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The ‘Bali Life’ Category
Nyepi: A Day of Peace and Quiet
If you've ever been to Bali, you know that it's a busy island.
In the more populated residential areas there is a constant stream of low flying airplanes transporting people on and off the island; thousands of motorbikes whizzing by for personal and commercial use and bell ringing bakso (chicken soup) sellers walking up and down neighborhood streets.
Not today though. Except for the chitter chatter of birds, not a creature is stirring; not even a mouse. In fact, on Nyepi, which is the Hindu version of the first day of the year, no one is even allowed to exit his/her property unless a dire emergency requires hospital care. The Balinese go as far as to shut down the international airport in their capital of Denpasar and absolutely not one business is open.
Nyepi is a day of silence and reflection: not a day for working, cooking or even using electricity if you're a good Hindu. Of course, as westerners with two young kids, we're cheating a little bit. We do have the air conditioning running and the dvd player has been put to good use today.
Tonight we will eat by candlelight and spend some time in the pool checking out the stars which are supposed to be very intense in the deep Bali darkness. And tomorrow, it's out to the beach at first light to see the mountains and towering volcano, Mt. Agung, in absolute clarity.
Some people can't handle a day like this - there are Nyepi hotel packages advertised throughout the newspaper, offering respite from silence and reflection. Personally, I could use a few more Nyepis sprinkled throughout the year; once a season would be great.
Maybe next year we'll go even deeper and attempt it without the movies.
The hubby loves this beach for some reason…
When we first moved here, Sunday was all about the food and where we would eat breakfast. Now, it's all about the beach.
Bali has two distinct seasons: dry (May - September) and wet (October - April). I guess we got off lightly this year as except for a few wonderfully dramatic electrical storms and heavy, but brief showers, the "rainy" season wasn't that much different from the dry season we first encountered upon our arrival in early August.
The one thing that does drastically change with each season is the condition of the beaches around the island. During the "wet" season, the place to be is the Nusa Dua area which is located on the eastern side of the southern tip of the island known as the Bukit Peninsula.
Many of the island's top hotels populate this area for obvious reasons: miles and miles of white sand beaches and the turquoise Indian Ocean without a lot of the trash you will find on some of the beaches during this time of year.
Our favorite spot in Nusa Dua is a stretch known as Geger Beach located right in front of the yummy Nusa Dua Beach Grill. Here you will find a family friendly party every Sunday. Except for the cliff top Balinese temple overlooking the south side of the beach, I feel like Geger could be in Greece or on an island off of Italy. The vibe is very international as almost every accent and language can be overheard and the atmosphere is a mixture of European and North Shore, Hawaii surfer chic.
The waves are pumping this time of year and the scene is mostly local expatriates as Bali's tourist season doesn't get into full swing until June. There are beach chairs and umbrellas that you can rent for approximately $7.50 or just tell the friendly staff that you plan to order lunch on the beach or up at the grill and the beach chairs are complimentary. The pizzas ($5) are great and the beers are cold.
To Pembantu or not to Pembantu
I remember being so excited about our "laundry room with a view" back home in Hawaii because that's where I spent most of my time: sorting while the baby napped, washing and drying while the kids watched a movie and folding while they were safely ensconced in school.
The truth is I haven't done a load of laundry since we moved to Bali six months ago. Our housekeeper doesn't even do the laundry. Two or three times a week, Ketut hauls a drawstring bag to the laundry service and for about $2 - $5, brings back a tidy bundle to neatly unpack in everyone's drawers. Everything is ironed from the kid's t-shirts, to David's boxers to our sheets and towels.
Life with a full-time housekeeper and cook (pembantu in Balinese) seems somewhat normal to me now that we've settled in, but believe me, I did my time as an all-American "supermom" back home.
When we were on the final countdown to move here, my fantasy was to be able to sit down to breakfast with my husband and children while breakfast was cooked, served and cleaned up. Imagine…sitting down to breakfast with my family! Before Bali, I cooked, hastily served everyone and then ate my haphazard portion on the run while cleaning, getting Stanley ready for school and David off to work.
Our mornings in Bali are quite different. Ketut arrives at 7:30 a.m. with a beautiful smile, washes the dishes from the night before, sends Stanley across the street to pick up some fresh brown eggs (and to practice his Indonesian) and then gets to work on veggie omelettes, pancakes, fried rice or whatever we have in mind.
Of course, mornings are not always smooth sailing. We still have the lunches to make, the kids to get dressed and the teeth to be brushed. The baby has his meltdowns and I manage to misplace something of importance right before heading out the door, but at least now it seems somewhat manageable and a little more fun.
Most of the expatriates I talk to say they moved to Bali for the culture and experience, but stayed for the help and lifestyle. We are all in agreement that there is no better place for a family with young children to live if you not only want to survive the process of raising your brood, but actually want to enjoy the ride as well.