Category Archives: Indonesia

A path of my own

IMG20141113114032Today I decided I am not going to bother Ina. After all in Ubud there are plenty of choices. So I decided to go back to Kardashian Cafe & Spa. I have been there a few time as you can see from the pictures below. Before it has always to have a lunch or breakfast al fresco over the koi pond, with a beautiful view of the rice fields. But this time I went straight to the spa for an hour Reiki Chakra balance treatment. Chakras are the energy centres in our bodies that spin and distribute our prana / chi / essential life force. The practitioner name was Kade. Again I was able to get in a deep state of relaxation. This time I felt less pain and when I turned around, facing down,  that was the best part. I feel so lucky to have found this source of healing.

Ceremony for theGunung Lebah temple

A major religious festival at the historic Gunung Lebah temple, which is not far from my home, has been going on for the most part of October and has reached its peak today. The religious festival comprises six different major rituals: Karya Mamungkah, Tawur Panca Wali Krama, Penyejeg Jagat, Tawur Pedanan, Ngenteg Linggih and Pedudusan Agung. As part of this, there are large-scale temple dedication and purification rituals coupled with major sacrificial rituals to appease nature’s spirits. In addition, Ubud locals – as the temple’s main custodians –  participate in declaration of faith rituals. All these elaborate rituals mark the completion of the extensive renovation project of the temple. Here’s some pics I took from the street.

Sun poisoning

Yesterday I learned the hard way what it means to live in a tropical area. I walked for a long time in the sun at midday, without a hat or sunblock protection, feeling safe as my skin color is already brown. It was extremely hot and I started feeling dehydrated, after a while I had to stop for water. My body was absorbing heat, making mr weak and exhausted. After I got home I was shocked to see my face. I had some weird red bumps and was still not realizing what was happening. Today I am KO in bed, with fever, dizziness and ice on my face. They call it sun poisoning. Lesson learned.

Serpente in casa, che spavento

Mi sono appisolato in camera per un mezz’ora e quando sono uscito ho trovato questo bel serpente sul divano. Quando mi ha visto ha cercato subito di scappare ed e’ finito sul pavimento. Pero’ scivolava sulle piastrelle (povero) e non riusciva a trovare una via di fuga. Così ho chiesto aiuto. Mi hanno spiegato che questo tipo di serpenti non sono pericolosi. Vivono nei campi di riso e raramente vengono in casa. Avra’ sbagliato strada…  😉

The Ubud market

I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t buy good vegetables during the day… then I talked to Alfred. In Ubud the fruit and vegetable market happens during the night, between 2:00am and 8:00am. The prices are extremely cheap and great quality, real organic food sold directly by the farmers. I had to wake up at 5:00am but look what I could buy with less than 7 dollars. At 9:00am the streets turn into a souvenirs market for tourist.

Villa Miring

The  house I was staying was too small and too noisy. I was living close to a big hen-house and I would wake up every day at 5:00am. There are quite a few roosters in this area and they all love to sign in the morning. So I found this new place just a few yards away. I really like it and I am paying only 16 dollars a day. Amazingly cheap

Moved to Ubud

WP_20140920_002I came to Ubud just by chance, following Dian’s suggestion and I fell in love with the place almost instantaneously.  The first day we went for lunch to Sari Organik, a quite a popular place here thanks to TripAdvisor. The restaurant is located 20 minutes walk  up on Subak Sok-Wayah, a small path not accessible to cars in the middle of rice field terraces.  Many tourists come to see this area because of the amazing sceneries, the quite surroundings and unspoiled landscape. I came as a tourist too but very quickly decided to move here. I saw a small house with the “for rent” sign and quickly made a deal with the owner and few days later I moved in.  I love the countryside and I grew up in house in the middle of corn and wheat fields, so it brought back some childhood memories. I felt some good vibe in this place and the villa was pretty cheap: only 12 dollars a day. I thought it was the right place to settle at least for a while. I needed to relax and get some peace in my life after what happened in Singapore. I was not in the mood to stay in the crowded and noisy area of Bali and if I missed the beach I could always go there for a short trip.

Ramadan in Jakarta

It was like when Italy won the world cup last night at 3:00am in Jakarta. Lots of young kids on their scooter or a small truck, flooding the city, signing, chanting, beating drums and lighting fireworks. But they were not celebrating any victories. It is part of Ramadan tradition and they were carrying food to the poor people in the outskirts of the city. It was touching experience that I will never forget, a good aspect of muslim that main stream media will never show you…