Bali pt 1 - In paradise, monkeys sometimes bite your head....well they do!

5 days after our arrival in paradise (Bali) i finally got a chance to write in my diary...looking back on it now - my hand writing was rounder and curvier than usual and had no sharp edges at all. it even had swirly whirls at the end of letters. i think the flow and ease in my writing reflects the state of bliss i was in by that stage. the romantic jungle book wonderland around me had already enveloped me completely in its beauty.

Here is my entry...

It's so relaxing and energizing here, I feel like a different person. The first few days we stayed with Sam and franca with sams dad (who lives in bali) in the rural back streets of Sanur. The house was very simple but comfortable. It was next to a little rice paddy field where cows roamed and cobra’s hid waiting to ambush their prey. It was so wonderful to stay with them for a few nights and get a feel for what life in the village was like. We had long relaxing breakfasts on Sanur beach each morning. We visited kuta beach and swam and drank and lounged and ate. Sam got a kerosene massage of a nice lady. ..but then obviously he smelled like kero the rest of the day. We did a little partying and a little sun baking and it was altogether fabulous.

After our stay in sanur we traveled the long winding dirt road to ‘dreamlands’ and our secluded cliff top sanctuary which was called the temple lodge. I almost died and ascended to heaven upon entry. We were high up on a cliff over looking perfect turquoise ocean and surrounded by lush foliage and bright tropical flowers of every color. All about us were shrines and Buddha statues and the smell of incense and frangipani’s filled the air. In all of this was planted a handful of gorgeous Balinese bungalows. Our bungalow – the coral cave – was literally a cave in the side of the cliff with no walls (just a little baliconi) overlooking the sweeping ocean below. It was the most beautiful room I have ever stayed in!

We spent lots of time their just lazing on the big daybed on our balcony watching the surfer’s ride the perfectly formed waves below. Sam and franca were staying not far away and we all played on the beach some days and we all ate lots of nasi goreng and we also went on some great motorbike adventures exploring beaches and watching surfers at the various breaks around the bukit peninsular.

We visited a monkey temple and fed the monkeys there. Most of them were really cute and the temple was ancient and fairytale like but it’s all fun and games until someone gets bitten on the head by a monkey aye?! Poor matty!

In our travels around the temple we uncovered a scam on of the locals was making her living off. She had a trained monkey (with a pierced tounge!) who would steal peoples hats, glasses or anything it could grab, then she would get her son to "chase" the monkey and recover the stolen item from the monkey and give it back to the tourist in exchange for a bit of cash. the monkey pounced on my head at one point and took my hat but we weren't about the pay and matt told the boy to rack off.
I don't think the local lady was impressed as later on she got her little monkey to jump on matts head and pull his hair and bite him!!

We have actually seen quite a few creatures since we’ve been here. Monkeys, sea snakes (matty nearly trod on one), eagles (the owner of our bungalow has 2 pets ones!), crabs (we’ve been racing them), butterflies, bats, huge colorful bugs, squirrels, monitor lizards and much more. This place is teeming with life.

We have been taking long beach walks and exploring the cliffs and beaches and forest around us and getting a few coral cuts and scratches but hey, that’s a sign of a good adventure!

We have also been taking long naps in the sun and just letting the cool breezes caress our skin. It has been so romantic here and so peaceful. I feel whole.

I wrote this on the last day of our stay at the temple lodge -

Some moments in life are so perfect that all time melts away. You forget everything of your life and who you are, and then there You are…just you and the moment. One to one.
Face to face.

No fear, no thoughts, no time. Just complete oneness with the moment.

Just you and life

The very last day there was my favorite, the four of us motorbiked around the peninsular up random dirt roads past colourful roadside warungs and through cute ramshackled villages and found beautiful lookouts, secluded beaches and a ate at a hidden cliff top restaurant which was being terrorized by naughty monkeys. Toward the end of the day matty and I found a secluded white sandy beach and clambered down a cliff to it and proceeded to watch clouds and cuddle for hours….ahhhhh. As if that wasn’t a perfect enough day, we ate the best seafood meal of my life that night on the beach under the stars with cocktails!