The Journey that Ended on the Day that Wouldn't

Sadly, our Second Sojourn in Southeast Asia has come to an end and as I begin this post, we have already left Bali and have completed the first leg of a 4-leg journey home. I pause here to marvel again at the Singapore International Airport, the nicest terminal I have ever visited. It is so clean, roomy, relaxed and modern.  I also marvel at the established interface between my apple computer and the Singapore Airlines wifi connection that came together with zero fuss on my part, just like magic.

The first leg of our journey has brought us back to Singapore, an island nation of the First World, surrounded by Indonesia and Malaysia, both Third World nations. And although I didn't talk about it much in my previous posts, Bali which is a state inside Indonesia, is in the Third World. It was evident again this morning, when we were driven to the Bali International Airport. The streets were crowded with people on motorbikes, sometimes complete families of four on one bike. Another sure sign of a third world nation is corruption which we witnessed upon arrival at the airport. We could avoid a long walk by bribing a policeman, so that we could drive right up to the front entrance. Upon leaving the country, we paid $15 each so we could get out of the country. Now having said all those things we loved the island, the culture and the people of Bali and we stayed at the nicest resorts that either of us have ever experienced.

You worry about Bali though. If Bali is the 'Island of the Gods', then the gods must be napping because the Balinese people, although probably better off than the average Indonesians, have a ways to go before they can enjoy everything that Mrs. Gym and I are used to in our privileged North American lifestyles. In Bali, you guarantee some prosperity by having at least 4 children. We talked to a number of Balinese people that we met and they all agreed that the goal was at least 4 kids, that way, they are assured of an easier retirement because their children will look after them when they get older. In a First World country like Canada we look after ourselves in retirement and hopefully our adult kids can just look after themselves.

I have to stop here, and jump on another plane...

As I continue my ramblings on the state of the world, I find myself seated in the Royal Orchid Lounge in the Hong Kong International Airport, a few feet from where Mrs. Gym and I sat just over two weeks ago, at the beginning of our trip. I am happy again to report that the interface between my machine and the Thai Airlines lounge wifi worked flawlessly and I just continued tapping away like I hadn't moved. We have now completed two legs, both on Singapore Airlines and our next leg will be the longest one, the one which crosses the Pacific Ocean and that International Date Line.

I have to run, Air Canada No. 008 awaits us at Gate B31...

I am now seated at Gate C50, in the Vancouver International Airport, after a long haul from Hong Kong. On Leg Three we had a tremendous amount of turbulence starting from somewhere near Japan and not really ending until we were almost all the way across the Pacific and into Canadian airspace. The big bounces weren't really all that fun though because it was hard to experience a really solid sleep throughout the night. The coolest thing about this leg is that we actually got to re-live most of Friday all over again. We left Bali at 6:45 in the morning on Friday and after traveling more than 26 hours, we arrived in Vancouver at 2:30 P.M., on the same day. Its sort of like time travel. Going east across the International  Date Line in a modern jet literally sends you back in time.

Oops! I have to get on Flight AC220...

I conclude this entry and The Second Sojourn in Southeast Asia, sitting in my kitchen. We saw the sun set for the second time on Friday, November 16, 2012, during the fourth leg of our journey. I got a little primed at dinner on my first Friday, November 16, 2012 but didn't have anything to drink during my second dinner on Friday, November 16, 2012 because I had to drive home from the airport. Soon we will bed down for the second time on Friday, November 16, 2012. We are hoping that it will be Saturday, November 17, 2012 when we wake up.

Bye from Mrs. Gym and I. We had a great time on this trip and we hope you had some fun reading about it. Our next trip will be in the springtime, next year. We may need to brush up on French and Spanish for that trip. Until then, Cheers!

Monkey Business at Uluwatu

Yesterday, we journeyed to the southernmost tip of Bali to see the Bali Hindu Temple of Uluwatu which is perched high up on the cliffs, at the southwest end, of the Bukit Peninsula. Aside from being able to say we did the whole Bukit Peninsula in one afternoon, there were also three good reasons to check this particular place out which I will describe in more detail shortly.  First, let me recommend that you see this site in the late afternoon, that way you are less likely to get mugged and you will have an opportunity to see the show that happens as the sun sets into the Indian ocean.

Reason #1:

The Monkeys

I'm sure I've peaked your interest with the comment about getting mugged. When I heard about the capers that go on right outside this holy temple, I had to see it for myself. Don't worry, it is not humans that mug you, it's monkeys. The forest and the temple itself are full of Long-tailed Macaques and all you need to do is look at www.tripadvisor.com to read about all the kinds of capers these furry little criminals pull off on mostly unsuspecting tourists. Mrs. Gym and I were ready when we got there though, we wore running shoes and not the bright-colored flip flops that the monkey's prize and we went without hats and glasses. The camera was firmly tied to Mrs. Gym's wrist. Monkey-proofing yourself is a good idea but for us, it may have also been the time of day and the fact that it was a hot one that afternoon because we were unscathed after running the monkey gauntlet. Unfortunately, we did not even witness a crime. We did however get some some great shots!

raising a family of no-good criminals

hardened mugger

you've got to pick a pocket or two - forget about the leaves

scoping the prospects

a reason to forgo criminal activity

it's just too hot!

Reason #2:

The Temple

Most the monkeys were outside of the temple grounds and once we were clear of them, we donned our sarongs and did a circuit around the temple itself.  Pura Luhur Uluwatu temple was built in the 11th century and is one of the nine directional temples which were constructed to protect Bali from evil spirits. In this case, I guess the evil would be coming from the south. Only those that go to the temple to pray our allowed to enter the main courtyard but tourists like Mrs. Gym and I were able to almost completely circle the temple on walkways which were built along the edge of the cliffs. There were some awesome views from up there.

looking north

entrance to the temple courtyard

some white guy and Mrs. Gym

looking down

cool pagoda at the tip of the furthest point

night fishing boats coming out from the island to start a shift

Reason #3:

The Performance

We capped off the visit by purchasing two tickets for the open-air bali dance that happens every night at Uluwatu which is entitled, "Kecak Ramayana & Fire Dance". The show is performed on the cliff top facing directly west, so that the visiter can watch the sunset before the performance begins. As the sun is swallowed up by the Indian Ocean, the play starts. One of the things that sets this performance apart is that there is no music. The play is accompanied by 50 bare-chested Bali men who chant acappella while this Bali fairy tale is acted out by colorfully dressed Bali dancers. The star of the show happens to be a character name of  Hanomen, a white monkey with magical powers, that saves the day for Rama and his true love Sita, who has been abducted by some bad guys. One thing leads to another and the climax is reached when Hanomen kicks around a bunch of stuff that is burning and almost takes out a score of his choral group. But it all ends well with no apparent serious casualties and Rama is reunited with Sita. The performance concludes with all of the performers on stage including the smouldering back-up chanters. After the show we returned to Jimbaran Bay.

the sun setting into the Indian Ocean

the 50 bare-chested chanters

Sita

I think this is Rama

Hanoman finds Sita

   Fruit of the Day:

The Snake Fruit (Salak)

This fruit is about the size of an apple and sort of tastes like one too, except it is firmer and more tart. The flesh is white like an apple and inside the fruit is a surprisingly large seed (about the size of a cherry). What sets this apart though, is that the outer skin looks like the skin of a snake.

Hey, as we only have one more full day here, Mrs. Gym and I are going to the pool, to soak up some equatorial heat before we have to go back to that mess in Calgary. It rained last night, so it is stinking hot here today and we need to stock up on that heat, so that we can make it through the long winter. Sorry to say, there may only be one last instalment for this trip and it will be a wrap-up written from a series of airplanes and airports as we make our way home.

Cheers!

Gym's at Jimbaran

The island of Bali is mostly shaped like a big fish but it has an odd-shaped fin that sticks out from its belly. The appendage is the Bukit Peninsula and that is where Mrs. Gym and I are currently stationed. We look north from our villa across Jimbaran Bay to the airport which is close enough to see but far enough away so that you can't hear it. Right below us there is a rocky shoreline that similarily fringes most of the Bukit Peninsula but we also enjoy a slice of the beach on the northeastern edge of the property. There are five or six tiers of villas that are lined up in rows parallel to the shoreline and from the shoreline each tier is 15 or 20 feet higher than the one before, so everyone can see the beautiful waterfront. Privacy is maintained by high walls around each villa and the generous placement of frangipani, palm and other trees throughout the property. The lobby, spa, communal pool and main restaurant complex is in the upper centre of the property.

welcome to Jimbaran Bay

view from the lobby, down to the pool

nice view of the bay

the rocky shoreline

the beach

view from the pool

If you do a little research on Frangipani, you learn a pretty funny thing, at least if you have my sense of humour. The blossoms of Frangipani plants have no nectar and yet they dupe sphinx moths with their intoxicating fragrances into pollinating the blossoms. The moths inadvertently pollinate in their fruitless search for nectar.... We have both pink and white frangipani in our villa yard.

The villas are spacious, especially when you count the outdoor living room, private sun-deck and plunge pool that are included inside the walls of the yard. We spend much of our time in the outdoors living room reading, blogging and eating the majority of our meals. Room service arrives on a specially built golf cart and this service is something that you have to take advantage of while you are here because they do such a great job of serving the meals this way. There are also two restaurants on the property that we have tried, one is a combination Indonesian/Italian restaurant at night and the other is a Thai restaurant. If you go down to the beach there is a private area fenced off for Four Season's guests and another pool with a restaurant and bar which are shared with the Four Seasons Private Residence properties. If you get too drunk or have had too much sun you can jump on one of the many shuttles that run back and forth between the beach and the lobby. You can even have the shuttle take you right to your villa. Considering all of the above, this is a wonderful place to hang out for a while and I know that I am captivated by my surroundings when I haven't touched the flatscreen television in our room in the three days since we arrived.

villa plunge pool

sun deck

enclosed bedroom and bath

tub

my favourite - the outdoor living room

escargotus giganticus (this is the biggest I have ever seen)

"grey-breasted javanese scribbler"

Mrs. Gym and I have discovered a new passion for Passionfruit. It has a skin like a lemon but the inside part looks nothing like a lemon, or any other fruit for that matter. My first impression was a sticky, slimy mass of large single-celled creatures living inside an lemon peel. But dare yourself to scoop it out with a spoon and taste it and you will never let the appearance bother you again. The taste of the slimy stuff surrounding the seeds is a citrusy flavour but its the seeds that really put this fruit over the top, they provide some a real crunch. The two textures of the seeds and the slimy membrane which surrounds the seeds, compliment each other perfectly. Take Mrs. Gym's and my advice and don't pass up the opportunity to try one the next time you get the chance.

The Passionfruit:

Sayonara to Sayan

Yes, we have already said goodbye to Sayan and the sacred Ayung river but there was a couple of topics that I wanted to explore a little more with y'all.  We were very impressed with a couple of things about the resort up in the hills. One item relates to the resort itself which is really a marvel in terms of the layout and construction of the buildings and the second item was an event that occurred on our last evening up there.

The river valley up at Sayan is a very steep. Geomorphology geeks would call it a classic v-shaped valley. The river at Sayan is very fast and the erosian is happening mostly in a down-cutting manner which has formed the steep valley walls. This obviously makes it a challenge when you are building a resort but when confronted with that challenge, the architect that designed this place was definately up to the task and produced a really novel and beautiful result. I can only explain it with the help of Mrs. Gym's photos, as follows:

Here is a good photo of the Ayung river as it tumbles
down the valley and cuts a v-shaped path to the sea

The main building's roof is almost level with the top of the valley walls so you enter the building from the roof and essentially it is set up the opposite way of a normal building built on the street of any city because the reception area is on the top floor.

To get to reception and the front desk you cross a bridge
from the top of the valley to the roof of the main building

from the roof you enter through the ceiling of the reception area
to the top floor of the main building

looking down to the bottom of the valley from the upper floor

looking at the steep valley floor from the lounge

this picture shows how the main building is anchored to the steep valley wall

looking up at the main building from the path to our villa
 (it was  65 steps to every meal)

pathway to the villa from the main building

The main building was not the only building constructed in this upside-down manner. All of the villas were entered via a covered stairwell from the roof.

here is the entrance to our villa

once inside the entrance you descend down the well into the villa

Another interesting feature of all of the villas, as well as the main building was that the roofs were all covered with water features.

this is part of the pond on the main building

this is the water garden sits on top of our villa

On our last evening in Sayan, a Bali dance group put on a little show for the hotel guests in the lounge. Neither of us had seen this kind of performance and it was kind of the climax of our visit to the resort. One thing we both noticed is how expressive the hands and eyes of the dancers are while their mouths remain closed. They dance on the balls of their bare feet and each movement is in concert with notes being pounded out on an almost exclusively percussionist orchestra (there was one lowly flute in the background).

The band - all these guys are banging on something,
the lone flute player  is around the corner at the back 

first dance, it is hard to see but the feet and hands are really expressive

the eyes are very animated too but the mouthes remain closed

check out the headgear

Bird of Paradise dance

her eyes are shifting back and forth so fast she will end up with one of those
back of the eye-socket aches one sometimes gets when one is  hungover

note the hands here on this one

very colourful, huh?

I wrote this entry from the beach resort at Jimbaran Bay. We have actually been on the coast here for two nights. I will describe this area for you in my next posting.

It is a sticky, 33 degrees C here in Jimbaran Bay. I think that is about a 45-degree difference from our home in Calgary. I hope all y'all stay warm and drive carefully.