the offerings and I followed his lead.

The ritual involves flowers, which you crumble in your hands and place in your hair and behind your ears. There is food and money placed at the alter, lots of incense, and prayers. The Hindu's pray for things, such as; their children to be good people with strong hearts, and health, and prosperity.
Once in the pool of spring water you pass each spout of flowing spring water and dose your head under while praying for whatever it is you are requesting from the universe. The Balinese Hindu's believe God has many names but is always the same one God. Very Cool.

At the Alter

Berrrr. The water was icy cold.

These young men were culinary trainees from the large cruise lines. We chatted in the line and they took to calling me "chef".

Ron and a wet cold cookie

Dragon head at the fish pool. Not part of the holy spring.

Banana Lady; Love the way they carry things on their head.

After praying and purifying in the holy waters it began to rain, (the worshipers take this as a good omen) so we headed back to Denespar to shop for Thanksgiving. Turns out, the watermelon we bought was yellow! Very delicious and sweet. Isi was amazed by the seedless wonder and hoped to find a package of seeds somewhere to take back to Fiji, so her father could grow the yellow anomaly.

The Feast

Thanksgiving was a few days after the fact, but we had to make it on a Sunday so our 25 Indonesian guests could attend. 12 of those guests were from the police headquarters, as their Captain had helped me with a difficult situation with our previous delivery crew. I won't go into it as it is not worth talking about that particular Swedish "meatball". I was so happy to find Turkey at the mega market in town. I tried something different this year with the turkey and by god, this was the juiciest most delicious turkey I have ever prepared. I submerged the turkey in salt water for 12 hours, (Not in the ocean-ha ha) rinsed it, dried it, and prepared it as usual, with the exception of placing it breast down in the roasting pan and turning it only one time after 3 hours in a 325 degree oven. The bird was 14 pounds and roasted uncovered. When I placed it breast up, I basted it only that one time. It was browned, juicy, and super moist. I have always wanted to try this technique but was dubious as to the outcome. Also, leaving poultry out at room temperature for 12 hours seems like it would cause food poisoning. No so! I am doing my bird this way every time!

THE MENU:

Turkey, Mexican Quiche, Green Salad, Sweet Potatoes with Cashews and Apples, Cranberry Relish, Stuffing, Gravy, Grilled Tuna (compliments of police Chief Subiran) Fruit Salsa, Tomato Salsa with Corn Chips, as appetizer, Pumpkin Pie from a real pumpkin (they don't sell it in a can) Banana Bread, Fruit Platter, and Flourless Chocolate Tort.

Desert table, but the Flourless Chocolate Tort had not been brought out yet, due to the high heat factor.

Ron and I jumped a small plane to Labuanbajo, to see the Kamodo Dragons. After all, you can't be this close to something so wondrous and not go see them. Kamodo Dragons are the largest living lizards in the world and the most venomous. They once existed in other parts of the world but were killed off. Indonesia has protected them and thus kept them from extinction. There was a time when Indonesia sent it's criminals to Kamodo, much as England sent their criminals to Australia. There is still a small village on Kamodo where the inhabitants live in harmony with the Dragons. Their houses are on stilts to protect them from the creatures and when they kill a deer they will leave certain parts  for the Dragons to eat. Dragons can recognize specific people. Who would have thought? The Dragons, mate once a year in June. The males fight for a female and some mate for life. Check out the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/petterlindgren/2872503990/ A Dragon can live to be 50 years old. The female makes a nest in the dirt consisting of several holes. She lays up to 25 egg,s, placing 3 in each hole and guards the nest for 9 months, leaving her nest, only to find a meal. Yes, Dragons have a gestation period, like humans, it takes 9 months. Only 3 out of 25 will survive, as predators will eat them and male Dragons will also eat them,because they are cannibals.  The young Dragons are about a foot long and live in the trees to survive, eating small insects, birds, and whatever else crawls by. They also find holes in the trees in which to hide by night. Dragons hunt by day and can swallow an entire large wild pig at one time. They regurgitate the hair and bones after digestion. Dragons lay in the sun after a huge meal, to aid in digestion, as the meal could turn toxic, because their digestive systems work very slowly. Dragons eat only once a month.

View from our hotel balcony. Two nights including breakfast was only $138.00 US.

Abdul, our captain for the 2 hour wooden boat ride to Kamodo. The engine fascinated Ron and was very loud.

AHHHHH, A nice cold Bintang!

Sacred Monkey Forest, Mr. Ketut, and Holy Snakes

Bali may be small in size – you can drive around the entire coast in one long day – but its prominence as a destination is huge, and rightfully so. Ask travelers what Bali means to them and you’ll get as many answers as there are flowers on a frangipani tree. Beautiful rice terraces, pulse-pounding surf, enchanting temple ceremonies, mesmerizing dance performances and ribbons of beaches are just some of the images people cherish. Small obviously doesn’t mean limited. The manic whirl of Kuta segues into the luxury of Seminyak. The artistic swirl of Ubud is a counterpoint to misty treks amid the volcanoes. Mellow beach towns like Amed, Lovina and Pemuteran can be found right round the coast and just offshore is the laid-back idyll of Nusa Lembongan. As you stumble upon the exquisite little offerings left all over the island that materialize as if by magic, you’ll see that the tiny tapestry of colors and textures is a metaphor for Bali itself. And those are just some of the more obvious qualities. A visit to Bali means that you are in the most visitor-friendly island of Indonesia. There are pleasures of the body, whether a massage on the beach or a hedonistic interlude in a sybaritic spa. Shopping that will put ‘extra bag’ at the top of your list. Food and drink ranging from the freshest local cuisine bursting with the flavors of the markets to food from around the globe, often prepared by chefs and served in restaurants that are world class. From a cold Bin-tang at sunset to an epic night clubbing in Kuta, your social whirl is limited only by your own fortitude, which for me no longer includes all-night clubbing but endless energy for exploring Bali's beaches, temples, and forests.

Monkey family

If you hold a banana over your head, a  monkey will climb up you to get it! The small guy was okay, but I did NOT want the big daddy on me!

Another amazing visit to Ubud, which is by far,, my favorite place so far in Bali. Ubud is the cultural hub of Bali's art world, featuring awesome paintings, batik, exquisite sculptures of wood and stone, and handcrafted artifacts. Ubud is also a spiritual mecca, offering yoga retreats, energy healing s, writers workshops ,cooking classes, sacred tours, alchemy, magic, and the sacred monkey forest.

This is the guy I did NOT want to climb on me.

They loved the bananas

It was okay to interact with the monkeys as long as you had food, however, I touched an unsuspecting monkey tail and the reaction was scary, as he snarled and threatened to bite me! In fact, a girl got bit while we were in the park because she did the same thing....I was lucky.

There was a river below me and jungle forest all around. The place was beautiful. The Dragons are stone but next week, Ron and i are going to Komodo to experience the real thing!

There is a holy man here in Ubud named Mr. Ketut Liyer; Palm Reader, Healer, Balinese Astrologer, Painter, Woodcarver, and Medicine man.Mr. Ketut is 99 years old and still able to sit in the lotus position while he reads for you. Ron and I paid him a visit and he told us some interesting things. You might have seen Mr. Ketut in the movie Eat, Love, Pray, as he is the very same holy man that told Elizabeth Gilbert she would lose all her money but get it back again. Which she did by writing her successful book, which became a popular film staring Julie Roberts. Mr. Ketut also read for Julia but he keeps everything confidential. Many of Mr. Ketut's visitors are local and want to have answers to their medical problems as well as love life problems. Mr. Ketut is a very vital and interesting character, who told me among other things, that I will live to be 100,  am good at many things, and will be rich from my writing! He told Ron that he is already rich, good at many things, and that we should not lose each other. He said some other personal things to remain personal! I snapped a few photos with him.

Stone bridge in the monkey forest

Mr. Ketut

 Tanna Lot Temple is the temple shown in most of the travel brochures for Bali. It is a breath taking structure that covers a huge portion of the coastline on west Bali. The main temple can only be reached at low tide. There is a huge lovely park surrounding the hillside and several nice restaurants with spectacular views. Just before you cross over to the temple at low tide there is a cave on the beach where lives a holy snake. What makes him holy, I have no idea, but I suspect it is because all of the ground here is considered holy ground and since the snake lives in the cave, that makes him holy! If you touch the snake you will have good luck so I opted to give him a stroke or two.

Tanna Lot Temple

Tanna Lot near low tide.

Enter the cave here

I had to pull him out of his hole in the rock to stroke him.

The holy snake in his hole.

Floating flowers at the restaurant near the temple.

Looks like Indonesia will require alot of posts to the blog. Capturing the true beauty on camera seems impossible but I will try. Next stop, Komodo Island to take a guided safari on foot, through the land of the Dragons! We will see thousands of them and perhaps catch them with a fresh kill, I hope so. Kamodo Island was once a place where Indonesia sent their criminals; much like Australia. The current villagers live in harmony with the Dragons and consider them sacred thus never killing them. Therefore, the Dragons live in abundance whereas they became extinct in other parts of Asia because they were killed off. Dragons can actually recognize specific people and at one time the local people would leave parts of the deer they killed for the Dragons to eat. The deer and water buffalo population is large enough on the island to feed all the dragons that eat only once a month. After a meal, they bask in the sun to aid in digestion. WOW. can't wait to see the dragons, a once in a lifetime experience. Stay Tuned.

Rice, Chocolate, Butterflys, and Stick Insects

Jatiluwih Rice terraces

It's like a dream: a volcanic island of terraced, emerald rice fields, tropical forests of  fragrant cinnamon and clove trees, and beautiful flowers everywhere. Daily rituals and exotic temples all surrounded by blue azure sea. The islands greatest treasure is it's people-charming, gracious, and able to balance the modern world of internet cafe's, motorcycles, ancient traditions and a unique spirituality. Kind gentle souls.

 I traveled north toward the mountains up narrow winding roads leading to the rice fields that have been cultivated on terraces for hundreds of years. On the way my driver stopped at a beautiful natural hot springs, where the water has been harnessed into relaxing pools and a small resort offers modest accommodations. It was nice to break up the day and relax in the waters. It was also good exercise to have a long swim afterwards in the large pool overlooking the mineral spa.  I felt a bit odd in my bathing suit as most of the people there were local's wearing tee shirts and shorts in the water and there were some Muslim women who wore their full Berka into the pools. Everyone was very friendly and wanted to make conversation. We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant overlooking the rice fields, where the food was marginal but the view stunning.

Rice growing in the water ways.

Lovely little flowers keeping the rice company!

Below is the finished product. A red rice completely dry and ready to take out of the husks. The mountainous region of Jatiluwih, is also where Bali coffee is grown and you can find many Coco trees growing there as well. Also grown in the upland region are small sweet pineapples, which were served after lunch with fresh coconut. After our meal, we hiked up the hill for a sampling of coffee and tea. I bought bags of the hot chocolate, lemon grass tea, ginger tea, and ginseng coffee to bring back to the boat.

Butterfly Heaven

Rice field

Hot Springs

The water was hot and therapeutic

There were two hot pools and this was the larger pool. There was also a large swimming pool of fresh water overlooking the hot pools and it was great to take a swim after soaking in the mineral waters.

Chocolate in it's raw form before being transformed into that dark delicious substance we all know and love!

These ladies were roasting the coffee over a charcoal fire.

Road up the mountain.

We stopped at an enchanting park called Butterfly Heaven, where the most incredible butterfly's inhabit the gardens. There was an enclosed area where they displayed ugly caterpillars making their way to chrysalis pupa, hanging in rows clipped with clothes pins. Some of the butterfly's were already coming out of their cocoon. Their wings are white and as they flap them they turn into amazing colors. These butterfly's were HUGE and the attendant loved to place them on your hair, fingers, and clothes. While walking around the gardens we came upon another attendant who introduced us to leaf bugs, stick bugs, and giant beetles. The stick bugs were the ones used in the Indiana Jones movie Temple of Doom. I thought those big ugly things were computer generated-now I know they are for real. 

Butterfly coming out

They were large and beautiful

Isi loved the butterfly's but NOT the bugs

BUGS!

This was crawling on me. looks just like a stick.

This guy was crawling on me as well. He looks exactly like the leaves.

I said NO to this one.

We headed further north of Marga into the hills for 10 miles along little used roads to Pura Luhur Batukau, the chief temple of the rajadom of Tabanan, beautifully set amid lush forest. The appearance of the temple is ancient and covers acres of land. There was a lake in the midst of the grounds where a small temple was built on a little island. We arrived just as a group of worshipers were leaving. There were colorful lady's carrying baskets on their heads that had been filled with offerings, now left on the temple steps. We had some good conversation with these lovely people.

Thats me with a group of worshipers leaving the temple.