Yesterday I went to a silver jewellery workshop, run by a company in Ubud called Chez Monique - they offer the unique opportunity to make your very own silver souvenir, a ring, necklace or earrings. The class is run by a friendly chap called Sunarta. I ask if his whole family are silversmiths and he explains that in earlier times the skills and techniques were passed down through families, but these days things have changed. 'You can't tell kids what to do these days, they want to choose for … [Read more...]
Kecak Fire and Trance Dance
Kim and I decided to go and see the Kecak Fire and Trance Dance tonight at the local temple – we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a really entertaining show. Part of the ancient Hindu epic story of Ramayana was performed, using fabulous costumes, beautiful dancing girls and the voices of 100 men who sing, chant, clap, sway and cheer as the story unfolds. The story involves a prince, an evil demon, a monkey king and of course a beautiful woman. After the … [Read more...]
Best spa in the world – In my element at Fivelements
Here is a post about one of those rare ten out of ten days…. Last Friday I spent my day at a healing and wellness retreat called Fivelements, located about 20mins from Ubud. I first heard about Fivelements through David Wolfe (sounds like he’s a personal friend of mine lol!) because he did a talk there a week before I arrived in Bali. I was disappointed to miss his talk but I looked up Fivelements as I knew it would have to be special if David Wolfe was going there – and I was right! The … [Read more...]
Ubud herbal walk
During my first week in Bali I went on an herbal walk through the jungle and rice paddies to learn about local medicinal herbs. The word Ubud actually comes from the Balinese word ubad which means medicine, and many medicinal herbs and plants are grown in the region. I first met my guide Komang in Utama Spice, a shop which sells locally made natural skincare products based on ancient Balinese medicinal knowledge. I ended up talking to Komang for about an hour in the shop as he told me about … [Read more...]
Cooking Class at Alit’s Warung
Today I had heaps of fun doing a cooking class with local lady Alit. She has been teaching cooking classes for over a decade and has a deft hand with the cutting knife and an endearing sense of humour. The class started with a guided tour through the local market, where we spotted lots of weird and wonderful things, including a basket of squirming eels. Every morning the market comes alive at around 4am as all the local women come to collect their supplies for the day; fresh flowers, … [Read more...]
Bali on bike
Kiwi Lyn and her friend Chris the yoga instructor invited me to join them on a bike tour today with Bali on Bike, and what a brilliant day we had! We piled into a van this morning and drove to a coffee plantation, not any old coffee plantation mind you – this is where they produce the most expensive coffee in the world, ‘Kopi Luwak’. You might recall Jack Nicolson’s character waxing lyrical about this special coffee in the movie The Bucket List. So what makes it so special? Well…. There is … [Read more...]
