Blogs from Candi Dasa, Bali, Indonesia, Asia

Hello friends and family, I recently spent a very relaxing week on my own at the Gandhi Ashram in Candi Dasa (East Bali). I really like their vision statement: To translate Gandhian ideals of living into action and to promote a life of simplicity (which also implies sustainability and care for our environment), self-sufficiency and service to the community. Thus while ahimsa (nonviolence), satya (truth) and karuna(compassion and, by extension, universal brotherhood) are its guiding principles, in practice it isswadeshi (self-sufficiency) that shapes the Ashram's economic and productive activities. The Ashram is located on the sea and doing yoga outside to the sound of the waves is very amazing. The Ashram runs a small kindergarten, so we all enjoyed the sound of children's laughter in the mornings. The guests and members of the Ashram all ate ... read more

Well, what a difference 50 or so kilometers make. Going from a manic, hyperactive, hormone oozing area like Legian to the relatively quiet and chilled out town of Candi Dasa is like going from Mumbai to Goa! Once a sleepy little town on the south eastern coast of Bali, this town is now becoming very popular with those seeking to escape the mayhem and excesses of the areas around Denpasar. It also seems to have been taken over by the Australians. In the UK, the closest, most exotic destinations we get are Torremolinos and the Canary Islands, they get Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand! I mean, how fair is that? But good luck to them I say. The Aussies I tend to run into are always a great bunch, know how to party and ... read more

28 October 2009 - 13 November 2009 TRANSPORT: Banyuwangi to Gilimanuk by ferry--Rp5,700 (1 hour) Gilimanuk to Denpasar by bus--Rp 50,000 (4 hours) Kuta to Denpasar by bemo--Rp10,000 (1/2 hour) goes to Tegal Terminal Denpasar to Candidasa by bus--Rp40,000 (2 hours) goes from Batubulan Terminal HOTELS: Hotel Sari (Gilimanuk) Double, cold water, western toilet, fan--Rp100,000 (incl. breakfast). Very nice place with good value for money rooms. A couple of km's from the port but it's a nice place to stay for a nice. Almost resort-like. LA Inn (Kuta) Double, fan, cold water, western toilet--Rp 82,000 (incl. breakfast) Possibly the cheapest place in Kuta (that we know about) in the centre of all the action. A good valued place, simple, clean (ish) and with friendly staff. After suffering from the cold (with Dan suffering from A cold ... read more

Day 9: Balinese Hangovers & The Balian’s Cure Dawn arose with pain and discomfort. Classic hangover amidst tropic humidity: weighty, dank and stale with arak and puke on the breath. At the breakfast I chose not to attend, stories were told. A group of yogis walked into Monkey Forest at 2AM and chanted the Gyatri Mantra for one hour. Others swam nude in the pool, lounged in a room, and then sobered each other with their words. I kept my secrets to myself and left the unspoken for the balian. A balian is a traditional Balinese healer. Typically a man, he is revered for his insights, intuition, and the use of his hands on the meridians points of the body for diagnosis. Everyone arrived excited, cheery, interested in the healer’s methods and what our predicted ailments ... read more