BALI - PART 2

Written by Mélody Besnard Posted on 10 Feb. 2023

bali

It's already been a month since I've been in Bali and I'm slowly starting to get into my routine, not really wanting to leave or at least to come back for sure...!
Always amazed by everything I see, by this surrounding jungle which gives me the impression of being in a wild Disney or in the Jungle Book...
Through these Hindu traditions that are everywhere, these offerings that we see being placed every morning by women, either on the ground for the demons (and yes, we also take care of them so that they don't come and disturb!), and on the statues or on the rocks for the gods... Moreover, there is not a village that does not have its little offering shop, this ritual is so important in the life of the Balinese...
I'm starting to be able to say a few words in Indonesian and also in Bahasa.
(language specific to Bali, although there are several versions: a more polite one, one for ceremonies, another more for everyday language...it becomes complicated, just like their calendars because they have 3!!)

After leaving Canggu and my friend Chloe, I left for Ubud, where I have been for 20 days.
Ubud is a paradise for yogis seeking inner and physical healing! Perfect for me, even if unfortunately, it's a bit too much of a wellness industry sometimes, so you have to be careful who you go to...
But for my part, following my intuitions, I only had great experiences and great encounters on my way! The city center of Ubud is a little too touristy for my taste (it feels a bit like the souk of Marrakech where everyone wants to sell you anything and everything) with traffic that is much too intense for my taste.... So I chose to stay in a small neighborhood further away, called Penestanan, where, for me, it's paradise! I have a small bungalow all to myself with a swimming pool and I am at the top in the peace and quiet!

I did quite a few workshops here, a cooking class which was great (I'll give you all the good addresses at the end of the post) and a batik class.
Really, if you're spending some time in Ubud, I highly recommend them!

I got lost among the rice fields in the morning while walking, then I met Nyoman and his fresh coconuts, I went there several times in a row because walking around this place allows you to disconnect from the madness of the city center and learn a lot about the different plants in the area thanks to Nyoman!

The great thing about Ubud is that you can always find little hidden spots deep in the jungle or rice fields while walking around, so don't hesitate to get lost there! You'll really find little gems where you can eat divinely well!

But as it's still the rainy season, even if I was very lucky, the little tip is "always have a k-way in your bag!!" you're never safe from a huge downpour when it was a big blue 10 minutes before!

I also went to spend 3 days in Sidemen, which for me is one of the most beautiful spots in Bali, and still not very touristy (or so vast that you don't see the mass of tourists that you can see in Ubud...)
Sidemen was my big favorite, I also had an incredible hotel so I spent some very peaceful days there!
Incredible but with some really weird animal noises at night, including one that actually ate the leather of my backpack!!!
And then waking up at 5 a.m. with the call of the muezzin (like in Morocco!) mixed with Hindu prayer! It was surprising to listen to! Because a small community of Muslims live in the village and are grouped together in a sort of complex….

I was able to take a class to create my silver ring and it was a great experience for me who works in jewelry because I had absolutely no idea how silver jewelry was made! And I left with my beautiful handmade ring!
I also took a long walk through the jungle and rice fields (thank you my little body for being so resilient!) where I took in even more sights!
During this walk, I came across a man playing Gamelan (traditional Balinese music), women carrying their shopping on their heads (I challenge you to do it!!), calendula, coffee and other plantations... lotus fields, weaving workshops (because there is a traditional weaving in Sidemen, ENDEK, I tell you more about it in the article on textiles in Indonesia)

From there, I went to see the weavers of Tenganan, one of the oldest and most traditional villages in Bali, home to a community of Bali Aga, an animist people descended from the original populations of Bali. A village that has escaped Hindu-Javanese influence. Their inhabitants perpetuate the tradition of making Geringsing, a very rare and very special textile dyeing technique with high spiritual significance, one of the most expensive in the world, by the way.

In short, I loved my stay in Sidemen, the only thing I could criticize about traveling alone and not having the possibility of renting a scooter (I can't drive because of my accident), is that suddenly, we are really more limited and not very independent.... I couldn't get off the beaten track and go see the waterfalls for example. I could have but you had to pay a private driver and one it costs money, two, it's not very pleasant to go swimming in the waterfall with your driver waiting next to you! (But that's my point of view!)
So there you go, next time I'll come back with someone...!

Back in my quiet little neighborhood of Penestanan, where I combine work, yoga, walking and relaxing when it's not raining too much!!

I've also made a lot of progress on my new collection and I'm so happy with the result and to see that it's all taking shape!
I found a jeweler in the small village of Celuk, known for its silver craftsmen, and so I had some small silver shells made!

I also made a short two-day trip to the capital to renew my visa (because for a visa of more than 30 days, you have to do an extension, and it's a bit of an obstacle course, so I strongly recommend going through an agent... it will cost you $20 more but you'll have peace of mind).
And there...obviously I couldn't avoid it and it had to happen at some point by wanting to taste everything in the small local restaurants...
I had the Bali belly as they say here! Or simply put: the turista!!!
4 days flat but luckily, I found quite a few natural medications to help with all that and I'm almost fully recovered!

That’s it for the second part of my trip!
I have two friends arriving tomorrow and we are going on a motorbike road trip for a few days to the north of the island: heading to the Batur volcano, Munduk and Amed!!!

See you soon and don't forget to follow the adventures live every day thanks to my little stories on Instagram

❤️

UBUD TIPS:

Cooking class: cooking canting bali

Batik class: widya's batik

orange sweat warung (magnificent and delicious warung lost in the rice fields)

Nyoman Homestay (in the center)

warung makan bu rus

Saka village (in Penestanan)

seed of life

thread of life (beautiful textile shop)

Nyoman and his coconuts (on the way!)