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Published: March 13th 2014
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I am sitting on my veranda, watching a deluge of water coming down from the sky! A true tropical torrent, which produces a lush landscape of beautiful flowers, tropical greenery and a cooling off, which is delightful! Though the rain is loud, I can still hear the roosters crowing! I think they are happy for the cooling off as well. My upstairs neighbors are playing the Hang Drum and beautiful, soft music is wafting down which sounds lovely.
I want to tell you about the currency! It is called a 'Rupiah'; the notes are as follows: 10,000 ($10.), 50,000 ($5.); 1,000 ($1.); 5,000 (.50); 2,000 (.20). There are coins but with very little value.
You are probably wondering how I fill up my time! To begin, I have met interesting and fun women, and one man, Oscar, who were staying at my home stay, which we nicknamed, 'The Marigold Hotel'!. They knew allot more about Ubud than me as they had been traveling to Ubud for many years. I went to several different villages and cultural events with them. Oscar, from Belgium, is 85 and a history book, his stories of his life are so interesting. I enjoy going
to the Yoga Barn a couple times a week for a yoga class or a program. They have a very good cafe, which serves fresh, organic & raw food, which is very popular in Ubud. One of the young men, Wayan, who works at my home stay, drives me any place I need to go on his motorbike! I've been to the dentist for a cleaning; have ordered 2 new pairs of eye glasses for 1/4 of U.S. prices! I go to the supermarket once a week on Wayan's motorbike for supplies that I like to keep on hand for lunch or snacks. By the way, Wayan means first born, every first born in Ubud is named Wayan! I've been to ceremonies at temples and Ashram's with friends. I swim daily, sometimes more than once. I take road trips to other villages with friends to shop for wood carvings, batik fabrics, local hand crafts. I have been to cultural dances in the evening and I also attend AA mtgs. There is one, nearby, everyday at 9 AM, and people from all over the world attend. I, especially, like the Sunday mtg, we begin with a 5 minute meditation and there
Local currency in Rupiah
100,000 = $10. 50,000 = $5.
10,000 = $1. 5000 = $.50
2,000 = $.20 are gamelans playing, softly, in the distance. We all go for coffee after the meeting at a local warung (restaurant). I also go out in the evenings to restaurants to listen to music, salsa, blues.....there is little time to get bored. I've also gone to Nusa Pernida and Padang Bai for a few days
I've seen 'Spirit of Women' present 'Ramayana Ballet', which is a very old Balinese folk tale about Hanoman protecting Sita, the beautiful woman, from King Rahwana! I've seen it before but it is always entertaining.
Two of my friends and I went to 'fivelements for an afternoon', a very nice resort/spa. Not many were staying there, so we had the pool to ourselves. We had a green smoothie and enjoyed the pool & roar of the Ayung River.
Took a tour of the 'Green School', which was fascinating & if you like, you can google it: It's an alternative method of teaching. Was build by the Hardee's who came to Ubud many years ago & made allot of money making jewelry. They wanted to give back to the community and built the school in 2007 and began operating in '08. Today, it has
Ramayana Ballet
Rama, Sita and her brother, Laksamana 330 students from 38 countries, 3 boarding students. Grades from kindergarten to 12th grade; cost is $4,000. for kindergarten per semester and $7,000. per semester for upper grades. The school is built alongside the Ayung River which you can hear from the classrooms. The teachings are very progressive and reflect their philosophy. There are three frames of learning: 1. Intregral (yoga, meditation) 2. Instructural (music, math, English, Languages, (Indonesian, French, Spanish & Mandarin) 3. Experimental (real world projects). The kindergarten students are guided throughout the day; the high school students create their own projects. 50 Indonesian students are on schorships. Their are 3 teachers in every class, a few have post graduate degrees, masters, some are their to help There are 18-25 in lower grade classes and 15-18 in upper grade classes. They're very much into saving energy and have enough solar panels to power the entire school, they can store power in their batteries for one week. They are 100% solar! They also send excess electricity to the local village. They are implementing projects in the local villages to make them aware of recycling plastics, paper, etc. After classes, locals are invited for free English classes and also to
play soccer with the students after classes. It's an amazing school and you can see by my photos, that the structure is quite original! I met a woman who taught there and was told that the graduates have no problem getting into Ivy League Schools. India Aerie gave a benefit concert for the Green School at the Yoga Barn, which was quite beautiful. I was not familiar with India but enjoyed her music very much. Her mother sang harmony, she had one musician playing guitar, he also had a very nice voice.
Hiked up the ridge to the Karsa Spa, located in a small village. It had been highly recommended; we were not disappointed! We had two hours of pleasure! Their philosphy is: 'relax & open your entire being. We bring you into your sacred heart space where you can remember your connection with the divine flow....who you really are'. 'Stillness, Serenity at the core of your being, beyond mind, beyond body, lies your true nature. A sparkle of light, a sprinkling of energy, totally peaceful; at one with the world....playful, innocent, gentle, generous, loving, wise. At your highest, you want the best for yourself, others and the planet'.......The
'fiveelements' resort/spa!
R to L: Louisa (Hawaii) Enise (Berlin moving to Ubud) walk down was allot easier! I ventured up there again but now it is too hot.
My blog wouldn't be complete with a paragraph on Batik. A woman I met when I first arrived and has since become a friend, is here to 'do Batiik' at Ketut's studio in Ubud. Ketut is well known for his beautiful, creative, work and has space in his studio for a few artists who want to produce batik while in Ubud. I was told first a design is drawn in pencil on the fabric. Then Ketut applies the wax, which is time consuming. The artist applies the paint to the fabric and a beautiful piece comes to life after it is boiled and finally, washed. I helped out at the fundraiser, that was held for Ketut, so he can update his workshop and studio.
Balinise New Year is in a week and many Ogoh-Ogoh's, giant, scary, figures are being created, by local artists, all over Ubud. A parade will be held on March 30 and these figures are to help ward off evil spirits for the following year. They are made with paper mache and are beginning to look quite amazing. There
will be a big festival that day and the following day is a day of silence.........no one is allowed out on the street and there is no electric. All the cooking gets done in advance. That will be my final blog.
Well that's all for now! Plse scroll down to see if photos, if you wish.
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Carlynn
non-member comment
Heavenly Spot
Dear Cookie, What an absolutely beautifully written message. It sounds so peaceful and you and Ubud have blended so well together. Even the torrential rain has beauty in its sound, the music of your neighbors and then the lushness afterward. Great that you will have the festival as your send off. So happy for you. Love, Hugs, Carlynn