A few months ago, when I told the kids I was going to Bali, they instantly remembered the much-loved Little Travelers video. "You have to see the monkeys!" they all insisted. Ah, visiting the crowded (with tourists and vendors) Monkey Forest was not exactly on the top of my to do list, but I was certainly happy to stop by for the kids (no one needs to know just how quick that visit was!). I arrived home with a camera card with plenty of the much-desired monkey photos, and dogs and chickens and pigs too, oh my! I even have a little collection of Bali dog photos for Adelaide that she's currently asking me to print out and into a book for her. Oh, the Bali street dogs. They both stole and then broke my heart a little, and I was so glad to discover and give a little to the Bali Animal Welfare Association, doing such great work to get those dogs healthy and safe. I thought all those photos and stories would suffice, but my children are absolutely furious with me that I didn't bring home a monkey, or at least a dog. They'd even take a Bali duck with joy, I think, had I smuggled that past customs (but I was too chicken to even attempt a lotus pod!).
In and around Ubud, we explored so many places. Rice fields, of course. Gorgeous, gorgeous rice fields. And in the process of learning about the rice fields, discovered IDEP and their good work. We visited lovely little shops full of textiles, silver, and woodcarving (I stayed clear of the big markets of Ubud - just not for me). I spent one very early morning at the village morning open-air market, being wowed by the color and variety of the offerings (and the sounds and smells and sights of a busy morning market). And everywhere I went, I felt like a three year old, "what's that?! What's that?!" as each tree, plant, grass looked entirely new to me. So much beauty, so much color. I brought home a few treasures for the kids, and a whopping pile of vintage sarongs to play with as fabric....but really for the most part, I took it all in and saw a lot of things.
And can we talk about food for just a minute? Oh my gosh - the food! I'm fairly certain I've never eaten as well as I did in Bali. A diet of mostly fruits and vegetables, with hardly any dairy, meat or alcohol. It felt amazing. And everything was just so fresh - oh the fruit, I think I've dreamed of opening a mangosteen about four times a day since returning home. Such lovely fruit. My favorite meals were those we ate in the homes of our friends, as well as some fabulous traditional Balinese food from the market and street vendors. But we did plenty of fun eating out as well, and some of my favorites ended up being Bali Buda, Alchemy, The Elephant, and my favorite of all - the Yellow Flower Cafe (seen with the stunning view and yellow umbrella above). I spent my last afternoon there alone, blissfully enjoying the warm sun, with a little bit of journaling, and savoring the fresh food....daydreaming about a time when maybe I can be in the same place again - but this time with my littles. Maybe.
Walking off that plane in New Hampshire and getting the first blast of cold New England air was a bit of a shock to my system after the warmth of Bali, but I must tell you that the hardest adjustment of all was in the food. I can't be coming home to a more mud-filled, nothing's-growing, nothing is fresh, kind of season here in Maine. All that fresh fruit was a delight - and a tease - this time of year. And so I find myself most evenings now, getting quite serious about the seed orders (I'm a bit behind) and the greenhouse plans and my own backyard garden of fresh food. Soon.
Are you still with me? Can you handle just a little bit more Bali? Tomorrow I would love to tell you about two very special organizations I had the pleasure of spending some time with. Spoiler alert - textiles! babies!
