Ubud, You Are Still My Spiritual Heartbeat

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We have now completed our third stay in Ubud Bali, over three consecutive years, each one longer than the previous year. Yet instead of it becoming a little old, tired, boring, and "same-same", Ubud seems to have the opposite effect on us. The longer we stay, the more we appreciate the diversity of all it has to offer, so it feels we are continually peeling away layers, discovering and appreciating more the culture of this very special place - Ubud - which I learned recently actually means "healing place".

Healing and learning often go hand in hand, and as my Bahasa Indonesian language teacher stated one day, Ubud is a good place to come for learning. That is a definite understatement, as everywhere you turn a variety of classes are available, whether your interests are language studies, culinary, performing, or visual arts. Or, if you are on a physical or spiritual growth quest, Ubud is the epicentre of Yoga, healing, and spiritual discovery offering a variety of paths to investigate.

Maybe it is the profoundly spiritual Balinese culture evident everywhere in the daily offerings to the spirits - both good and bad - along with the patience, gentleness, acceptance, and apparent joy with which the Balinese live their lives that provides the fertile ground for all this growth. Or maybe it is the incredible beauty of this environment. Or maybe it is the connected dance of all of the above.

We came here to bask in the beauty of the people, and the equally beautiful paradise in which they live, and be inspired to learn. The extensive Yoga study has been incredibly enriching, as have the Indonesian language classes I have chosen to study here. Now, after my second year of classes combined with daily practical application, I am actually able to converse a little with people who speak no English, and with my teacher about topics that have some depth. Its been a very exciting journey and one which hopefully is to be continued next year.

I miss you already Ubud, and my red motorbike, which took me daily into your surrounding beautiful countryside to witness lives lived simply and joyfully. Most of all, we will both miss your ever present smiles so freely offered. They will stay with us until we come back again.

But now we are homeward bound. Well, almost. We still have one more adventure to complete: a brief stopover in the vertically inspired city of sky scrapers, Hong Kong, China.

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Photos

Language Study with Putu
As a language teacher myself, I often told my French students that when learning a new language, you are also discovering a new culture and ways of viewing the workd. It is very exciting to be going down this path again with my excellent teacher Putu, who delights in sharing the nuances of the language and culture. For example, she informed me that the Balinese will rarely answer in the negative to a question about unknown future scenarios. They will always reply with "maybe", or "not yet", always retaining a positive attitude. Even if the possibility is remote, it is still possible.

Campuhan College English Class
Stan discovered these English classes last year, as we were walking by the college located in the same compound as our studio. We reconnected with the same teacher again, and joined her and her new classes to share a few songs and stories.

Another Visit with the English Class
Same kids, more songs, more stories, more shared smiles.

A Vision of Green and Blue
Such a nice picture, don't you agree?

Lunch with our Ubud friends, Tema and Carlo
Did they plan to all dress in white for this dinner date? And can you believe this woman is eighty two years old? Amazing. Lovely, very interesting, worldly couple.

Ceremonial Offering
We passed this lady on the road and I had to back track and request a photo. She graciously stopped and waited. We saw many more such offerrings being carried that day by women. Apparently effortlessly. And not one spill. Amazing.

Village Life
Such colour, beauty, grace, and always, evidence of ceremonial offerings to the gods. The Balinese do not take the beauty they live in for granted.

More Colorful Daily Life
Women carry everything on their heads. Always seemingly effortlessly. We have never seen a spill either. How do they do it? Astounding.

Hard Working Woman
I did say everything, did I not? Age, obviously, is not a barrier either. Those are very real, very heavy, solid concrete bricks. We also regularly watched a woman at our guest house carrying a ten gallon pail of water on her head. And we saw women carrying heavy scuba tanks as well on their heads. No idea how they do it.

Another Country Moment
Had to stop and ask this man for a photo as well, which he offered freely with a smile. I had mentioned earlier that women carry everything on their heads. Men do the same on their shoulders. All ages, to the heaviest weights.

Women Planting Rice
We watched these, laughing, and chatting as they planted their rice paddies right in front of where we live in Ubud - as in, metres away. I did mention we stay in paradise, right? Not so hard to see why we keep coming back.

Alberta meets Saskatchewan in Bali
We had the pleasure of spending a few days with Kim and Gayle, some fellow Canadians whom we discovered have, like us, a deep appreciation for the energy that is called Asia and cannot keep themselves from coming back - again and again. Hopefully we will see them here again - same time next year!

Posing with one of the Many Gods
We, too, are grateful every day for the opportunity to be here, in this beautiful place on this planet, and shall continue making our daily offerings in our own ways - but I can assure you it won't be carrying heavy things on my head. That would be neither pretty nor gracious.