Banan-estan

Best Sign Ever...

Ok, so sorry (again) about the few days since the last post.  You can almost bet that if I haven't written in a while that it means that we haven't done much :)

Wed/Thursday
I last wrote on Wednesday and then after I wrote Mat and I both had  a massage with Ketut (our in-room masseuse).  He couldn't remember the name of "Lumi Lumi" which is a Hawaiin Massage that we have been meaning to try, so he got the "relaxational massage" but I went next and remembered the name, so I got to try out the new type of massage.  Boy, was it worth it.  It goes deep in the muscles but does it with the forearms, with long strokes, that make you feel like you are being lulled to sleep, yet doing some good for your muscles.

Thursday came around, and again we did pretty much nothing that day.  That night, mom had a massage scheduled, but at 6:45, 15 min before the massage, she decided that she didn't want one, so, Mat took one for the team and volunteered to take her massage and finally got to try out the Lomi Lomi, which he has now decided will be his go-to massage.  I was going to let Mat be the "hero" and take the massage, but I started feeling like I should "contribute", so I went ahead and got another myself.  I am starting to wonder how I am ever going to go back to once a month... Aimee, maybe we can find some kind of arrangement...?!

Backing up a bit, around 4 o'clock maybe, a new neighbor, Sarah, from Melbourne Australia came by and sat with us for a bit.  Mom, Mat, and River had met her before, but I had only heard about her as the woman who makes Made take her to Ubud to do yoga very early every day :)

We sat and talked for maybe an hour and it was very nice to meet another happy person.  She talked about how lovely her view was (the same room that had housed the other Australians who had wanted us to leave... we never did see them again, by the way, we were told that they left after only a day or two).  She assured us that Australians don't, as a whole, dislike Americans, that we must have just come across a few sour-pusses so far.  She was quite pleasant and we enjoyed our conversation.  After a bit, she went for a "siesta" and so did mom, and I went up for a bath and to read.  We agreed to check in with her when we ordered dinner to see if she wanted to join.  At around 6:30, we asked if she wanted to join, and she said that she would very much like to, and we offered to treat.  After starting to hesitate, or shy away from it, she stopped and said "I would very much like to receive that" and then explained that she was actively trying to become better at accepting gifts.

I was going to call to the restaurant next door, but was afraid that I would pronounce things wrong, so she and mom and I walked up to place the order.  When we got there, they teased me that I should have called, so I admitted my fear, and then they proceeded to laugh at me while I pronounced 3 of the 4 orders wrong.

We walked back to our place, greeted Made, his wife and daughter, Esty, Ketut (our Masseuse) and a few others at the entrance.  I told Ketut that Mat was waiting for her in the room and then asked if she could do two.  She asked "one after the other?"  after which mom teased her and demonstrated her rubbing two people, one with each hand..  "no, I could call someone else" she laughed, at which we all said "no!  We all want you!"

Made shared some godoh with us.  I am afraid Sarah wasn't as impressed, but she was a vegetarian who was delighted with raw food, and so fried banana wasn't her idea of a delicious treat.

We came back to our outside table and sat and talked, waiting for our food.  After the food came and we had eaten, it was my turn for the massage, so I hugged Sarah goodbye, knowing that she was leaving in the morning and I probably wouldn't see her again.

Friday
Most of yesterday, Friday, consisted of us trying to save a small white egret (water bird).  I am afraid that we didn't succeed.

When we woke up, we found that there was a white bird caught in a kite-string (which we hadn't even known was there).  The string went between two trees above our pool.  I am not sure how the bird got in the mess it was in, but it had gotten the string twisted around its wing so it hung there, above our pool, occasionally flapping wildly but mostly just dangling sadly.

We came up with every idea that we could, enlisting all of the workers and eventually came up with the "plan" to get our own kite string, attach it to a rock or a mango in a sock, or something with weight, and throw it over the other kite string, and then use it to pull down (and maybe break) the original kite string to free the bird.  If you had been a bystander, it would have looked like we were trying to pelt the poor bird, but alas no rocks hit him.

After eventually acquiring the kite string, they could finally attempt the feat.  Despite Mat's and Octa's best efforts, they couldn't get it over the original string.

Hours later, while Mat and I were walking to town to hit the ATM, Mom said that a kite appeared from behind one of the trees, going up into the sky, and pulled the bird up with it into the nearby tree.  Nobody really knows where the kite ended up, but still, today, presumably tangled in string still, sits the poor bird.  It seems that it is near enough to branches that it might be taking a little of the burden off of its wing, but it is still tangled, and I am afraid that it will stay that way until he starves.  It is so high in a coconut tree that there is no way for us to help at this point.

Besides the bird, Mat and I walked to town, checked out the entrance to the Campuhan Ridge trail (a nice walking trail out of the center of Ubud), grabbed some local wine from the liquor store (and tasted samples of champagne), found out where we could print a photo (as a gift for Made of the picture of he and River), and then grabbed some Godoh and walked home

Saturday
Today we all got a ride from Made's new driver. I can't remember his name, but he was Made's niece's husband. He spoke english well and was quite pleasant.  He drove us down to the head of the Campuhan trail.  Mom had planned on walking around Penestenan, an artists village on the west side of town while the rest of us went on the Campuhan trail (a 2 km hike).  We realized that she would have to go up a steep hill to get to where she was going and she decided to hang out in front of the mini-mart (much like a 7-11 or QuickShop from back home).  She had a visitor before we even rounded the corner (a man selling her hand-carved pendents).  We walked the trail and enjoyed the scenery.

At the other end, there was a warung (restaurant) where we grabbed some cold water, which highly beat out our warm bottled water.  Mat grabbed a beer and then we headed back.  It was up-hill most of the way there and so mostly down-hill coming back.


Towards the end, we were discussing enclaves of one country inside of other countries and were discussing Belgium enclaves in the Netherlands.  A couple in front of us turned around and said, we can help you with anything you want to know, we are from Belgium.


We walked and talked with Tom and Zapora until we got back to the mini-mart.  They were very friendly and it was nice making new friends.

From there, we walked up the street (with mom now) and then up a very high hill.  Everyone should be very proud of mom, because she was a super-trooper and complained less than River!

At the top of the hill, we found ourselves in the village of Penestenan.  After a lot of trouble remembering how to pronounce it (was it Penestenan or Penanestan, Pestaninan...) we all settled on calling it bananastan.    It didn't help that when we stopped to eat, we had a banana split!

Once in the village, the first few "streets" were just walking/motorbike paths which made the area quite pleasant to traverse.  We found a warung and stopped for lunch.  They led us to a lovely area to eat where there were cushions set up so that you can lie down and eat, or sit on the cushions and eat at low tables.  Of course there were "real" eating areas, with tables and chairs, but who wants those.  Soft cushions and pillows surrounding a coffee-table height table is the way to go for sure.

We had milk-shakes, and then our meals (River enjoyed a chicken sandwich, I had noodles, mom greens and Mat with barbecue chicken) and then we shared a banana split for desert.  The ice-cream in Bali is quite delicious, tastes home-made and is light like you could eat 10 bowls!

After lunch, we walked until we found a "real" street and then started to try to get Made or our driver to come get us.  After a half-hour walking towards Ubud, somehow still going up-hill, not sure how, Made appeared like the holy grail, beeping his welcomed "I'm here" honk!  We had told him that we would be at the mini-mart in 15 min but after having arrived to an empty seating area, he went to "find" us and found us on the Penestenan road, saving us from another 10 minutes of grueling hills.

We then picked up 3 more guests (from his next-door villa) and then he took us home the long-way, down the next road over, so that he could show us his first villa, his house, and then drop off the others before taking us back.

Once here, we confirmed that mom would get her massage at 7, but then Mat and I decided that we needed a half-hour of work on our feet as well, so we are waiting on that.

We found at least two larger groups of people are here as well.  One family with 3 adults and 3 kids, probably Indonesian, but on vacation.  Also a group of 4 or so French twenty-somethings.

Well, that's all for now.  Got to get ready for my foot-rub :)

Take care all!

Mat on an "animated" bench (the people are wooden)

A tree that doesn't know how to compromise

A tree that DOES know how to compromise!