North Island Final Part

Rotorua
This was my favorite place so far. It's a town Santa Cruz size on a lake with a volcano in the middle and lots of geothermal activity all over. There are steam and hot pools, bubbling mud and stinky fumes throughout the town. The local museum is fantastic. It is also a center for Maori culture so we got to have some experience of that as well.

Dave by the steam. People have vents in their homes and backyards.

More thermal fun

Dave and I walked all over the town. Besides all the thermal sites we walked through a small Maori village and visited the church and traditional meeting house there. The church is an intricate combination of Western and Maori design.

Maori carving from the church pews

The Maori meeting house in the village.

We also spent a lot of time at the Rotorua museum. This is yet another amazing Kiwi museum. It has exhibits on the history of the building which started out as a spa, culture and history of Maori in the area and general local history as well. We had a guided tour with a man who knew everything, he was excellent, and humble as can be in the Kiwi way. We brought Anika the next day to do a scavenger hunt and see the art collection. We learned about NZ impressionist artists.

We also did one of those touristy things that is actually worth doing. We went to a Maori concert and Hongi (feast). It is a bet like a luau. You take a bus out to the village site. The bus driver was one of the best parts of the experience. He was so funny and entertaining. He did a monologue using 61 different languages to say welcome and imitate accents and cultural stereo types. On the way back he asked us to sing songs representing our countries (we did "This land is Your Land"). When you get to the village they do a traditional dance to check you out and then a woman sings the welcome song. You walk into a model village form the past where different Maori people demonstrate and explain their traditions. You can try poi balls, stick games, dancing the Haka ( the all male war dance also used for sizing up the guests) weaving and story telling. I have great photos of Dave learning the Haka and competing in a stick game. After that there is a concert with stories, songs and dance. This is followed by a film filing in any gaps in local Maori history and taking it to the present. Last you have a dinner buffet with food cooked the traditional way in a hole in the ground. It ends with singing and speeches. and the bus ride home as fun as the ride there. I loved learning about Maori culture form Maori people.

Cable car and view of Wellington

Wellington
This is supposed to be the artsy city of NZ but we didn't really get to see it. The weather is notoriously bad here and we got to experience that. Howling wind, rain and cold. I was glad for the silk long underwear I got in Japan. We went to the Te Papa national museum, another amazing museum. They really know how to do museums here. On our one good weather day we walked the waterfront which has outdoor art and great views. We also took the cable car (not as cool as SF's) to the botanical garden and walked around. We explored the downtown area pretty well but I wish we had better weather and more time to get to know the city well.

We took the ferry from Wellington to Pictonon the South Island. It is a three and half hour ride on a huge ship. We shared the boat with many sheep heading south.

The sheep

As you leave the port you face a wall of containers. This sight was significant to me because one of the things I am noticing around the world is the effects of our international consumer culture. Every where owning stuff is becoming more and more important often pushing away local products, art forms and traditions, redirecting the focus from community to commodity. All over the world we are seeing people wanting to have more stuff at the same time as the stuff.  I am not talking about food, indoor plumbing  or medicines here but plastic toys, bigger and bigger TVs, always a better computer and all kinds of electronics. We need to face that things do not necessarily improve our lives. I am seriously questioning free trade as we watch it make rich people richer and poor people poorer.

I would have liked to include many more picture here but the broadband all over NZ is so slow it takes forever to load a photo. Maybe in South America it will be better and I can add some.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and/or Hanukkah! I will let you know about ours in my next blog. We are now in Nelson on the South Island and loving it.

North Island Part two

Cormandel Peninsula
We drove down here from the far North with an over night stop in Auckland. The next day as we drove the rest of the way was the sunniest, warmest day yet. But we spent much of it in the car.

We did a few very fun interesting things on the way and when we got there. The South Island may have most of the magnificent natural wonders but the North Island sure has some interesting human creations. And its share of natural wonders. One thing we started to notice about NZ is that there are lots of understated but very unique "road side attractions" that are Kiwi inspired and created. Like....

This is one of the many beautiful and tranquil views at Rapaura Gardens.We stopped here on our drive from Auckland to Cormandel town, had a picnic and took a hike. Part of the gardens are formal and part are what they call "bush" here, what we would call wild or natural. There is a nice waterfall at the end of the main trail.

This is the view from the "Eye Full " tower.

One of several tunnels with ceramic bricks and decoration on the sides.

The two photos above are form Barry Brickle's Driving Creek Railway. Barry Brickle is a famous NZ potter. He started an art center that has thrived for over 30 years and has hosted artists from all over the world including the US and Africa. He also is into engineering, trains and conservation. He built much of this single gage railway by himself so he could dig his own clay and transport it around his property. (Our SERVAS potter friends used to dig their own clay too. They told us to go here. We learned from them about the pottery tradition in NZ which is big but has been hurt by free trade.) Along the train route are sculptures, all manner of ceramics, retaining walls made out of old bottles and amazing views. They have planted tons of native trees and are attempting to reforest the hills with natives. At the end of the train line is the "Eye Full tower" with a 360 view of the peninsula. He did not start out for this to be a tourist attraction but his banker insisted he find a way for it to make money and suggested this. A theme we are seeing around NZ, is a combo of DIY, make do with what you have, be inventive and be very low key about it all.

Water wheel/pump

Bike see saw merry go round thing. Looks like flying bikes.

I am not sure how to describe the Waterworks. Someone took a bunch of junk and recycled it into moving sculpture and things to play with. This place could be used to teach physics, or as we called it at Monarch, force and motion. Everything is inventive, interactive and fun. Especially if you like to get wet. It also has an old timey feel to it like how people used to play before law suits and over protective parents. Like Barry Brickel's place lots of recycling and home made ingenuity is at work. There are also sculptures by a local potter and words of wisdom throughout the park.

Hot Sand Beach
Okay you go to this place two hours before or after low tide. You dig a hole in the sand. Next thing you know its full of hot water. If it gets too hot, and it does, then you take a dip in the ocean. Lots of other people join you and its a diverse crowd.

From the Coromandel we headed south to Rotorua for geothermal sites and Maori culture.

Hobbiton
We hadn't really planned to go here but it was on the way to where we were going. It was surprisingly interesting. The whole "Lord of the Rings" movie thing is very big here. They just shot two more Hobbit movies so the sets were bigger than before and recently restored. The place is way out there on a sheep farm. Imagine you are a family of unsuspecting farmers and this film director comes by and says they will pay you to let them turn part of your land into Hobbiton. And they'll keep paying you if you leave it that way for years so they can come back and keep shooting. Oh and they let you set up a tourist attraction as long as you include the films director as a partner. We had to sign a paper saying we would not publish any photos in a public forum (like this blog) or talk about the super secret things we saw. So I can't say anything else.

But I think I can share these photos from the sheep shearing and raising demonstration. Holding the one week old lamb and feeding it was the highlight of Hobbiton for me I have to say. 

Who is cuter? Dave or the lamb?

New Zealand- The North Island

So we arrived in New Zealand Nov. 12. but we had to return to the US for several weeks because of a family emergency. The trip there and back was challenging emotionally and physically but it was really good we went. We got back to New Zealand Dec. 4 and have been here a little over two weeks. It took us a while to get back in the travel groove but I think we are there again.

Auckland
We spent about four days in Auckland. It reminded me a lot of SF. Hilly surrounded by water, very diverse population. The Museum was fantastic. But mostly we were trying to get things done when we were there which wasn't hard since everything is in English and people are incredibly helpful and kind.

Northland
We went North from Auckland to Opinoni and then near Taipa. We stayed with our first SERVAS hosts here. They were a wonderful couple Margi and Rodd who lived out in the country and work as potters. They reminded us a lot of our friends Paula and Ward.The community they live in felt very familiar which was kind of good for us at this point.

Opinoni

Margi and Rod's pottery showroom

Margi and Rod's house

Driving up here the topography really reminded me of Marin or Sonoma counties in Cal. The difference is the vegetation which we decided was a combination of Dr Seuss meets prehistoric times meets Salvador Dali. It is sub tropical up here and the trees and other plants are very different form ours. We visited the Kauri trees which are the biggest ancient trees here. We also got our first taste of unique NZ road side attractions. More were to come.

The Labyrinth and wood works puzzle place.

Anika and a Kauri tree

KawaKawa
Okay this town is famous for its public bathrooms that were designed by the artist Hunterwasser. He was form Austria and moved to New Zealand in the 70s. Eventually he became an NZ citizen. It was a cool little town and you could see his influence. I don't think my photos do it justice.

The town had other art influenced by Hunterwasser

More tomorrow. I will get all caught up any day now!

Memories of Japan -Part II

 So I left you as we were getting the train to Inuyama, that is after the frantic search for the train passes.

Inuyama is on a river and has the oldest standing castle in Japan and the third most important Tea house. (They love to rank things) The best thing here was that it happened to be the day of a parade and street festival. Our first Japanese street food! My favorite was a waffle like fish shaped thing with custard and red bean paste inside. We also were introduced to Karikuri the elaborate marionettes  kept in towers that get paraded around in some towns.

The river in Inuyama

Which way do we go? Imagine signs you can't read leading you around! Thank goodness for kind people and a sense of direction.

The oldest castle. It is five stories high and has great river views from the top.

 We stayed in a hostel that was very unhostel like but with a great bath in the basement.

From Inuyama we went to Takayama. We stayed here for four days in a Buddhist temple. This was one of the best places we stayed in Japan. Takayama itself is a great town with tons to see and do. Dave and I took two day trips without Anika here. We figured out that we need to have breaks from each other from time to time. Anika got to practice some independence and check out the town on her own. We also sent her on a scavenger hunt with a map and some clues of what to go see (you can see the result in her blog just click Anika at the top of my blog if you want to see Anika's blog)

One of the days Dave and I went to the Japanese alps and hiked in Komakochi National park. It was so beautiful I felt like I was in an National Geographic photo shoot. The other day we went off we went to Ogimachi which is a UNESCO world heritage site, like so many places in Japan. Here we visited 250-year-old farmhouses that have been relocated into the Gasshozukuri Minkaen open air museum. They have huge thatched roofs that can take 200 people to re-thatch. Both these places are so photogenic its like you can't take a bad picture. And we took tons of pictures.

Stunning view Komakochi

One of the preserved thatched roof houses

We were in the Japanese mountains for a week and I think this was my favorite part of Japan. Except for our Tokyo friends!

Kyoto

We went to Kyoto for five days. Everyone love Kyoto and I could see why. It is full of history and culture. It's flat and we rode bikes around most of the time. The one highlight for me was the onsen we found near our first lodging. It was a neighborhood place with indoor and outdoor tubs, sauna, DIY salt scrub room, cold plunge and more. There was a good restaurant too. I enjoyed seeing whole families spending time together here, women talking to each other, grandmas introducing grandchildren to the hot water and women doing each others hair like women do all over the world.

We also stayed with our first SERVAS hosts in Kyoto. Tomoko and her family were very gracious and experienced hosts.  Not to mention her house is a block away from some of the most famous temples and gardens in Kyoto. Her sister Sumoko took us to the mother of all Shinto shrines Inari. If you don't know what SERVAS is go to www.servas.org. It was great to stay in a real house and see how people really live.

Tori gates Inari shrine

Nara

This is where I went into shrine and temple overload. Nara is another UNESCO world heritage site place. There are so many temples and shrines I have no idea how long it would take to see them all. The thing that stood out for me the most were the deer, who wander freely through the temple area harassing tourists for food. The good rule following Japanese try to feed them only “deer bisquits”. But the deer have other ideas. We sat down to eat baked sweet potato we bought from a vendor. In five minutes the deer surrounded Anika and she had one on each side trying to get the last bit of her potato. She says one nipped her ear!

Dave and animals always seem to have a connection.

Tokyo

I did not expect to like Tokyo as much as I did. It is huge, crowded and sprawling. But the trains make it easy to get around and there are lots of different neighborhoods to explore. Our best Tokyo story is when we lost Anika on the train. We were headed to the Ghibli Museum and had tickets for a timed entry. As Dave rushed onto the next train and I followed we turned around to see the doors close with Anika on the other side! We got off at the station we were headed to because we were meeting a friend there who had our tickets and was going with us to the museum. Dave turned around and went back to the station where we last saw Anika to find her. I stayed to meet our friend. The friend came and said she couldn't go with us as she had a problem at work. But she gave me the tickets and wished us luck. Now I am standing alone on the train platform waiting for Dave and Anika. I realize I have no JR rail pass, Dave has them and no Japanese money. I can't go anywhere. I search the crowd as each train stops looking for my people. I am starting to get worried and have all the what ifs go through my brain. What if she didn't stay there? What if he can't find her? We are in a city of 17 million people!! Well it all worked out and I saw Dave and Anika approach from the next train to come in. We rushed to the Gihbli Museum and made it on time. This was an amazing museum that highlights the work of Hayo Miazaki who made Totoro, Spirited Away and many other animated movies.

This gives a very slight idea about the cool design of this museum.

Nothing in Japan and especially Tokyo would have been so good without our host Shige. He introduced us to many interesting young people, arranged for our stay at the university, took us to eat great food and generally was super fun. He was the best thing about Japan!!

Us with Shige and his family acting silly

Well I think that's it for Japan. It was amazing. Now on to New Zealand where we have been for a little over two weeks.

Memories of Japan- Part I

Can't Stop Thinking about Japan

Although its weeks since we were in Japan it is still filling my thoughts. I think this is because we had such an amazing time there. So I am going to do a few more Japan blogs hoping it helps me put Japan to rest for a while. I am really hoping we get to go back there in the future.

Magome

This was the first town we went to outside of Tokyo. So it felt special I think because we were successful on the trains and bus all by ourselves. The town is called touristy in our guide book but I loved it. It was an old post town on the Edo road in samurai times when all roads had to lead to the capital. The main street winds steeply up the mountain side with fantastic views and no cars. Water runs on either side under the paving stones. We stayed at a guest house which included our meals. There was a traditional wooden soaking tub for guests to share. Our room had views of the mountains and valley. It was our first traditional room with futons and tatami mats, very comfortable. The town reminded me of how I felt in Venice. Everything sends you back in time and was picture perfect. I loved this place. At night we were the only ones there except for one other guest at the guest house.

Looking up the main street at sunset.

To travel in the Edo period you had to have permission. These are what people showed saying they had permission to travel.

Tsumago

From Magome we hiked to Tsumago. Yet another great thing in Japan is you can cheaply send you bags ahead to your next destination. So our bags met us there. The hike was beautiful. 

 

The scenery

Many hones you passed on the trail still do some farming and dry crops in front of their homes.

One of the many shrines you pass on the hike.

Anika ringing the bear bell and Dave being the bear. Who knew they had bears in Japan?

Just one of the many pleasing decorations made with natural objects people put around their homes.

Tsumago is a very well preserved town which is why the guide books like it. I liked it but I felt it was more touristy than Magome.

From here we went to Inuyama. This is where Dave could not find our JR rail passes and we missed our train as he tore everything out of his bag looking for them. They were in his money belt! We got the next train.

Next Time Inuyama

 

Japan Bits and Pieces

Japan Bits and Pieces

I have not been able to blog for some time. Although Japan was fantastic, it was a difficult place to find wifi which made blogging more challenging. Our time there was also so full that I barely had time and energy to digest all the newness of the experiences. It felt like every day there were new things to see, do, smell, taste and experience. The culture seems multi - layered to me maybe because of its long history and distinct culture that was isolated for so long.

The beauty of Japan was often very simple and thoughtful. It was not over done or over detailed. The colors were white, dark brown or black and a touch of red or orange for a moment, maybe green in the background. Nature seemed to be incorporated whenever possible. People have very little space but were often very thoughtful in how they used it. Things seemed placed just so, with consideration of thought.

Branch of berries hanging on a door

So in a blog a while back I said you can tell a lot about a country from the dogs there and how they are treated. Well in Japan all the dogs looked pampered, healthy and happy. These dogs looked so good they could be in dog shows. They often had little sweaters or shirts on. I saw a man carrying his in a baby chest pack type carrier. All the dogs were a breed, none looked like mixes or mutts. And I don't know how they did this, none of them barked! I couldn't believe it. I asked one of our hosts why the dogs never bark and she said some women she knows treat their dogs better than their husbands, so why would they bark!. To top it all off you see no dog poop any where, ever.

Very happy and friendly Japanese dog we met hiking from Magome to Tsumago on the old Edo post trail. All roads had to lead to the capital in Samurai times. this was a route for commerce and communication in the past.

Which brings me to trash in general. You don't see that either even in Tokyo. When you do see trash it is almost shocking. So you would think there are trash cans every where. Nope it is hard to find a trash can. There is very well organized recycling that you find in parks, train stations or bus stops. Our apartment in Tokyo had a recycling area for everything. It is so clean you want to make sure you through your trash away too. But what to do if there are no cans? One other tourist we met said he had looked all over for a trash can and when he could not find one he asked a police officer where to find one. The officer asked for the trash and out it in his pocket.

And this is what the Japanese people are like, helpful beyond belief. At first in places like Tokyo or Kyoto especially you might think that no one smiles at you a you are walking down the street. People do not make eye contact. But as soon as you have any interaction with someone they are ready to laugh and smile. So in the one sense they are very reserved but it quickly can vanish. We had several different connections there who were hosts for us. We had to be careful with them because if we said we liked something they would buy it for us or give it to us. We joked with Shige, our favorite host, that he would give us his car if we asked for it. I think this is part of the whole gift giving tradition and welcoming of guests. We had multiple times where strangers helped us figure out where we were going without us asking for help. And they usually didn't speak English but still managed to communicate with us.

Our SERVAS host Tomoko in her back yard with Anika and I.

Dave in Tomoko's father's wedding outfit. When Dave said how much he loved the pants and he wanted to know where to get them Tomoko and her sister produced another similar outfit and gave it to him.

When we first got to Japan and found that few people speak English it was hard. After Bali where everyone is smiling at you and asking you where you are from, how long will you stay, where are you staying and do you want to buy some etc, Japan was a big change. But we found that actually many people understand some English, they just don't speak it at all. The only time the language barrier was a real issue was a few times in restaurants that only had Japanese menus with no picture. Then we just pointed and hoped for the best.

And the food was almost always amazing. I know we ranted and raved about the food in Thailand but Japan was even better. What made it better was the variety. There were so many different kinds of food. We had several “set” meals at places we stayed that were elaborate with 15 or so different little dishes on each person's serving tray. There was always fish, pickled vegetables of some kind, soup, rice and at least one or two more side dishes. On top of the delicious flavors the presentation was beautiful in a simple thoughtful way.

Dinner our first night in Magome at a guest house.

People in Japan follow the rules. They take their trash and throw it away. The don't use their cell phones on the train. In fact although people text everywhere you rarely hear someone talk on their cell phone. They excuse themselves and move away to take the call. So you do not have to share others conversations in the store, train, line in the bank or post office or walking down the street. And when you are talking to someone they don't answer their phone. They smoke in designated smoking areas (usually street corners) and put their cigarette butts in special receptacles when they are done.

The train system and public transportation in general was excellent. On time, clean and efficient. Our Japanese friends complained about it being too complicated and expensive. It can be pricey, but it goes every where so you can really live and travel without a car. We loved our JR pass which let us get one and off trains for 21 days. On the Jr lines everything had English signs and the people working at the stations were helpful and knew enough English to set us in the right direction. Thank god Dave didn't really lose them! We only took a taxi once. It was expensive. The drivers all wear suits and ties, some times they even have white gloves. The taxis themselves are big fancy cars. The drivers keep them shiny and clean. Inside they have white, lace seat covers. The one ten minute ride we took, to get form the train station to a hostel, cost 15$.

Last but, not least, toilets. There were both Eastern, squat style and Western sit style toilets in public places, some times with signs how to use them, like don't squat on a sit toilet. there were also toilets with so many buttons it was hard to know what to push. Some of them will clean you up in a variety of ways before they flush themselves and send you on your way. My favorite where the ones with warm seats. Why don't we have those?

Japan was my favorite country yet. I feel like in 25 days we just scratched the surface of a place with a complex culture and fascinating history. I can't wait to go back.

Dave and I in front of the Golden Temple in Kyoto.

Japan First Days in Tokyo

I went back and added photos to my last Bali blog so if you want to see it with picture or just look at the picture you need to go back to that blog.

Japan First Days

Tokyo October 16, 17 and 18

The trip to Japan lasted 24 grueling hours from bed to bed. With very few hours of sleep, a five hour lay over in Malaysia and too many hours on planes, I managed to get a nasty head cold along the way. The transition to Japan has not been smooth. Our computer and phone do not work here and it took five tries to find an ATM that would give us cash. Credit cards are not widely accepted. We knew all these things coming in but dealing with the reality is different. If not for our host Shige we would have been even more lost. He is a professor at Gakugei University where he got us an apartment in the international student housing for most of the month we are here. He also met our plane, which was two hours late at the airport, bought us food, took us to the 24hr supermarket and then delivered us to our new home away from home around 1:00 am. We know him through my Uncle Bob. He is trying to help us make our plans for the rest of our time here.

Yesterday Shige took me to the campus Dr. to get some medicine for my cold. He insisted I do this. I told him at home I would never go to a Dr with these symptoms because there wouldn't be much they could do. He insisted. I got some kind of white powder to take three times a day for three days. I have no idea what it is. The Dr didn't speak much English but we communicated some how. And it was free, by the way, both the appointment and the medicine. I do feel better now after a good nights sleep and taking the medicine.

On our second day here Dave and Anika took the train to some area of Tokyo (Shibuya) Anika wanted to go to for shopping. She came home happy with lots of “cute stuff”. I stayed to meet with Shige. He was hoping I would be well enough to speak to his class on international education today. I felt better so off we went. First he told me he wanted me to get paid so we went to fill out some papers. I told him I was happy to do it for nothing but he insisted. I am now officially a visiting scholar! His class of about 26 freshman were meeting for the first time. He spent part of the class doing the usual here is the book you need to get etc stuff. Then they talked about why US companies grow most of the bananas eaten in Japan in the Phillipines. I was confused but then the conversation was mostly in Japanese with short bits in English. Shige showed a video about the history of US education starting with immigration at the turn of the century. It was in English and I do know something about this so things got easier. Later Shige told me most students understand at least some English but few speak it. They got to John Dewey and how he influenced US schools. Here is where I was supposed to come in. I ended up talking for only a few minutes, maybe five, describing a bit about Monarch and how John Dewy's philosophy influenced our school philosophy. The students asked some questions and that was it.

I noticed none of the male students participated. The female students answered questions and asked them. There was a lot of light banter and joking. The class felt very relaxed. There were two international students one from France and one from Singapore. The woman from Singapore introduced herself to me after the class and we talked a bit.  she ended up befriending Anika later that evening. The classroom itself could have been in the US in terms of what it looked like.

The university is very modern looking over all but with big old trees and well tended grounds. Shige says it was the site of a tank base during WW2 so it had been heavily bombed. It was rebuilt into a university after the war. The buildings have mostly that 50s-70s look, very practical and utilitarian. The colors are very neutral, the offices are organized and simple. We went to Shige's office after the class so he could meet with students. It was floor to ceiling with books, many of them education books I have read or know. There was a coach one one side of his desk and shelves with all kinds of technology (printer, DVD player flat screen TV etc. ) on another. It was small and full of stuff and reminded me of past college professors office's I have been in.

Three female students showed up and he made them tea. They took out sweet treats and he offered everyone chocolate. It was like a little tea party. Then he and the three girls talked about a book they were reading on Puritanism and the rise of capitalism. It reminded me a bit of Sarah Lawrence where you meet with your Don and have these kind of conversations. I could not follow the conversation but every so often Shige tried to include me. Another student walked in and he realized he had double booked. She waited patiently, refilling the tea, until he was done with the first three students. I excused myself shortly after they left to go home. 

Shige who insisted we get a phone to use here. Anika and I went to a gathering for all the international students living in our apartment complex.  They are all education students and most are already working in their home country. They are in Japan to do research but most spend the first year or so just learning Japanese. Many of them brought dishes to share form their country. It was a potluck and the food was great. Everyone went around and said who their name, where they were form and what they were there to study. I was happy I could now call myself a visiting scholar not just a world traveler on a year long vacation. A few students even did little performances of music or dance. I spoke Spanish with a couple of women from Peru and Mexico, that was fun. They were in Tokyo for the earthquake and Tsunami and told how amazed they were at the quick and organized response of the government. Shigue told me the Japanese consulate gives scholarships that many of these students have to come study in Japan. It was a very interesting group of people and a fun night.

We left the next day and have now been traveling in the mountains of Central Honshu for  almost a week. It is so beautiful. I am in sensory overload almost. Next blog photos and stories of Japan travel! don't know when that will be as wifi is hard to find.

Bye Bye Bali

I haven't written about our last three weeks in Bali and now we are in Japan.  I am going to post this now while we have Internet, something that has been hard to find in Japan believe it or not, and add the photos later.

Rafting

We took a fun easy rafting trip one day. It included a great buffet lunch afterwards.

Us in front of an amazing rock carving a fancy hotel put beside the river about 5 years ago.It looks ancient.

Dave and I get a riverside shower.

 
Batur Volcano and Hot springs

Dave and I spent a lovely day in this area. (Anika stayed home sick.) The cone of the volcano, which last erupted the year I was born 1963, is in a valley with a lake on one side and mountains ringing the whole thing. Parts of the area reminded me of the Big Island of Hawaii. The view from the rim is magnificent. Then you drive down into it. This area is very dry at this time of year and you can tell people have to work hard. Farming and fish farming are the occupations and some tourism. We went to a hot springs on the side of the lake. It was obviously geared toward tourists. We paid and had in and out privileges all day. The view from the hot springs was spectacular, over the lake to the mountains on one side, and the cone of the volcano on the other. We left to have lunch at a very simple restaurant near by. The fish we had was right out to the lake minutes before we ate it. It was one of my most memorable lunches in Bali. There is a very manageable hike to the rim of the volcano most people do at night arriving for the sun rise. We would Ike to do it if we ever come back to Bali.

Sideman and Tenganan Villages

This was another great outing day. We drove through rice fields to Sideman, known for weaving, particularly ikat. Ikat is a type of weaving found only three places in the world India, Japan and Indonesia. We visited a studio and saw beautiful cloth. The village itself had a very different feeling than other villages we had been to. Many villages are just buildings a long the road with no sense of center and everything behind stone/cement walls. There was more of a sense of place here although the layout was the same, people were friendly and happy to see you. There isn't a lot of tourism.

These two photos are of different parts of the ikat dying and weaving process. Women do all the weaving and men do the dying.




From there we took a ride on roads that see very little traffic, something you don't get here much any more. The view were great all the way to the coast. The rad was very narrow. Steep and windy down the mountain. We stopped to buy watermelon form some people at the side of the road. A little girl charmed Dave into buying a basket for 4$. As I examined it going down the hill (it is very well made) I opened it and found a bag of money! We made the driver stop. Dave and I trudged back up the hill, there was no way for the car to back up or turn around. When we got to the people they looked at us like what the heck? We showed the mom the basket and the money. Her face went from confusion to shock to a glance at her daughter of upset mom to appreciation. I am sure they don't have much business up there and we had driven off with some of the profits. The average person in Bali makes less than 6-7$ a day and these people were making far less than that. It was a travel moment. Anika was in the car for the whole thing.

View from the car on the windy road.

At the bottom we turned, had lunch at a great German restaurant and went to Tenganan. This is a Bali Aga village, people who chose to preserve the way of life from before the Javanese royalty came to Bali. There are no cars and the village has a specific lay out. The cows roaming around look like they are from a different era. The village is know for weaving and double ikat, even rarer than single ikat pattern. We wandered around looking, buying and talking to people. All the craft work was of high quality not like what you see in parts of Ubud and around the island now. The atmosphere was very relaxed and people far less pushy to sell. They seemed very proud of their work and happy just to talk about it. We met a furniture maker who was doing very original work and he invited us into his home, made us tea from their “redwood” bark. Everyone spoke enough English to communicate well. I could have stayed much longer but Anika was ready to go so we left.

Dave with one of the Tenganan village cows.

The furniture maker in his home.

Sarasuvati the goddess of knowledge. We could not afford this piece of art.

Munduk and Aras Panas Banjar

We explored the central mountains and hit another more locally oriented hot spring.

View in Munduk

Aras Panas Banjar hot springs

Amed and the Salt

We spent four days in Amed on the North East coast of Bali. This was my favorite spot in Bali. It was a vacation from our vacation as my friend Louise who recommend it described it for herself. The area is very dry. It reminded us of Arizona (Anika), Southern CA (Dave) or Mexico (Lysa). Our hotel was right on the rocky beach. The snorkeling was a few feet from the shore and full of every color, size and shape of coral and fish imaginable. I think it might have been the best snorkeling I have ever done except maybe the Caribbean. We had left all technology behind so the three of us read and talked and hung out. This is a place I would go back to. They are just starting to develop so the narrow road is not shoulder to shoulder shops, hotels, villas and restaurants. Its quiet at night. No traffic and surprisingly little trash.

Entrance to the beach from our hotel

One day Dave and I rode the rented scooter (the only form of real transportation on Bali) to where they process salt from the ocean in the traditional way. We were swarmed by kids selling salt with notes written in English, French and German about how the money would go to pay for them to go to school. One girl stood out form the rest to me and I asked her to give us a tour. She was self confident, not a pushy, whiny or pouty sales person (all strategies the other kids were trying) and she spoke English well enough to describe the process well. As she told us how they do it the kid had spark. The teacher in me thought this girl needs to be able to get to school every day. We talked for a while about her school, age (12) siblings, family etc. I told her I would come back the next day to buy something. Her name was Kaday.

Funnel used to filter ocean water to separate salt

Salt drying in split palm trunks

Kaday is here is white.

 We went back the next day and she was so happy to see me. Dave went to get Anika ( with one scooter Dave had to do a lot of shuttling in Bali) so I hung out with Kaday and she showed me how she weaves little baskets to put the salt in. When Anika got here I asked her to give Anika the tour. Then I asked to meet her mother. Kaday took us down the road with a parade of other children following. Her mother was very shocked to see this parade walk up to their home. I gave her 100,000 Rp,, about 12$US, and explained it was for Kaday to get to school. I met the family pig and saw the outdoor kitchen and washing area and the outside of their house. They wanted us to stay for dinner but I declined. Anika was ready to go so Dave took her back and I hung out and communicated as best I could. Kaday's dad is a fisherman but there haven't been fish for three months. (Another fisherman had told us big fishing boats from Java and Japan come and do drag net fishing leaving little behind for the small fishermen.) Other than that they have the salt production which is very hard work and subsistence farming to live from.

Kaday's Family pig

When we left Amed I asked out driver to take us back to Kaday's house. She was at school but we met with her mom, dad and uncle. Raday helped me explain the money was for school only and I gave them some more. I am explained that when I got back I would try and send more through Raday. They were so grateful they kept giving me stuff, mangoes, salt, little baskets. I told them that I was a teacher and I could tell Kaday was very bright and they needed to make sure she got to school and I would do my best to help. The school is 30 minutes away by Bemo (little buses that run very infrequently). She needs money for the bus and to eat at school. Raday said a promising student like her the school would find a way to get her a uniform and books as they did for him when he was young. He was very helpful and sympathetic I think because of his own personal experience. His family was homeless at one point and very poor throughout his childhood. At around age 7 an Australian man came to his school and gave lessons in art. He took Raday under his wing and helped him with school, English, art etc. Raday says this changed his life.

Kaday in her school uniform

Ceremonies

The lst week we were in Bali I got to go to two ceremonies with Radhay's family. Ceremonies are happening all the time. It seemed to us like Balanese people were always preparing for, participating in or cleaning up from ceremonies. We went to the purification ritual for the full moon ceremony with Radhay's family. First we went to his family temple and sat around for a while.

Raday with his kids in his family temple

Gamelon instruments

Then every one got in cars or trucks and drove about an hour to the beach. It was a beautiful black sand beach with miraculously almost no development. About 1,000 people gathers along the beach most sitting behind alter type things decorated with flags, umbrellas and poles with things attached to them. There was a loud speaker with a priest talking and at times chanting. People walked through the crowd selling sunglasses and all kinds for snacks and drinks. It was hot with the sun bright over head. The crowd was wearing mostly white. We were in costume because you have to wear a sarong and sash, and the men a hat. Radhay and Iyou his wife made sure the three of us had the right stuff.

Women with offerings proceeding to the beach

Men with flags and decorated poles parading down the beach

Anika sat in the shade with Iyou and her two children and Dave and I wandered through the crowd. We were the only people there not from the village. It was a colorful spectacle unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Raday asked us if we wanted to worship with him. We said sure and the three of us sat down in the sand behind the many rows of other people facing the ocean. He lit incense and we each got a stick. Then the priest said something. At intervals the people were silent holding their palms together in front of and slightly above their faces with a flower petal between their fingers. The flower petal was fist passed through the smoke of the incense. We did this around three times for varying intervals. At the end a woman came and sprinkled everyone with holy water. And that was it. All the people paraded back to their vehicles and as we left the next village was pulling in to set up for their purification.

Very young worshiper

We asked Radhay lots of questions that he could not really answer in a coherent manner. I suspect he did not have the vocabulary to explain spiritual concepts in English. The next day he invited us to the full moon ritual at his family temple. We went a little late. The place was packed and a mask wearing story teller was in the midst of telling a story. As at the purification ceremony some people listened and others didn't, kids ran around, people answered their cell phones or were texting and it did not have a solemn feeling. There was a shadow puppet story too. The priest was chanting on and off in the back ground the whole time. We went through the incense, flower petal water worship ritual again with the only difference this time being drinking some holy water. Dave and I were both amazed that people get together like this on a regular basis all year long. IT is not like seeing your family for Thanksgiving once a year if that, eating hanging out and going home until next year. We could not make out how everyone was related exactly. The moon peeked out from a crack in the clouds from time to time as if to say ya I'm here and I see you, carry on.

Dave and I on our way to the Full Moon ceremony

Final Bali thoughts

Bali was a very easy place to be. The people are tolerant, super friendly, speak English and have been catering to western tourists for years. We could find good food easily (but not as good as Thailand). We liked living close to the Yoga Barn and took classes there regularly during our stay. Our favorite teacher was a Balanese man Marcus Wayan. Dave was happy because they had his style of free dance every Sunday. There was even an African dance class taught by an African woman. The place could have been in Santa Cruz or many other US towns. At the Monday movie night the yoga barn showed “The Yellow Submarine” one week and I wondered what the Indonesians in the audience thought of it.

Yoga Barn yoga room

View while doing yoga in Yoga Barn

What was hard in Bali was the traffic, trash and uncontrolled development. There is no good public transportation so you have to rent a scooter or take taxis. Neither of these were good solutions for us. I was not going to try and learn to ride a scooter on the left side of the road in traffic with no rules. Tourist buses and construction trucks regularly blocked the narrow roads. People would just stop and park in the road because there is no where to pull over so everyone just has to figure out how to go around. If people behaved like this in the US road rage would have new meaning. Sitting on the back of the scooter breathing in exhaust fumes is not going to be one of my fonder memories. Many times we looked out over beautiful rice fields and then down at our feet to piles of plastic trash. And all this is because tourism is the big money maker. Every traveler or vacationer needs some travel infrastructure but it seems many places do not know when to stop building hotels, villas, restaurants and shops. Or how to create the services needed to support them. It will be interesting to see if Bali can keep being the money maker it is for Indonesia once the rice fields are gone and the local people are so jaded by tourists they are no longer kind and friendly. If you went there 10 years or longer ago be happy. If you want an easy place to vacation go soon.