Sanur
AUSTRALIA | Sunday, 10 March 2013 | Views [860]
Leaving Melbourne on a beautiful warm morning to head off to the land of smiles. Great trip to the airport arriving at 7.00am. Queues quiet other than a few people we know ( Katrina, Allain, Rodney and Kody ) so we join the line. Flying Garuda and the plane is only about half full. Service is excellent and we take off slap bang on time. Couple of Bintangs on board and ready for Bali. Arrived in Bali and the heat, humidity and familiar smells are instantly reaquanting with me. Busy in the airport with the new area taking shape. About 1 hour and we are away to Puri Ayu in Sanur. It's a lovely small hotel on the outer edge of Sanur with staff smiling and helpful. Settled in and off to the Cat and Fiddle at the end of the lane for some lunch. A good meal and chin wag with Kerry and Andrew who had arrived 2 days ago and were in the groove already along with Katrina and Alain who are also here ( the travelling group are together ) A swim and a couple of Bintangs and "hey presto" relaxed.
A good nights sleep and up to a very nice breakfast. Headed into Legian to purchase some optical glasses then on to the Lokha hotel where Jeremy, Teigan and the kids are staying, along with Rod and Kody. Roads are busy as Ogah Ogah parade happens tonight as part of Nyepi (Balinese New Year). On the way we saw lots of effigys being made for the celebrations that will start this afternoon and continue throughout tonight. Hayden and Natalie were there when we arrived, with all in the pool. Mason and Miller have settled in and are enjoying the attention. Spent the next few hours enjoying this special family time. Left in time to avoid road blocks and lack of transport as locals shut down for this special time. Parades and ceremony occur tonight so many shops are closed and will not reopen until Wednesday morning as well as restricted services in the hotel. Nyepi is special in Bali so no one ventures out from the hotels for 24 hours, so down time is mandatory and is enforced by security ensuring compliance. Dinner early tonight on the beach so we can watch the parade that kicks off about sunset culminating in the burning of the effigys to release the "bad spirits" As the sun set we wandered to the area that the ogah ogahs were going to be. An area was cordoned off on the beach and people were gathering. A spot on the sand soon saw us hemmed in as the parade kicked off. The Balinese love this bit of theatre and all ages joined in to parade the floats they had made. Two hours on the sand and joints and bums were ruined so we made our way through the throng of people and away from the arena. Such a lot of work and pride that was to be burnt to release the spirits. Tonight the party and fun, tomorrow the silence!
Gram and Mason enjoying a swim
We awoke to the quiet peace of Nyepi and the sound of rain falling on the thatched roof. My bum cheeks are still sore from nestling in the sand last night for a couple of hours at the Ogoh Ogoh parade. Rest and relaxation is the order of the day as no venturing out of the hotel or undue noise so as to arouse bad spirits released the night before. It is a tradition and a good one as it gives you time to reflect on what it means to wash away the "bad". The day is hot and slips by into the evening. An early dinner, swim then hit the room being mindful to keep light and noise to a minimum so the Spirits released last night will keep moving away from Bali as there is nothing to attract them back as all is still and dark.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Normal again. Morning sounds of sweeping paths, motor bikes buzzing about, laughter and chatter from the staff. All is well. After breakfast Celeste and I went to the market in Kuta which is about a 20 minute taxi ride and braved the throng of people. Surprisingly many shops were closed for the day, perhaps having a longer break for the festive time of Nyepi. We went to the Pullman where Hayden and Natalie are staying and met up with them and Teigan, Jeremy and the kids for a swim and some lunch. Very nice hotel and Nat and Hayden assure us the fountain of chocolate at breakfast is real and very good. It's good to catch up without cramping their style and we were soon back off to Sanur in the early afternoon for a swim and relax. It's very tough work. The weather so far has been very kind to us and I hope it continues. The evening saw us head to Ratatouille for dinner which is in Sanur and very nice. Where else can you go for a great meal, drinks and only pay $20.00 au a person. Tomorrow Lembongan island.
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