I failed. There were some days when I didn’t get a massage, for various reasons.

I tried to keep a log of every massage I got as well as the cost. I might have forgotten a few ones but it doesn’t really matter.

What matters is that I was massaged for 26 hours during the month of January. That’s over 1 full day spent being massaged. My back has never felt that good, I can tell you that.

Below is my massage log:

01/07 – 1.5 – $17
01/08 – 1.5 – $15
01/09 – 3 – $17.5
01/10 – 1 – $5
01/11 – 2 – $10
01/12 – 1 – $6 Foot Reflexology
01/13 – 1 – $6.5
01/14 – 1 – $7.5 Shiatsu
01/16 – 1 – $7
01/18 – 1 – $7.5
01/19 – 1 – $7 back, neck, shoulder
01/21 – 1 – $6 back, neck, shoulder
01/22 – 1 – $6
01/23 – 1.5 – $9
01/24 – 1.5 – $9
01/25 – 1.5 – $10
01/26 – 1.5 – $9
01/27 – 1 – $8
01/28 – 1 – $6 foot
01/29 – 1 – $6 foot

Total: 26 hours

We are now in Thailand and massages seem to be a little bit more expensive than in Bali. Besides, I haven’t seen many massage places so I might not be able to break the record of last month.

Life is good, isn’t it? ]]> http://www.travelingpuffins.com/2010/02/03/ive-been-massaged-for-26-hours-last-month/feed/ 1 http://www.travelingpuffins.com/2010/02/02/ubud-is-uber-cool/ http://www.travelingpuffins.com/2010/02/02/ubud-is-uber-cool/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:19:17 +0000 Tina http://www.travelingpuffins.com/?p=364 We stayed at Suly Resort which is outside of Ubud.  We ended up staying 4 more extra days in Ubud area because we really loved the place.

Ubud is a large town full of cool cafes, yoga studios, and clothing stores.  My favorite place to eat was Sari Organiks.  It was very tricky to get to (thanks to Jakki who provided great details).

Here are her directions:

From Ubud Market head west on Ubud Main Road.  Pass Bisma St and on the left there is a steep driveway.  Up the driveway you will see a small sign that says Sari Organik.  Follow this narrow path about 800 meters.  It looks like you are heading deeper into the rice paddies but you will see “white” tourists walking or hitching a ride from locals.  You can not drive a car down this path but you can a motorbike.  Seb and I took the motorbike and had a few sketchy moments where we thought we would drive off the path into the rice paddies.  It is well worth it though!

Overall very impressed with Ubud.  Lots of French people though…. ha ha.

The day started at 7:00 am. and Jenring, our funny witty spiky haired tour guide, meet us at our hotel with a huge smile.  We picked up several other people (10 total including 6 and 9 year old boys) and drove up towards the Batuk volcano and lake.  On the way, we stopped to view terraced rice paddies.  These were beautiful and something very unique to see.

We then headed for breakfast at a restaurant over looking the Batuk volcano and lake.  This volcano is still active and you could see how far the most recent lava had reached.

After breakfast we headed over to drink some “poop” coffee.  No we are not kidding.  This is considered some of the finest coffee in the world which just happens to be from the poop of a cat.  This coffee is called Kopi Luwak which you may remember from the movie “The Bucket List”.  The cats eat the coffee beans that fall into their food and then the bean comes out (you know where) whole.  After the process of separating the male beans from the female beans the beans are roasted over a fire.  Sebastien and I tried the poop coffee and he thought it was the smoothest coffee he had ever tasted.     We also tried several other coffees and teas.  The one I liked the best was called ginseng coffee.  The ginseng make the coffee creamy but without the dairy.

We then choose our bikes (which were very uncomfortable) and headed on our 25K downhill bike ride.  We road through the back streets of Bali which were full of children giving high fives and saying “hello”.  All the people smiled as we road passed.  On our ride we stopped and had a chance to plant rice with the locals.

Sebastien and I took off our shoes and jumped into the knee deep mud to join in the planting.  The mud was really warm and squishy.  I am sure that the locals laugh their butts off watching us try to help them.

After we planted  rice we kept riding and were fortunate enough to witness a traditional Balinese wedding.  Traditionally the family hosting the wedding places palm flags outside of their home and many guests are invited (200-500).  This wedding was small but grand.  The guests and groom encouraged us to come in and take pictures of the event.  The bride was dressed in beautiful colors and wore a gold crown.  Another beautiful feature was all the fruit and food that were placed out in an artistic form as an offering for the gods.  It was a special event to witness and made me think of our upcoming wedding.

Along with experiencing a Balinese wedding we also were bought into a families compound/home.  At this families home where they make palm mats.  Sebastien tried to help but won’t be quitting his day job.  We learned some interesting facts about the Balinese culture and way of life.  Here are the ones that stood out for me.

• They still use specdicide to grow their palm trees

• They keep thier children held (not letting them touch the ground) for the first 3 months of life

• Each child is named based on thier class and number in the line up- first child, second child, third child

• The eldest boy will need to take care of themselves and leave the home if it becomes to crowded

• The youngest boy stays in the families home and cares for the parents

• They have teeth filing ceremony’s which they believe help take away  “animal” instincts

• They cut the tails of dogs or cats if they steal food (also because they believe this takes away the animal instinct)

• They all live together except for the elder adults which have a home built a little higher then the others.  Our tour guide pointed out that though this was respectful it created difficulties for the elders to get into the home as they aged.

• After a person dies they bury them for five years and then dig them up and have a cremation ceremony  (Today we were walking on the beach in Kuta and witnessed an actual cremation ceremony taking place)

I especially liked learning about the children and have noticed that Balinese people LOVE their children.  Everywhere we have been I watch men, women, parents, and strangers smiling and joking all young children.  The children also ALWAYS look clean and well dressed for school.  Here is a picture of a young boy washing his prized possession.  So cute.

We also visited a 500 year old banyan tree and got to hang on the vines.  After our 25K down hill ride we had the option of another 10K upward bike to where we would have lunch.  Seb took part in this challenge and I took the conditioned van to lunch.  When he meet up with us non-riders, he was covered in sweat and looked exhausted.  Stating that he was out of shape.

After lunch we went to the Monkey Forrest.  This is a small forest in Ubud which has a zillion kleptomaniac monkeys.  There are also many beautiful stone carvings and some funny ones.

This was a great tour and I recommend it to anyone visiting Bali!

Bodag Maliah only serves organic food and it’s pretty famous for its organic garden from which you can pick your own vegetables to be prepared for you.

We were warned that finding the place wouldn’t be easy. As usual, Tina didn’t give me all the information she had about this place so we drove around in vain for 10-15 minutes.

Then I asked her to show me the directions she was given and we finally got on the right track.

Getting there is pretty tricky. If you don’t know it’s here, you’ll most likely never find this place.

There is absolutely no way to get there by car. We rode our scooter in a one-foot wide footpath surrounded by rice fields and their irrigation systems. Needless to say that the smallest driving error would result in a fall.

We did good though. We got here in one piece. Best of all, I even have 3G coverage here and I’m actually writing this post from my iPhone

It took about a day to adjust from Langon to our new nest but after we did we saw the charm that Sanur has to offers.

Sanur is a beach town with nicer stores and restaurants than Kuta but not as upscale as the Nusa Dua resort area.  The shops range from local markets that sell anything and everything to high end stores that sell beautiful silver, lace, and silks.  They even have Dolce & Gabbana store.  There are great resturants right on the beach.  You can choose from an intimate romantic settings (two person table with a candle) or a fun funky reggae places.

One day we went to find wedding bands in Celuk.  Seb already posted about that earlier.  Here are some pictures of a guy shining up the silver on a ring.

After our three night stay in Sanur we took a cab to Ubud.  The road to Ubud has shop after shop of beautiful wood and stone carved sculptures.  What I would give to be able to buy one of these and take it home.  But Seb reminds me all the time that I have packed to many things.

Our cab driver encouraged us to stop at this place they sell and make batik silks.  It was amazing to watch these ladies design and then dye the fabrics.  The items were beautiful!  Many of them reminded me of China Seas fabric, my auntie use to work for them in downtown Chicago many years ago and I use to think that they were so beautiful.

In Ubud we are staying at Suly Hotel, which has a school connected to it that helps to serve underprivledged students.  It is about 10 minutes for the town center but we have a nice big clean room and the kids are really sweet.  Excus me miss.

We visited a few shops. I found a band for myself for just a few dollars.

On our way back to the hotel, our cab driver stopped at UC Silver which is mostl likely the largest jeweler in the country.

They took us on a short tour of the facility. That was pretty amazing to see all these people working on jewelery. I think they employ something like 200 people.

The image below is just one workshop. They have several if these.

This guy is working in your Mom’s next ear rings…

It is wild to ride around town on these motorbikes.  It was defiantly helpful that Sebastien had experience with his motorcycle before.  Here are the crazy things we have found on the streets of Bali.

• There does not seem to be any laws of who has the right of way.  We asked the hotel owner about this yesterday and said, “it is whatever you feel”.  I guess you tell your insurance agent, “I felt strong so I went.”
• Families of 4 ride around on these small motor crafts.  I have seen babies being held by their mothers, who are sitting with both their legs on one side, and their 5 year old son sitting in front of the dad who is driving.  Wild!  None are wearing helmets.
• There doesn’t seem to be a driving age here.  Very young kids who look to be 12 years old are driving around on these speed demons.
• You can cut across to the other side of the street, into oncoming traffic, if you feel that your lane is going to slow.
• There are more motorbikes than cars.

Besides risking our lives everyday to be like a local we are enjoying our life here in Bali.  Our daily routine consists of waking up around 9 ish.  Going to breakfast (which is included in our stay) then spending time on the internet before heading down to town for lunch and a surf.  We then return back to the hotel for a shower or to get ready for our daily massage before dinner.  What a life!

Here I am at the hotel, Sandat Mas, in Ulu Watu.  Ulu Watu is mostly cliff and on these cliffs there are a few very unique hotels.  We went into one of these hotels to have a look and saw why people would stay in any of the remote hotels on this steep cliff.  The view.

These two pictures are at the Ulu Watu Temple.  The monkey’s there create an ancient vibe but you have to be careful because they will steal anything they can.  The first one I saw was when I was walking along side that wall and it popped out and ran up to the ledge.  When I lifted my head I them scattered on the walls.  Very creepy!

Here is Sebby getting one of his daily massages.  On this particular day he had one two hour session and then a one hour massage by the pool.

For the next week we will be staying at Langon Hotel.  It is incredible with amazing hospitality!

Sebastien had found our hotel on Expedia and though it was more than we were expecting to pay I was very impressed.  The hotel is called Kuta Seaview Resort.  It was right on the water and had a nice pool and breakfast.  We stayed there for two nights and then looked for a cheaper place.  We found Suji Cottages which is off the beaten track a ways but much cheaper.

We have been receiving massages everyday!  That is by far the way to live!  Inexpensive and just as good as the ones I get in the states.  The first day we got 90 minute massage at the hotel and it was only 17 US dollars.  Ridiculous!  Other than getting massage and eating great Indonesian food I have been reading a wonderful book called Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert. It is her book following Eat, Love, Pray.  It is perfect because it is all about her traveling around southeast Asia right before she gets married.

One of the days we also surfed.  The water is about 80 degrees but there is a lot of debris and garbage floating around.

We are taking a shuttle to Ulu Watu tomorrow.   Sorry I can’t upload pictures which is a real drag because my memory card is full.

Lots of love to everyone who has sent us comments!  I miss my girlfriends very much and have had to strike up conversations with randoms to fill in the void.  But all is well and Sebatien and I are doing great!  Look forward to more adventures with my puffin!