Finding Love in Bali

As I turned away from scanning the ocean for a yacht, my eyes caught on a sign outside one of the beach side stores. It read “Tyas Tattoo”. I felt an uncontrollable pull to go to that store, once inside, there was no turning back…

I had been toying with the idea of getting a tattoo for years, and seeing this Tattoo sign,I thought, there was no harm in looking. As I approached, there was a guy standing out front, leaning against the doorway of the store. He was dressed in a bright pink Hawaiian style shirt, with blue jeans. His hair was long and curly, tied back in a ponytail. He had the widest, brightest smile I had ever seen.

“Want a Tattoo?” he called

“I’ll have a look” I replied, rather coyly

He led me through the small cafe, to the back, where his studio was located. It was actually his private living quarters, that he had divided in two. One half was his bedroom, and the other half his studio. He had brightly colored sarongs hanging around the walls and lots of books of designs to choose from.

I sat on the floor, crossed legged, with the books all around me, pouring over them .There were so many great designs, I couldn’t choose just one. Agus did not put any pressure on me, he was happy to sit and chat while I browsed. He gave me a drink, and the conversation flowed freely. Finally I made up my mind, and chose a sun symbol, which I felt would look great on my shoulder.

Agus started to get the instruments ready, and I watched in awe at the deep concentration in his eyes as he prepared the machine and inks. His care and attention to detail touched me deeply. He was such a calm, gentle man, nothing like the images I had conjured up in my mind of scary bikers, talking in gruff voices and laughing at the little girl wanting a tattoo.

The noise of the machine started, it had the low buzz of a dentists drill, and I tensed up immediately. Agus laid his gentle hand on my shoulder, and I relaxed in to his touch. He then brought the machine up to my shoulder, and started creating the design on my back. It really did not hurt anything like I thought it would, and it was such a small design, it was over quickly. I was on an adrenalin high, and I did not want it to stop! So I did what any girl would do, and asked for another tattoo!! This one I put on my foot, and it really did hurt like crazy, so I decided to stop after that!

We arranged to meet later that evening, and I moved in with him the next day. I forgot all about wanting to get a yacht to Australia. Instead, I flew to Singapore and back to Bali and got another 2 month visa. By the end of those 2 months, we were married! It was a whirlwind romance, but everything just fell in to place, and felt right. I had found the love of my life, on a little island, thousands of miles from where I had grown up. At the same time, I had found a place where I felt I belonged. There was still a long journey ahead of me, and many stumbling blocks along the way, but I was on the path to finding me.

a room with a view

I’d like to take you on a journey, away from the traffic and street hawkers, to my favorite place to be. Its quite a drive, but well worth it once you get there. As you leave the craziness of Kuta behind, you will feel yourself relax, and start to breath. The air becomes fresher, and the traffic less. Once we turn on to the village road, we are forced to slow right down. The road is just wide enough for one car, and newly paved, its impossible to go faster than 10 km per hour. The villagers are not used to cars, and ours is the only one there, following the path that has been created through the jungle. It follows the natural lie of the land, with scarily steep inclines up and down. Driving through, feels like being on a natural roller-coaster, with a sheer drop on one side, and cliff face on the other. We call out to the people we meet along the way, as they gather grass for their animals, and wood for their fires. The pace of life is so different here, no one is in a hurry, its a world away from where we left just an hour earlier. Its as if time has stood still here. The people are wearing simple sarong clothing, and carrying wood on their heads, to use for cooking.

I would love to stop and chat, to get in to the minds of these people but I want to take you to my special place, which is just a little further now. We wind along the narrow path, through tropical forest, and finally arrive at our destination. We stop on the side of the road, and enter the large gateway. Inside, is an oasis of coconut palms, orange trees, and  flowers of every color you can imagine. We walk through the lush surroundings to a little gazebo, nestled in among the flowers. This simple wooden structure consists of a thatched roof over a wooden frame, inside there is a mattress and pillows, and space for 2 or 3 people. The pillows are wonderfully plump and soft, and as we climb in, we feel ourselves melt in to them.  The inside walls are lined with books that I have collected over the years. This is my reading space, and I love to relax here and enjoy the quiet, with the scent of the flowers in my nose, and the wonderful bird song in my ears. The breeze blows softly, through the bamboo wind-chimes that hang outside, and we are lulled in to a wonderful reverie.

As we relax in this wonderful space,  a villager approaches and offers to pick a coconut for us to drink. He shimmies up the coconut tree with such ease, and brings down a couple of green coconuts for us. He opens the top with a sharp knife, and pours the milk in to a glass. It tastes so refreshing, as it goes down my throat, I can never have enough of it. I could stay here all day, relaxing, reading and enjoying this wonderful Room with a View.

Treetops Bali

It was Easter Sunday yesterday, so we decided to take the kids for a day out. Bedugul is the place that Balinese love to escape to on their time off. The climate is cool, and the botanical gardens are absolutely stunning. It is quite a drive, taking almost 2 hours from Denpasar, but we put the music up and sang along, which made the time go quicker. The last half hour is a constant climb, and our ears were popping, the view was spectacular, with the mountains looming ahead of us, and on either side of the road rice terraces that go on for ever. I watched the lone farmers tilling their land, wandering what they think about as they work, or whether the work itself is enough to occupy their minds.

We arrived to find, sure enough, everyone had had the same idea to come here. There were cars lining the roads around the botanical gardens, but  we found a spot, and once out of the car, the expanse of the setting was still tranquil despite the crowds. This park is vast, and there is plenty of space for everyone to find thier own spot to enjoy. We saw a girl hidden in the trees,with her sketch pad, making a drawing of the landscape. It looked inviting, but we were there for the children, and they wanted to go play at Treetops.

Treetops is an adventure play ground, that is barely visible from the road. It consists of wires and nets strung between the trees, where children and adults alike can climb and swing in absolute safety, due to the harnesses that are provided. Everyone is given a very clear training on how to use the harness and clips, and then they are let loose in the trees. The children have been here many times, and absolutley love it. They had two hours to play, and that is plenty, as the trails are quite demanding, requiring arm strength, to pull yourself over the ropes. There are several trails, that vary in difficulty, the most challenging being the black, that includes a wonderfully long flying fox, and tarzan swing. It is great fun for all the family.

While the kids played, the adults set up a picnic under the trees, and enjoyed the view. The weather is much cooler than the south of Bali, and we loved the light breeze that kept us cool. The kids ate, and then ran around in the grass, making the most of the wide open spaces. They ran and ran until they dropped down and couldn’t run anymore. My daughter slept so well that night. Its well worth the long drive to get away from the hustle and bustle and enjoy the fresh air.