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Published: June 25th 2017
The Beauty of Green
When you hear that rice paddies are beautiful, believe it. They are everywhere around Ubud. This particular field is right across from our studio apartment. So we can enjoy it every single day.The sub-title for The Continuing Adventures of Dreamchasers 2014 is "Slow Down, You Move Too Fast". Although we have had longer stays in one place during this year's travels than last - at least three of which lasted over a week - we have still done a fair amount of moving around in the past three months, as you will have noticed if you've been travelling with us through our twenty two blog entries. But we have now arrived at our final destination, where we will remain for the next four weeks, having committed to daily yoga classes and a studio apartment that we have rented for the month. We have also rented two scooters, and I, for one, appreciate the practice we had riding on some of the badly rutted roadways in Kuta, Lombok, as it has given me a little more confidence to deal with the occasional road ruts here, where the traffic is much heavier, and we are driving 20 km every day to get to and from our yoga Shala.
When we first arrived and were staying at the Artini 2, our hotel from last year, I was invited by Wyan, one of the staff, to
Our Front Yard View
It's not that difficult waking up to this view either, every day. bike around and look for long term rental accommodations. I asked him if I needed a motorcycle helmet. I also asked about the legality of helmets in Bali, as I had read somewhere that tourists can get fined as much as $250 US for not wearing a helmet. It is not easy to figure out what law exists, because about a third of all riders do not wear helmets. Wyan's response was vague. "No problem" he said. "I know all streets in Ubud, and I know where all police are. There are no police here. Don't worry." So off we went, happily cruising around the beautiful countryside for an hour or so with no issues, until we whipped by a police officer standing on a street corner who I was sure was blowing a whistle at us as we went by. But go by we did, and then, a few seconds later, we passed another one, also blowing his whistle when we went by. Surely this was not just coincidence, but Wyan was certainly not stopping. So I ask my friend Wyan what the deal is, right about the same time that he decides to duck into a nearby driveway.
Pool Overlooking Rice Paddy
Our studio apartment is surrounded by beautiful gardens, and comes with a large, beautiful pool that overlooks the rice fields and a few towering cocoanut trees. Paradise. The pool is shared by at least six different bungalows in the same garden area, but we are usually the only people in the pool. I totally do not get it. Turns out he is getting more and more freaked out cause there are so many police everywhere. He does not know why. "Must be ceremony in town" he says. He steps gently on the street to peek in the direction of the road down which we had been previously heading, and comes back with "No, cannot go that way. Too many police. I think we go back the same way we came. I scared." This of course means going by the same two police officers that had already whistled us down once. The options are limited, and anyway, who am I to argue, so I hop on the bike again, following carefully Wyan's advice, which is to "hug close and hide face" and presumably let my long black hair blow in the wind, doing my best to look like a Balinese woman. Off we went, zipping past the two whistle blowing police officers once more, until we turned off the main street and away from all the traffic control officers. I am not lying when I say how happy I was at this point in my life to not be sporting long blonde hair! Wyan must have apologized ten times,
Studio Living
This is a glimpse of our little studio. It is probably less than 400 sq feet, with a combined kitchen, living room area, one bedroom, and a large bathroom, but feels perfect. After eating out for three months solid, it is great to have a kitchen again and the option to stay in a night if you feel like it. We have been eating salads every day since we moved in, making up for lost time. telling me that he was "very scared, his heart was thumping, and he has never, ever had such experience before with guest". But I told him this experience would be forever remembered as my "Adventures With Wyan", and way more interesting than just looking for a rental house - anybody can do that!
We are ready to be here, settled in one place. It's not hard really, given that Bali is decidedly the most beautiful land we have ever visited - and we have seen quite a collection of beautiful places in our travels. Ubud, situated in the centre of Bali, surrounded by incredibly lush rice fields, coconut groves, and the full gamut of tropical greenery, is also the cultural heart and soul of Bali, and offers more possible artistic endeavours and learning experiences than one could ever hope to accomplish in one lifetime. For both of us, who are committed life long learners, it really is a perfect place to be, and we are excited to check out the learning adventures and opportunities that will be presenting themselves.
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