The Wisdom of Bali

I know it’s confusing with all the people with the same name, but here’s the deal: all children in Bali are named according to their birth order. If you are the first child, your name is Wayan, second is Made (Ma-day), the third is Nyoman and fourth is Ketut. If you have more than four children, you start the names again.  It’s a great system really.

I had a wonderful talk with Wayan this morning. He is a man of 29 years, has a lovely wife and 2 sons and is very knowing and wise. We were talking about how Ubud used to be a sweet little village and now with tourism, things have changed dramatically. People feel that they need to sell their rice farms in order to build hotels or villas or to start a business to cater to tourists. We talked about money and how, many times it makes people greedy and changes their lives. People accumulate more things with their money and then have more worries about taking care of the things, making payments, worrying if people will steal them from you.

We talked about how important it is to give as well as receive and how essential that is in the whole scheme of things. He said it’s like a swimming pool. If it gets filled up and there is no outlet, the water gets stagnant and poisoned. You have to have an outpouring or a stream so that fresh water can come in to keep everything balanced and for the cycle to continue in a healthy way.

It’s the same reason that people in Bali make offerings to the gods several times a day. You must give in order to receive. You buy the flowers, rice, candies and banana leaves  to support and give to the people who sell them, you make the beautiful little baskets and offer them to the gods at the temple in order to receive their blessings. 

In Bali, family and temple ceremonies are the most important things and are what all life revolves around. If there is a ceremony taking place, nothing else matters. Businesses close and streets are clogged.  And this happens quite often.

The family lives together in their compound for their whole lives. When a son gets married, his wife comes to live in the compound. More rooms are added as needed. Compounds can be quite large, but there is usually one communal cooking area, and of course the family temple is central to life there. Children are taken care of by the whole family. As they say, “it takes a village”.

It’s all very beautiful and makes perfect sense to me. I am learning a great deal from the wisdom of Bali.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing all of my darling family and dear friends a very merry Christmas day! I hope it is warm and special and magical for all of you. 

It's about 8:30 Christmas night here. All of you back home are still snuggled in your beds, about to get up and find out what Santa left for you. 

I am sitting in my sweet guesthouse with the double doors open wide, watching the rain pouring down. I love the rain showers here in Bali. They come each day and wash things clean. Sometimes they are so powerful and so intense. Some days the rain has lasted for hours, but its usually a quick shower and then it's done. Like jumping in the shower at home and rinsing things off. 

My day has been very quiet. I went out to dinner with a friend last night and unfortunately we both got sick from some bad tuna. It tasted fine at the time but the after effects were no fun at all. I was up most of the night with terrible stomach cramps and dark bad tuna dreams. So today was spent in a very quiet way, reading, napping, watching a movie. I had to watch Eat Pray Love again, now that I'm here. I wanted to watch the Bali parts carefully to see if I know any of the areas they were. And I did. Very cool.

Speaking of EPL, I was coming back from a meeting in Sanur yesterday with a driver named Sonny and it turns out that he works with Ketut Lyer, healer from the book and had a lot of insight into the man and the many other healers in Bali. It was a very enlightening, very interesting conversation. There are certainly many very gifted healers here in Bali and there are some complete fakes. I have come across both, and it taught me to be aware and be careful. Good sense for all of us in all we do. Be aware of what's around you and be aware of your place in the world. 

After a nice nap today, there was a knock on the door. The sweet staff at my guesthouse brought a little flower arraignment with a Merry Christmas note. A very unexpected and very delightful gift. It made my day. I love where I'm staying at Ubud Aura. It's a special place with a wonderful energy. I am very at home here now and the staff of 20 something kids are my friends. We talk each day about Bali and about America, music, family, customs and cultures. I learn a lot from them. 

Counting my blessings tonight, missing my family and friends and wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!

 

Flying Angel

 

Wayan helps me peel my shirt, shorts and underthings off of my damp body. They are sticky with the days sweat mixed with rain from the downpour that I was caught in an hour before. She has filled a bath with warm water and tons of fresh flowers. 

Gorgeous red, lemon yellow and cotton candy pink petals float on the lukewarm water. Part of the room is open-air and the raindrops are still softly falling inside.

She holds my arm as I melt down into the tub. She smiles and says “It’s ok? I leave you now?”. “Yes, it’s ok. But please don’t hurry back.” I say. She looks at me with a face that tells me she doesn’t understand my joke. I smile up at her and she closes the door behind her.  

My eyes are closed and the fragrance from the flowers fills my nose with perfume. They stick to my arms and my toes and my breasts and I feel like a princess in an ancient story. There is a huge smile plastered on my face.

I lay there for a while like that and then, when I open my eyes, there about six feet directly above me is a flying Balinese angel. The wooden kind that people hang from their ceilings. She is made of wood and is about four feet long. Her eyes are looking directly into mine. It stuns me for a moment and I feel a shiver run through my body. What a beautiful thing. She has jet black hair and golden wings that seem to protect me as I lay there prone in the bath. I look back at her, study her and meditate with her as she hovers in space above me. Her hands are in prayer position in front of her heart. She has a kind and loving face. Bob Marley's voice comes into my head. "Everything's gonna be alright.....everything's gonna be alright...."

In no time at all Wayan is back, knocking on the carved wooden door. “Finish?” 
“No.” I say. “I haven’t been here very long….”. She thinks about this a moment and then holds up all ten fingers on both hands. She curls them up and opens them again two more times. “I’ve been here for thirty minutes??” I say. It seems like five.

Wayan helps me sit up in the warm water and lathers my back with lemongrass soap. She washes my arms, shoulders, legs and chest. I close my eyes and feel the powerful, beautiful exchange between two women. Then she takes a coconut shell ladle and pours water over me to remove the soap and flower petals. I stand up in the tub and she does the same.

It feels like a beautiful baptism with the wise flying angel watching over and blessing everything. 

Anna Marie Kipar

I met Anna Marie at a Rotary Club meeting in Ubud. She is 72 years young and has a great life story. We hit it off right away and she invited me to come and spend a few days at her home in a village outside of town.

She picked me up in her rented jeep and we went tearing up the hill. She drives a little crazy and yells at people in German to get out of her way. She has short grey hair and piercing blue eyes. She is an artist and makes the most extraordinary beaded wall hangings I have ever seen. They are delicate and gorgeous and lush. She also makes beaded kimos that are stunning. Elizabeth Taylor owns one and her works have been shown in many museums and upscale hotels.

We arrived at her compound and were let in by Pacsampa, the gardner/night watchman who has worked for her for 10 years. Pacsampa is like a cartoon character I once saw. He has a huge smile with most teeth missing and just nods over and over. He has a wild but at the same time calm look in his eyes and I can tell that he operates in a slightly different reality. He is a sweet man and sits each night on the veranda and lulls me to sleep while he plays a bamboo xylophone type instrument that makes the most beautiful sound. It sounds like a bamboo wind chime.

There are three buildings on the property and the most exquisite gardens. The first building reminds me of a plantation style house that has 4 rooms; two up and two down. A wide veranda runs along the front of each floor. Anna Marie’s art studio and two guest rooms are located in the first building. There are potted plants, beautiful paintings and sweet furniture all around. Her beaded fabric pieces are everywhere. Some as small as a framed photo, and others as large as 10 feet. They are so incredible and incorporate local batik fabric with birds, flowers, butterflies and symbols. I love looking at them. The guest room I stayed in is so sweet and comfortable. My little veranda has a cage with colorful birds and bamboo furniture to sit on. The view is rice fields on two sides. Ducks are always being herded around each. I haven’t figured out what the duck’s role is, but they seem to be very important to the rice farmers. Perhaps they eat the insects from the plants. I intend to find out. There is also a cemetery on one side of the compound and the little street light above it will not stay lit no matter how many times the electrician looks at it. They say the dead do not want to be lit.

The second building houses the kitchen where Wayan presides each day from 7 until 3. She fixes breakfast and lunch, cleans the rooms, creates and makes the offerings for the gods and does it all with a huge smile. She speaks very good English and is a sweet girl. The kitchen is painted yellow and blue and is a cheery room. Indonesians do not eat in the kitchen but this one is inviting with a little table and chairs. Anna’s European influence is definitely here among the delicate porcelain china cups that match the teapots.

In the third building Anna Marie lives upstairs. She has a beautiful daybed on the veranda of intricately carved Balinese wood and bright fabric pillows and pad. She has her Tibetan Buddhism books there as well as her candles, fresh flowers and prayer beads. Anna Marie and I were both in Bodh Gaya last year for the teachings of The Dalai Lama but we did not meet then. Instead we met in Bali.

There is another cage with 4 beautiful birds there and they squawk loudly when there are guests. Anna Marie yells at them in German and the only word I understand is “terrorist!” She’s a very funny, very spunky, somewhat naughty woman. I like her very much. There is a sweet dog who lives here too and is spoiled rotten. Anna feeds him from her plate and talks to him when he gets scared of the thunder and lightening.

I had a very restful first night at Anna’s and I couldn’t believe I got to wake up in such a beautiful place. I felt very fortunate. I opened up the wooden doors and shutters and looked out at the farmers in the rice fields. We had breakfast on the veranda, yummy, strong Balinese coffee, toast with jam and a huge pile of fresh fruit with yogurt and coconut on top.

After breakfast we talked a long time before going for a swim at a nearby hotel. The pool was situated on a hillside overlooking a steep jungle canyon with a river at the bottom. It was glorious.

Next we drove through the nearby villages that are all dressed up for Galungan, a yearly celebration of the deceased ancestors, who come back for 10 days to feast and check in on everyone. Each home builds these beautiful bamboo poles that are decorated with bamboo curls, ribbons, fabric, little mirrors and food offerings. There is competition in the villages about who can make the most beautiful ones. We drove through and looked at them all and it was delightful. Out here, the Balinese don’t see many white people and we got a lot of attention driving through. I felt like a queen on parade.

After a late lunch, we changed our clothes and Anna drove me though villages on the other side of Ubud to a very fancy hotel called The Hanging Gardens. There, she has a 15 foot long piece hanging in the foyer as well as several kimonos and other pieces in the gift shop. 

It started to rain as we were leaving and we got lost on the wrong road coming back. We were deep in the jungle. It was a little scary for a bit, but then we found our way back. We went to a Buddhist teaching that evening and that was nice.

We got back to her place and had some rice with veggies and egg and some delicious rice wine in the bright yellow kitchen of her place as the rain poured down. We talked late into the night about her time in San Francisco and coming to Bali 18 years ago and all the changes she has seen.

I will go back and spend time with her over the holidays and look forward to that. She is a dear, sweet woman with a bit of a wild side. She inspires me.

Living on Bali Time

The time I'm spending in Bali has turned out to be a time of deep reflection, growth, understanding and change.

I'm doing yoga every day, meditating, reading, writing and eating good food. I meet new an amazing people each day and enjoy them fully and intensely, knowing that they will be leaving my life soon, like the tide of the ocean.

I've been spending a lot of time with a group of women from my yoga class and feel a great kinship with them. Women from Holland, Japan, Spain, Africa and Germany. It's so wonderful to come from such different backgrounds and be in a common place in our lives. We all deal with the same issues of joy and happiness, pain and sorrow.

John is from Australia by way of England. He has become a dear friend and someone who makes me laugh. I mean really laugh from deep in my belly. He has a Monty Python-eque sense of humor that is hilarious. He likes to go out at night and get "pissed as a newt". We have shared good yoga classes, lots of bintang beer and have been on the search for a good glass of red wine. He leaves tomorrow and I'll miss his friendship and presence.

Jerry was here for a few days from a small town in Ireland. He had never done yoga before and is quite shy. But he jumped in full force and gave it his all. Very nice, kind man. He left yesterday to go surfing in the Gili Islands before going home.

Wendy is a beautiful woman from Australia and is so inspiring to me. She is 62 and is an artist, does yoga every day, has 5 grandchildren and is gorgeous. We shared many coffees and cold beers in cafes together talking about life.

Anna Marie is a German woman who lives here in Bali and does the most beautiful beaded wall hangings I have ever seen. She's in her 70's and drives a jeep all over the island yelling at people to get out of her way. I just have to close my eyes and hang on tight. She has a beautiful home in a small village with her art studio and gorgeous paintings all around. She has several birds and a few cats who live with her. We sit on her balcony overlooking the rice fields and drink rice wine and smoke cigars and tell of our lives. I feel very close to her already.

I feel like I am on a slow moving freeway where people weave in and out of each other lives, smiling and waving and sometimes stopping at the side to share some experiences together. I wonder how I am so fortunate to be living this life.

How did my life become so open and so full of adventure and joy? I get stuck asking myself this question and feeling some sense of responsibility about it. But then I remember to just relax and enjoy everything as it comes.

I am so grateful for every day and want to savor each moment like it is the perfect morsel that I put in my mouth.

The Villa The Astronaut and The Monkey

Darma picked me up to take me to the villa of a British man who I am working with on the festival. I have never met him, but he offered to let me stay at his place while he is out of the country. What a kind and generous offer. 

We drove about 20 minutes outside of Ubud and as the road got narrower and we drove further and further into small villages, it occurred to me that I had no idea where I was going, who the people were who were taking me there and no one knew where I was going. I didn't panic, but rather had a feeling of calm come over me and I knew I had to trust that everything would be alright. I knew it would 

We pulled up in front of the place and got my bags out. Some cute boys from the road came over to see who this blond haired stranger was. They were so cute and shy they wanted to talk but we didn't know each other's language. But it was a nice welcome. 

The villa was so incredibly beautiful. It's big and spacious with a huge living room, a great pool, another living room that was sunken down square with comfortable pads for conversation, two outdoor showers, kitchen, master bedroom and my room which was upstairs and had a wonderful balcony overlooking gorgeous rice fields. 

Darma told me to make myself at home and I did so by first having a delicious nap. I was still sort of in a daze from my morning at Bodyworks with Sri Guru. 

When I got up I went out by the pool and started writing as the orchestra of frogs in the rice fields started up and the light from the fireflies twinkled around me. I wrote 8 pages in my journal as I was processing the events of the day. It was very cathartic. After a few hours, a man arrived sporting a New Zealand accent, and introduced himself as Manny. He was a friend of Sacha and was staying there for 2 more days before going home. He had been in Bali for 3 weeks. Manny and I got along great and had long talks into the night about Bali, world events and spirituality. He is a wealth of knowledge and a very kind person. He is a painter, an assistant cameraman (he worked on Lord of the Rings) and has purchased a ticket to go into outer space in 2012. Not many people can say that. 

When I woke up the next morning after a very restful sleep, I heard a strange sound outside of my bedroom. When I walked out, I saw a small monkey tied to the post. He was very jittery and going crazy running around at the end of his short leash. What a strange site to see. I wasn't sure if I was awake or still dreaming about monkeys in the Monkey Forrest. I found out that the monkey's name is Cosmo and he is a pet of Sacha's, along with the 3 dogs and 3 cats that live there as well. The cats and dogs love visitors and insisted on sharing my bedroom with me. I spent some time with Cosmo talking to him and was happy when he would calm down and just look at me as we chatted. He would make funny faces and open his little mouth in a wide grin. As soon as I would get up to walk away, he would become very agitated again and start running in circles around the post.  It reminded me to stay calm, take it easy, and not run around like a monkey on a string myself.

I made some tea in the kitchen and had the place all to myself most of the day. I had a hard time with no internet connection and no phone and no way to get to town, but I decided to just relax and enjoy a few days of being disconnected. It was so wonderful. I swam, read my book (titled A House in Bali) and watched a movie on my computer. It rained very hard much of the day which made it so nice to be inside and quiet. 

That evening Manny came back from a surf trip and we talked some more and had some noodles and tofu and cold beer. There was quite a bit of commotion in the lane outside and we later found out that the man who lives next door had died. He was an older man and wasn't expected to live long, but he was also an important elder in his community. The village came together and had him cremated within hours of him dying, which is unusual. But it happened to be a good day spiritually and astrologically for it. 

We had another round of good discussions that day before I left to come back to Ubud. I really appreciated the gift of being able to spend time at the villa and was invited back anytime I would like to come. What a beautiful repose....

Monkey Forest of Dreams

 After my visit to the monkey forest and talk with the man that works there, I had a very  “good dream” as he said I would after washing my hands in the sacred stream. The dream wouldn’t make sense to anyone else, so I won’t tell it, but it was a very important dream to me and had to do with knowing my “center” or my “source” and trusting it and always coming back to it. This dream reiterated to me that I am a powerful being and all that I need is here in me.

As I was writing down the dream the next day, I was overcome by a sense of joy that this information had come to me. I wrote the word “source” at least four times on the page. And as nutty as it sounds, Kevin Bacon was in the dream and helped deliver the message.

Later that day, I had an appointment with Sri Guru, the same one from the yoga class at the ashram. He is a massage therapist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, energy worker and healer. I really didn’t know what I was going to him for except to spend time with him and see what he had to say. I had a 30 minute appointment. I went a little early to the BodyWorks Center, which is inside of a beautiful family temple compound and had some tea and got my mind calm and clear.

Sri Guru came downstairs with his previous client and as they were talking, he climbed into a fly gym swing that was hanging there and started spinning and hanging and doing acrobatics. He looked over at me and smiled with his happy face and sparkling eyes. He reminded me again of a little grey haired mischievous monkey.

He took me up three flights of stone stairs and into a small room on the rooftop. The room was filled with images of The Buddha, Ganesh, The Dalai Lama, Jesus, Shiva, crystals, a fountain, books and beautiful natural light. He asked me if I had any problems I wanted to talk about and I said no, not really. I told him my neck was still a little sore from when he cracked it at yoga class, and he said “good. That means it is changing as it needs to”. Hmmm….

I climbed onto the table and he started doing some light massage and then focused on my neck. He was doing some intense acupressure stuff there that made me squirm. It was painful but I could tell it was releasing some very old, stuck energy there. Most of what he did that day was energy work and it was very, very powerful.

At one point he was touching a place on my stomach and I could feel a flood of bright, beautiful energy moving from there up through the top of my head. I have never felt anything like it. I breathlessly asked him what that was, and he leaned in close with his wonderful face and said: “that is The Source”.

The road to Seminyak and more....

It’s been a very busy, very eventful few days in Bali.

Last Friday I had to go about an hour south of Ubud to the coastal town of Seminyak for a meeting with the new W Hotel that is being built there. My driver was Ketut and we had a delightful time together. We talked about family life in Bali, kids and grandkids, what my work was, and he wanted to know how children are educated in the United States and how we pay for college. He was a very jovial, very funny man with a huge smile and loves to talk about his people. I have had many people ask me my age, and when Ketut asked, we figured out we are the same age, although he does not know what day his birthday is because his parents did not read or write. Ketut keeps busy with is transport business and being the head of the Gamelan group in his village. He seemed to know everyone on the way to Seminyak and he honked and waved at many people on the way. I adored my time with him and asked him to pick me up the next day.

The meeting went well. Afterwards I walked along the beautiful beach for hours. It was nice but as I walked near the large hotels, it was apparent that this was party town central. Loads of tourists, people selling things and general mayhem. I didn’t like it much at all. I had dinner at a place on the beach and watched a glorious sunset. I went back to my crappy little hotel and had a restless night. I didn’t like the vibe in Seminyak at all. The energy was completely different than Ubud and I couldn’t wait to get back here. I did a little shopping the next day and stopped at a little café for lunch where I met Rocco, the Australian angel.

Rocco was a very large man sitting by himself. He started talking to me and at first my alerts were on high. I wasn’t sure what his purpose was but as it turned out, he had some important information to share. We ended up talking for an hour and half. He was a very kind man with a very spiritual nature, but also very realistic.  He has a wife, children and grandchildren and we talked a lot about family, non profit work, health, travel, having a positive attitude and the state of our world. We seemed to be thinking and vibrating on much the same level and I enjoyed our conversation very much.

On my travels in Nepal and India I seemed to be surrounded by women who wanted to mother me and take care of me, and on this trip so far, it’s been a very male vibe that has been around me, nurturing me. 

Ketut picked me up and we had another delightful drive together. We talked a lot about culture this time and he explained to me how the family system works and told me about the practice of Tooth Filing. This happens to every child who is in puberty and there is a huge celebration around it. The children’s fang teeth (I don’t know the proper name of those) are actually filed down and sometimes the front teeth as well. Ketut says this is an ancient tradition that is done because of the belief that the fang teeth might attract evil and may make a person want to draw blood on other beings. This is fascinating to me that the thought and belief in vampires could be traced to Indonesia? I am offline at the moment so can’t hit the good old “google” button, but plan to soon.

On Sunday I worked on the computer a lot in the morning, had a late breakfast with my friend Wendy from Australia and then went to a fantastic organic farm near Ubud. The hotel has a great staff and the boys are willing to take me anywhere I want to go on the back of their motorbike. The farm was high up on a hill in the middle of acres of rice fields. It was so green and luscious and gorgeous. It’s a wonderful place and I had a delicious meal in the restaurant and bought some jam that’s made on the farm. I walked through the rice fields for a few hours and felt so happy and peaceful there.  I stopped in at the Ubud Palace on the way back but most of it is closed off to tourists.

In the evening I went to a cultural performance with my new friend Rucina who has lived in Bali for 25 years. She was the MC at the event and it was interesting. It was filled with expats and was a very non traditional performance of interpretive dance and music.

On Sunday I joined some of the yoga group for an outing to do a session with a woman who does healing with crystal bowls. It was fascinating and very soothing and wonderful. There were six of us on the porch of her wonderful Balinese home. We were lying on our backs with nice cushions under our feet and heads while she tapped and rubbed 9 crystal bowls of varying sizes. They made the most glorious sounds in different tones that seemed to vibrate through my whole body. As we lay there, the rain started and soon it was coming down so hard it almost drowned out the sound of the bowls. It seemed to be in perfect rhythm with what she was doing. I felt like I was being carried away into a wonderful dream state. Afterwards we all talked about the experience and shared some nice time together.

On the way home I stopped at a dance performance that was happening at the palace. It was gorgeous, lush traditional dance with the colorful costumes and the full gamelan playing onstage. I was mesmerized and moved to tears at how beautiful it was.

Which brings us to today’s adventure. I got up early (as usual) and decided to go for a walk before breakfast. I didn’t end up returning to the hotel until 4 pm. I walked to the monkey forest, which is a short distance away. It’s a very holy place where the monkeys make their home. There are two temples there as well as a graveyard. All Balinese people are cremated, but some can’t afford it, and have to be buried until a mass village cremation ceremony takes place. Sometimes they are buried for years but all are eventually cremated and their remains taken out to the ocean. But I digress….

It was early in the morning in the monkey forest and the monkeys were a little tired I think. I was watching a man feed them sweet potatoes and he started telling me about the place. His name is Nyman and he has worked there for 25 years. He ended up taking me all around the forest, through the temples and to the ancient stream where the blessed waters are. We washed our hands in the water, and he said it would give me “good dream”. I’m about to find out.

After the temple, I walked around town and checked out some hotels and shops and ended up in an hour meeting with the manager of one hotel. We had coffee and snacks and talked about all the changes in Ubud over the years. He was another kind, older man who was very caring and sweet to me.

Then I walked over to Meghan’s café and had a delicious tuna salad lunch and talked with a man from London and his Japanese girlfriend for over an hour. She confirmed to me that the Japanese Kanji tattoo on my back does in fact mean “grandson”. They were here on vacation and we compared travel stories and notes. He was a very funny man with a great sense of humor. We had good fun sparing and throwing one liners back and forth. It’s good practice J

I got back to the hotel in time to have a quick shower and then it was off to a local Rotary Club meeting. Good god, I’m tired just typing all of this. I’m packing a lot into my days here but I am loving life in Ubud.

Tomorrow I am going to stay in the villa of a British man, Sacha Stone who has offered to let me be his houseguest for a few days. He is out of the country but says his staff will take good care of me.

More adventures to come…..

Random Thoughts about Traveling Alone

I don't ever think about the fact that I'm traveling alone until someone points it out to me. Or if I'm sitting in a touristy restaurant and see people on vacation together, then I remember. It just feels so natural to me and there are really great things about it. 

1) I never have to consult with anyone about plans and am free to flow wherever I will.

2) I don't have to worry about sharing a bathroom or a bed with anyone and can leave my towels on the floor and use every one of the pillows to make a little pillow fort around myself.

3) If I want to do nothing at all one day except lie on a chair and read my book, I don't have to feel like I'm putting anyone out or making anyone change their plans.

4) People start conversations and interact with me because I'm alone.

I adore traveling with my friends but I am also happily ok to be my own travel partner. Every day is a brand new adventure.

The Guru and The Ashram

There is a group of women from Australia at my hotel who are on a yoga retreat. They are so sweet and kind and have been very friendly with me. Yesterday they invited me to come with them to an ashram to do a yoga class with the locally famous Guru Sri and then attend a ceremony. I was honored and delighted to join them. I had had a very quiet day of rest, still not feeling totally great as far as my stomach is concerned. Getting used to the intense heat has been a challenge too. My energy seems to be zapped by mid day. Especially after waking up around 5 am each day, as my body clock tells me to do.

I felt a little nervous, having never been to an ashram before and no knowing what kind of yoga we would do and what the rules would be. They told me to bring all white clothing for the ceremony, wear my hair up and someone let me borrow a sash to tie around my waist. They also said to be sure and never point your feet at the guru, or offer your left hand as this is considered disrespectful.

We were driven to the ashram which is about 20 minutes from the hotel. We drove through gorgeous rice fields and lovely villages and temples all around. Each family home has a temple compound which is situated according to the direction of the sea and the mountains. Everything is placed for a specific reason. More on that later.

The temple grounds where amazing and green and peaceful. We were taken to an open area where the Guru was talking with a family. He is a small, slight man with a long grey beard to the middle of his chest. He was going to do a blessing or a session with them while we started our warm up with his counterpart, a young man who was in great yoga shape. As we were doing our cat/cow and downward dog stretches, we heard a loud wailing coming from the woman on the porch of the Guru’s home. I’m not sure what was happening. I imagined he maybe was talking to the family’s dead relatives or helping them through some pain. It was sort of eerie but there was a certain power and healing energy there too. Everything in Bali is about the energy….

After we warmed up for 15 minutes, the Guru Shri came over and started giving instructions in broken English. “Spread fingers!” “Strong in your legs!” “Breathe through your mouth and make big sound!” He took off his long sarong and revealed a very fit, very tight little body in spandex biking shorts. I had to smile at this. He pushed us pretty hard but did so with great humor. It is said that Guru Shri is inhabited by the monkey god, Hanoman who is full of fun and mischief. 

The Guru is also a chiropractor and he came to each of us during the yoga session and cracked our backs and our necks. It was scary and wonderful. He didn’t ask, he just did it. After cracking my neck he looked down at my frightened face, his smiling, mischievous eyes lighting up:  “See, you not dead. It’s ok. You still alive”. It was a great class and we worked ourselves hard for an hour and a half until the mosquitoes started eating us alive. 

After yoga we showered and changed into our white temple garb. We were met by our guide Made (Ma-day) who showed us where to leave our shoes and our bags and took us on a tour of the grounds. It was dark by this time and there were candles everywhere which made it feel even more magical and special. Made took us first to a little fountain where we kneeled down and he poured water into our right hand three times which we poured over our heads as a blessing. Next we went into a small cave where there was a huge and amazing statue of Ganesh, my favorite Hindu god. He was lit with sparkling candles and there were pads to kneel down in front of him to say a prayer, which we all did. Ganesh is a great guy whos main job is to move obstacles out of your way with his huge trunk. You can pray to Ganesh to help you with just about anything. You just have to bring him some sweet treats in return.

We walked out into the courtyard where there were more sacred spots and alters and a huge bonfire in the middle. We were led into the main pavilion where The Guru was sitting on an slightly elevated platform. We sat on bamboo mats as people filed in. There were quite a few foreigners but mostly local Indonesians.

The rest of the evening was filled with chanting, dancing and blessings until late into the night. It was really amazing and wonderful and I was honored to be there and learn just a little bit about this world. I am barely, slightly, ever-so-lightly scratching the surface....

Bali Belly and other Tales

I now know the meaning of Bali Belly. It's much like Delhi Belly and is when you get some kind of stomach bug that keeps you in the bathroom for a few hours. Yuck. 

I have been being careful and watching what I eat and drink, but you just never know. I went to a very upscale restaurant for lunch (thought I would splurge a little on my big meal of the day) and had a delicious Indonesian dish that had noodles, veggies and prawns. Sounds pretty safe and tasted amazing. But within about an hour, I had a sinking feeling in my loins....I got myself back to my room just in the nick of time. Sort of put a damper on my afternoon plans, but it really hasn't been too bad. I feel very spent and have a headache and dry eyes, but it is passing and by tomorrow I'll be fine. 

I decided to go down the street to the little Zen spa and get a massage and a hot bath and I'm so glad I did. It was amazing and my body needed it so much. It's a sweet nice spot and so wonderfully inexpensive. 

The nice lady brought me into the room and had me take a shower. Then she gave me a full body massage (no clothing, no cover, but what the hell? I felt very comfortable with her). She had very strong hands, the style was more concentrated pressing then actual rubbing. I had to ask her politely to ease up once or twice. I thought she might break my little foot bones with her strong paws. She somehow knew to rub my tummy with just the right amount of pressure and it felt great. I could feel my insides responding in a good way after the somewhat violent happenings a few hours earlier.

She then scrubbed my body with delicious smelling salts and then plastered me with what smelled like cool yogurt. I'll bet I would have tasted delightful. She let that all sit for a while and then asked me to shower it all off. There was a huge bathtub in the room which she filled with the perfect temperature of water and then put tons and tons of fresh purple and white flowers in. It was so amazing and beautiful. When I was in the tub, she brought some delicious, pungent ginger tea (perfect for my tum tum) and some fresh fruit that had a coconut sauce drizzled over it. I thought I had absolutely died and gone to Bali heaven. And all of this for a mere 150,000 rupiahs. (about $16)

I'm back in my room now, feeling pretty spent. I'll do a little work and then hit the hay. I will move hotel rooms tomorrow and my friend Rucina is coming to pick me to up to help me move and then we will go to her place for the afternoon and to look at two possible venues for film festival events. It will feel good to get out and about after sticking pretty close to this 'hood for a few days. I am anxious to see other parts of the island too. Probably over the weekend I'll hire one of the thousands of available drivers for a day. His name will be Made (Ma-day) or Wayan or Ketut and we'll have some rip roarin' fun.

Bali Oh Bali

I have had so many visions about what Bali would be like. It's always been a romantic notion to pack up and go to Bali someday. I can't believe I am really here. 

My friend Alison in Tiburon connected me with her friend Alice who lives here. We had talked via email and then she surprised me by coming to the airport with her sweet Balinese family to meet me. They had a flower necklace for me, some cold drinks and snacks. She also gave me a local cell phone to use, which was so very kind. I am looking forward to spending some time with Alice and having her show me around. We visited for a while in the parking lot of the airport and then my driver drove me about 45 minutes to Ubud where I'm staying. 

My first impression of Bali was that Denpasar was a busy place full of industrial buildings. There are a lot of businesses where people are carving beautiful furniture pieces and where large statues are made. Gorgeous Buddhas, Ganeshes and many others. The traffic was crazy and there were so many people on motorbikes weaving in and out through the cars. There didn't seem to be traffic rules except for the street lights and roundabouts. People came up to the car at stoplights wanting to sell me magazines, newspapers and snacks. Some played a harmonica or a guitar and had a big smile on their face. My driver, Wayan was a very kind young man who spoke English very well.  I felt like I pestered him a lot with questions but he didn't seem to mind too much. 

I came to Bali without doing much research, which is the way I like to experience new things. I didn't do a lot of reading about the culture or the land. This trip came up rather quickly so even if I had wanted to, there wasn't much time. It's think it's nice to just be in the moment and not have expectations....

Wayan and I drove to Ubud and he brought me to the Aura Hotel which is so sweet. It's a small place down a very narrow road. There are just 14 rooms here and a beautiful swimming pool. I have a deluxe room because there weren't any of the regular rooms available. It's really nice but is a little bit out of my Bali price range at $50 per night. I'll stay here for 4 nights and then move to another place that's around $25 or $30, which is average for a nice room. 

I was so tired when I arrived, I could hardly see straight. But after putting my things in my room, went for a little walk around to stretch my legs and get the blood flowing again. I am in a great area of Ubud, next to several wonderful cafes, The Yoga Barn and some great little shops. There is a beautiful rice field directly across from the hotel where people are out each day harvesting.

I slept pretty soundly until 3:30 am and when I woke up was not at all sure where I was. It was SO quiet.....

I had meetings scheduled the first day with Meg, Rob and Rucina and I sort of floated down the street to meet them at the cafe. They were so kind and we spent a good few hours together talking about the Festival and getting their wonderful help. They have all lived here for many years and know everyone and everything that's happening here. Great connections to have. 

After lunch Meg offered to drive me around and show me Ubud. This was especially kind of her because she is a very busy woman who owns several businesses, including The Yoga Barn, Kafe Kafe Restaurant, Bali Spirit, an art gallery and she and her Balinese husband are producing the Bali Spirit Festival coming up in March. We got along so great and I adore Meg. She really is a get-it-done kind of gal (obviously). At the end of our tour, we went to her cafe where her darling husband and two kids were. We had dinner together and Kadek, Meg's husband showed me around the family temple that is in he back of the cafe. Before we went in, however, he asked me if I was on my menstrual cycle because if I was, I wouldn't be able to go inside. In Balinese tradition, a woman is unclean and will offend the gods if she is menstruating. It was all very fascinating and Kadek is a wonderful teacher. He and Meg invited me to a local ceremony next week, and he will also take me to the Monkey Forest that he and his family helped to restore in recent years. 

I got some pretty good sleep last night and woke up at 5 am today. I walked through Ubud and loved seeing people getting ready to go to work, cleaning their doorsteps, getting children ready for school. Everyone smiles as you walk by, and they say hello. Beautiful, loving people. 

After breakfast I went to a yoga class and then came back to my room for a delicious nap. I think I'll go out for a short walk this evening. My body is still feeling a bit stiff and sore from the flight, I think. 

I feel very happy here in Ubud so far and I know there is so, so much to learn. I am excited about that prospect.

Bali via Hong Kong

Before I've even had time to process my trip to Haiti, I am off to Bali for work. It feels like a dream.

After a 14 1/2 hour flight, I am here in Hong Kong for a couple of hours waiting for my next 4 1/2 hour flight to Bali.

Man, that was a long time to be in an airplane. I had a middle seat next to a nice man from San Francisco and a nice (smelly) Indian man from Portland. I swear he farted for 14 hours straight. Nearly killed me. There was also an unhappy baby who cried and coughed most of the way. Poor thing.

I am so excited to get to Bali and meet the people I have been working with via email. They will be there to welcome me and get me to my new digs where I can take a shower and a nap. I feel like I am covered in the smell of Indian farts and stuffy airplane. I wonder what it will be like when I get there...I'm sure I have way too many clothes on at this point and will have to shed them as soon as I get there.

I'm sending lots of love to Bruce across the miles. He is in Argentina and suffered a heart attack. I got a note from Dana today who said that although they released him, he had another "episode" this morning and they had to take him back. They are hoping to get him back to the states soon so his care can be more closly monitored. I hope and pray that he will recover fully and get back to doing all the things he loves.

More from Bali!

My article about Haiti

The woman I work for at The Global Social Change Film Festival asked me to write a story about my travels in Haiti for the website. It was fun to write and I am very honored to be a part of this global experience. Enjoy!

http://www.socialchangefilmfestival.org/2010/10/magic-in-haiti/

A Few Haiti Photos

Haiti - Part II

We arrived in Jacmel and went to our friend Emmet's home. Emmet is an American and works for an NGO called ACDI-VOCA. He has been in Haiti for two years now and his organization focuses on sustainable practices such as fishing, farming, clean water, and health care for local people. They are doing great work, and our group donated some tools for a program for Haitian men and women to learn how to build earthquake and hurricane proof housing.

Emmet's home was a welcome respite after such a long journey. It was open and airy, on a cliff overlooking the ocean and had a swimming pool in the back. We all had a swim and a nap and felt much better by the time Emmet arrived home from work. We had a delicious dinner together with he and some friends he had invited over that included stuffed squash, salad with avocados as big as a softball, bread, rice, and fresh lime and rum . It was a great chance to talk about Haiti from a local's point of view and talk about the politics of what's happening there. We stayed up late into the night talking and watching the heat lightning in the sky. I have never seen so many stars in the sky before my first night in Haiti.

The next day the three of us (Laurie, Lisa and me) jumped on the back of motorcycles, which are the local taxis, and headed out to visit the different places where our group would volunteer. The first trip we took could have been our last, but we were definitely being looked after.... All three of us were on a bike with the driver (what were we thinking?) and zooming down the dusty streets of Jacmel, when blam! the front tire blew. The driver was really good and knew just what to do. He got us safely to the side of the road and before we had time to even think about it, 3 more taxis had pulled over to take us on our way.

We visited a man named Jacques who runs a small orphanage in Jacmel. He has about 15 kids that we met and made arrangements to go back later in the afternoon and play with all the kids at the community center. Next we met Sister Bonite, who has a home very near a large tent city and feeds 250 children each day. She also collected donated clothing and other items for the people in the tents. She is an angel who cares for people in such a beautiful way. She is Haitian but lived in NY for 40 years and worked as an RN, but after the earthquake she says she was called by God to come back and take care of her brothers and sisters. She invited us to join her and the community at church services that Sunday.

We were starving by that time so stopped at a little shack on the side of the road to get something safe to eat. I had to laugh when I saw the sign because it has the famous golden arches on it. I think it was called "Millies". We got a grilled cheese sandwich and a bottle of Coca Cola to go and ate them as we rolled on down the road on the back of our motorcycle taxis.

We met up with Jacques and his kids and spend an hour singing some songs and playing games. It was very hot and were pretty tired by this time, so didn't have a ton of energy that day. But the kids are wonderful and sweet and so loving. They get a meal each day at the community center and get help with homework and time to be together in a relaxed way with other kids from the neighborhood. We told Jacques we would bring our group back and have some fun art projects and do yoga with the kids.

We made one last stop at the main tent city in Jacmel where Lisa volunteered earlier in the year with The Global Volunteer Network. She has some friends who are still there and they were so happy to see her. It was great for her to make those connections again and was fascinating for me to see the tent city up close. I still had so many questions about what life must be like there....

One of my favorite moments from Haiti

My friend Joseph. We didn't speak many words but communicated on a much deeper level. He is a very smart, very special boy.
Photo by Nicole Litchfield

Haiti - Intensity in Tent Cities - Part I

What to say about Haiti? There is so much.....

The whole trip was surprising to me. I was surprised by how beautiful Haiti is. I was surprised by how incredible, generous and loving the people are, I was surprised by the surprises that awaited us each day.

I went to Haiti with a group of 13 women and 2 men who are all connected through our yoga practice. Our teacher has been to Haiti earlier in the year and wanted to take a group back to do some volunteer work. It was a wonderful group of people. We all bonded in a huge way. 

I went two days early with two of the women to make sure things were in order. We took a red eye flight to Miami and arrived at 2 am California time. We had a short layover and then were on the 1.5 hour flight to Port Au Prince. It was raining when we arrived and was very warm and muggy. The baggage claim area was small and crowded and chaotic. But we had someone there to meet us which was such a help and a relief because there were throngs of men outside the door yelling and wanting us to come with them. 

We got our things and loaded up in the truck, six of us in the double cab and three men in the back sitting on top of our suitcases. We began the 2.5 hour journey to Jacmel where we would be staying with a drive through the heart of Port Au Prince and the devastation left by the earthquake. 

It was difficult to wrap my brain around all that I was seeing. Homes and businesses were totally collapsed. Huge piles of rubble everywhere. Gigantic slabs of concrete roofs laying sideways. And the huge white presidential palace flattened on itself like a pancake with only the majestic dome sticking up. There were huge rivers of muddy water that we had to cross. Piles of garbage everywhere. I would not have been the least surprised if I had seen bodies by the road. It was like a scene out of a sci fi movie.

And then there were the tent cities....acres and acres of tents upon tents. We passed so many "neighborhoods" of tents. Tents in the public parks, tents on the median strip in the middle of the road. It's hard to imagine what life must be like living shoulder to shoulder with 50,000 other people in tents. The heat must be unbearable. I wondered where people wash themselves, or take their garbage, or cook their food. I wondered about the crime and about the sense of family among them. I wondered where their kids go to school and where they go for urgent medical care. I wondered if they have lights to read or sew by or to find their way home.We were all pretty quiet in the truck as we drove through Port Au Prince. All of us contemplating what we were seeing. 


It took most of an hour to drive through the city and finally we were on the more open road to Jacmel. It was a beautiful drive with winding mountain roads, lush trees, fields of sugar cane, cows, children, chickens, motorcycles and people everywhere. It seems that the people in the mountains had it much better than the people in the cities. More open space and room to breathe....

Technical difficulties

Sorry about those last posts. Was sending via text message and didn't realize the limitations.

It's 2:30 am California time and we just landed in Miami. It's going to be a very long day.

We are meeting a woman from the orphanage hereand she will be on our flight which is nice. We will get a ride with her once we arrive in Port Au Prince and visit ine of th orphanages with her today in Jacmel.

It all feels dreamy and floaty and not real yet. I guess that's because it's the middle of the night and I haven't slept. Hopefully I'll catch up tonight. Were staying at th home of an American man who does work in Haiti and is a contact of lisas. He sounds like a wonderful guy.

Eat Pray Love Yoga

Haiti

I'm gearing up for my trip to Haiti and feeling some trepidation. I'm not sure if it's just in the getting ready or something more. I know it will be an intense, important journey and don't really know what to expect. But that's ok. All I know is that I will be with a wonderful group of people and we will do a small part in helping out people who's lives have been so devastated. I wonder what they will be like? I wonder who I'll meet along the way. I wonder what it will taste like and smell like? I wonder how my life will change after this trip.... 


We had a benefit last week at the Cruising Club and it was fantastic. Lots of people came out to support us, we had a fun silent auction, good food and amazing music. The full moon rose up over the water and added a nice vibe to the evening. 

This Sunday we will be doing another event called Eat Pray Love and Yoga. It's at a private villa that has been donated and will have live Haitian music, 2 hours of yoga, wine, food and new friends. It should be great. 

I've been so busy with these events plus working on the Bali Film Fest and my volunteer work at Bread & Roses, I'm not even sure which way is up half the time. But I'll get it all done, all will be fine and all will roll out exactly the way it's supposed to. 


I have way too many clothing and other items to fit in one bag. Guess I'll have to take two. I want to bring as much as I can to help people there so I'll make it work. 


One week from tonight I will be in the air, on my way to a new land. I'm very excited and honored that I get to have this experience. 


Thank you to the universe and to the path that I'm on. And thank you to all my friends and family who are linking arms and supporting me as I navigate the unknown....


Namaste

Labor Day

I had a very fun labor day weekend that was full of surprises. Some great and some not so great. But that's the way life is and it seems that there are twists and hairpin turns on the road sometimes. It's in the learning what to do with those changes and bumps that's important (for me).

I went to a nice event at the DeYoung Museum with friends on Friday night. Live music, short films, henna tattoos and a special exhibit of Impressionist Paintings from the Musee D'Orsay. I was lucky enough to see these paintings on a trip to Paris a few years ago and they are still breathtaking. 

Saturday I rested up and worked at the Cruising Club at night. It was Girls Night (aka lesbian night) and it was a lot of fun. The ladies were great, all had a good time and most importantly were excellent tippers :)

Sunday was a lazy day spent on a sailboat, behind the main stage of the Sausalito Art Festival. I got to hear one of my favorite bands from the 80's, The Tubes as well as Dave Mason perform. It was a great perspective so nice to be on the water. I have found a new fascination with being on a boat and hope to do it more often. 

On Monday I listened to some excellent blues at the Marin City Blues Festival with many friends. Sugarpie Desanto and Pete Escovedo were the highlights. We all danced, ate good food and enjoyed the sunshine.

Now it's back to work for a short week before my friend Amber comes to town. Better get rested up for that!

September

Wow, here it is September already. 

It's now officially been one year since I packed everything up and have been living out of a suitcase. Last September I put everything in storage and lived for a month at my dear friend Sabrina's before leaving on my travels to Asia. I would have never predicted that a year later I would still be in travel mode, but I have had absolutely no desire to settle down and to get a place of my own. I feel nervous to sign a lease again after the disaster of my last apartment experience.  There is still more I need to do before I settle in somewhere. It looks as if I may be spending several months in Bali and I'm so looking forward to that. I feel like Bali is such a spiritual place and there is definitely something there for me. It so interesting how this opportunity presented itself to me. I had not heard anything about this job or this film festival before the job was offered. It feels very much meant to be.

I am still housesitting in Marin and it's all going well. I have been at a nice quiet place in the Peacock Gap area of San Rafael taking care of a huge yard of plants and trees and one little kitty. It has allowed me to get a lot of work done and to explore this beautiful area that is near the water at Point San Pedro. 

I'm looking forward to the holiday weekend and all that's going on here. I'll go with friends to the Sausalito Art Festival and the Marin City Blues Festival this weekend. Lots of great music and art to be had. 

I've been working at the Sausalito Cruising Club a few times a month and enjoy it there. The people who come there are all of a gypsy spirit like me. It reminds me of my days in Wyoming when there was a lot of oil drilling going on and there were free spirited people coming and going with the tide of the oil search. I have been out sailing a few times with friends I've met at the club and I just love it out on the water. There is a peace there and a calmness with nature, even when it's blowing like crazy and the waves are slapping me in the face. 

I have been working hard on the Bali Film Festival and getting ready for my trip to Haiti. I have a slight uneasiness about the travel to Haiti and hope I can get comfortable with it before I go. I think it's mostly because I haven't focused on it enough yet. But I have so much support from my friends for the trip and I'm sure it will be an amazing experience. 

My life is happy and blessed and I continue to be grateful every day.

Thank you for the support!

The reception for New Light India Friday night in San Rafael was fantastic. So many wonderful people stopped by to say hello and find out more. It was very sweet. We had wine and food and Indian flute music, photos from India and the quilts all sold within the first hour. I was happily surprised.

Thank you to everyone for your support (monetary, emotional or otherwise :) The money donated will go so far in Calcutta to support the programs of New Light India, and will make a huge difference in the lives of the women and their children in the red light district. 

I hope to get more sari quilts soon. They are such a wonderful piece of art.  Not to mention a little slice of comfortable heaven!

The Global Social Change Film Festival

I have just accepted a job as Associate Director of Programs and Development at the Global Social Change Film Festival and Institute.  The festival will take place in Bali next year, and in different places around the globe in subsequent years, like London, Madrid, Sydney, New Orleans, etc.

I can't tell you how happy and excited I am for this opportunity. It is exactly what I asked the universe for; a job where I could get paid to travel and do what I am passionate about. I am so grateful.

Beautiful Sari Quilts From India

I just received a shipment of 12 beautiful quilts from India. They are made from six layers of recycled saris and are hand quilted and just gorgeous. They are made by the women in the Kalighat District of Kolkata. These women work in the Red Light District and are hoping for a better way to make a living. The Quilt program was started by New Light India, which supports the women and children in the area with nutrition, medical attention, micro loans and care for the children. You can see more at www.newlightindia.org

I am hosting a reception on Friday, August 13 at Pleasures of the Heart store in San Rafael, as part of the monthly San Rafael ArtWalk from 5 - 8 pm. Please come by and take a look at the quilts and learn more about my travels to India and the work of New Light. These quilts are available for purchase and 100% goes back to India to help the artisan women who made these quilts with loving care.
Each quilt has the name of the woman who made it stitched into the corner.

New and exciting things

Lots going on since I last wrote. I have been continuing to do housesitting since I got back to the Bay area and have been in beautiful friend's homes in Mill Valley, and Tiburon and next up is San Rafael.

I celebrated my 47th birthday on Saturday with lovely friends and with being outdoors. I slept late, then went for a long walk in Fairfax and to a small music festival there. I bought a lovely new blouse to wear to my party, which was held at the Sausalito Cruising Club. (I'm working there part time, bar tending and doing some marketing and event work for them). Its a great old barge on the water in Sausalito and has a good vibe. About 14 friends came and we had dinner and chocolate cake and margaritas and danced until midnight or so. Everyone was so kind and generous and fun. I am very blessed with dear friends in my life. 

I have decided to make a trip to Haiti with a group of compassionate women from the Bay area. We are all connected through our yoga practice with our lovely teacher, Lisa. Lisa has organized this trip and we will spend 10 days helping out at two orphanages in a tent city in Jacmel. I feel really good about this trip and look forward to doing all I can. We will be focusing on children and the thought of playing with them, sharing stories and games with them and bringing lots of love is overwhelming to me and makes me feel good. I want to bring a little joy where I can. I feel like it's a responsibility in my life. 

Haiti is still very much in need of help after the huge earthquake a year ago, but have been forgotten in the media, and therefore in the minds of most of us. I will be so interested to experience what it's like there and get to know the people. 

I was contacted by a friend of mine and asked if I would be interested in working with a Global Film Festival that will take place in Bali next year. Sounds pretty great to me. I spoke with the founder by phone and will meet with her and others on the team tomorrow. I'm very interested in working with them and hope it works out. I feel good about it.