Day 21 - 22 (Mar 26-27 2013): Celebrating Galungan in Ubud

The Quick Facts:

* Came to Ubud because our school is closed due to the Balinese holiday of Galungan
* Stayed at the Beji Ubud hotel (got a super-discounted last minute rate to this otherwise expensive and really nice resort)
* Ate at Naughty Nuri’s (amazing barbecue, fried rice, fried noodles); supposed to eat at Melting Wok the second night but it was closed for the holiday, apparently it is not to be missed however
* Took in a traditional Legong Balinese Dance near the central palace in Ubud

The Good:

* Ubud is very much a city with a ton of wonderful shops, restaurants, cafes, and hotels
* We ate some very good food
* Got to see the city’s Galungan decorations
* The Legong dance was very well done

The Bad:

* The city was a little slow due to the holiday, but being here to see the holiday was a nice trade-off

 

With the school closed for the Balinese celebration of Galungan, most of the volunteers at the school decided to head to Ubud to see the city's celebration of the holiday. It must be the slow season, as Carrie and I found a severely discounted rate at a gorgeous resort in town. Here is the view from one of the five infinity pools they have on the grounds. We went from one extreme living situation to another.

 

Ubud itself is not as touristy as the southern part of Bali, but still has many tourists and hotels (it is not the "real" Bali that we are experiencing at the school). Ubud is considered one of the cultural centers of Bali, with many dance performances, art galleries, and shops displaying handmade wood carvings, dresses, and other things. Here are some pictures of a Legong dance performance we went to:

 

But the main attraction in the city this time around was the celebration of Galungan, which is a Balinese Hindu holiday that celebrates the victory of dharma over adharma (dharma being a concept of purity and moral transformation...I hope my Hindu/Buddhist/Sikh friends out there forgive me for however I'm misstating any of this!). Tradition teaches that the dead relatives of each family will come back to visit on Galungan, and it is the family's responsibility to leave offerings for their relatives. The offerings are held in boxes at the front of each house (think decorated mailbox) and are marked by penjurs, which are long decorated bamboo poles that tower above the street to 25-30 feet and then arc and hang down. Each penjur and offering box are decorated differently, much like the tradition of Christmas lights on houses in the US.

Here is a couple views of streets with all of the penjurs creating a canopy feel throughout the street.

 

 

 

 

 

And here is a before/after of the offering basket (before is empty, after is once the family has filled it with offerings).

And here is a particularly beautiful offering basket.

 

And here is a picture of one of the many temples that are present in Ubud--I couldn't go further than this because I was not dressed appropriately to enter the sacred area.

 

And that is our two days in Ubud. We will be back a few more times before our stay in Bali is over, but I am glad to have gotten to know the city during the holiday time. Next up: the Gili Islands and Lombok.

 

I leave you with this: one other thing Ubud is known for is their "monkey forest".  We did not go in, but that doesn't stop the monkeys from coming out to the street to show you their goods.

 

 

Follow me on Twitter at @adonaldson1214

Day 19 - 20 (Mar 24-25 2013): First Days in Bali—We’re Not In Kansas Anymore!

The Quick Facts:

* Landed in Bali after taking a quick ValuAir flight from Singapore
* Made our way to the Slukat Learning Center in the village of Keramas, where Carrie and I will be living/teaching for the next three weeks
* Despite knowing exactly what we were getting into, still experienced a minor “adjustment” freak out on Day 1

The Good:

* The people of Bali are incredibly nice
* The children at the school are adorable and eager to learn
* Having fellow volunteers who have been around a while and therefore know what life is like on a daily basis

The Bad:

* Having fellow volunteers who have been around a while and therefore know what life is like on a daily basis (not a typo)

Day 1 in Bali was an interesting experience. We landed in Denpasar (after flying ValuAir (a budget Asian carrier) which, despite being owned by Qantas, required at least a dozen hail mary’s and four or five “praise jesus”…all before we took off, and I'm not even Catholic!) and were greeted by representatives of the school where Carrie and I will volunteer as English teachers. The journey to Keramas, the village where the school is located, involves the "major" two lane roads in Bali that are teeming with motor scooters--they are, by a factor of at least 5x, the most popular way for locals to get around the island. This makes for an interesting driving experience, as the well-honed system of beeping (which alerts cars to the presence of scooters and vice versa) keeps everyone on their toes. After 45 minutes, we arrived in Keramas and were shown our accommodations for the next few weeks. Because of the surplus of volunteers currently at the school, we were placed in dorm rooms connected to a yoga studio near the school, instead of living at the school itself. This was a bit different than we expected, but the room is more than adequate and even has air conditioning which is a huge bonus:

Then we were shown the school, and met some of the other volunteers who have been here a while who immediately conveyed stories of food poisoning, rats in their living quarters, and even a snake having been spotted in the kitchen at the school. We were then informed that the coming week was a major Balinese holiday and that the school would only be open on Monday. With no means of transportation or access to food when the school is closed, this was yet another obstacle to overcome. The most immediate obstacle, however, was the fact that neither Carrie nor I had eaten that day, and didn't have any access to food. I could tell Carrie was a bit shocked because her response to everything we were told was "perfect"--she must have said it 20 times and was the only word coming out of her mouth. I think if someone had told her that they would be removing one of her teeth without any Novocain her response would have been "perfect"! And this, of course, was the only clue I needed to know that everything was in fact *not* perfect.  I think the snake in the kitchen put her over the edge...where is Samuel L Jackson when you need him?

We eventually heard of a place for food at the beach, which was a manageable walk but for the fact that we had to cross the major highway we rode in on from the airport to get there. With patience and our old Frogger skills at the ready, we eventually got to the beach after walking through some classic rice fields:

 

We got some food for breakfast/lunch but that did not solve our dinner problem, which became a granola bar from the stash we each packed from the US in anticipation of situations just like this.

 

At bed time we met our other roommates, the Gecko lizzards that share our bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom with us.  They are omnipresent in Bali, so we quickly learned to welcome them into our space and pray that none of them crawls over our face while we sleep.  And thus ended our first day in Bali.

 

Day 2 brought with it a trip to the grocery store, our first classes with the children, and plans to take advantage of the break to visit Ubud and then Lombok and the Gili Islands (all stories to come).  The good news is that our second day went more smoothly, and we are now fully adjusted to life in Bali and can’t wait for the next three weeks.

For now, here is the chicken that roams the "halls" of our school. He gets chased by a puppy every now and again which I hope to capture on video at some point, as it's quite hilarious.

 

Follow me on Twitter at @adonaldson1214

Day 18 (Mar 23 2013): Singapore Day 2

The Quick Facts:

* Explored Little India and Arab Street
* Saw an amazing Lego art display at the ArtScience Center
* Searched out the Raffles 1887 Hotel, an iconic hotel (hey, I may be unemployed but I’m still a real estate nerd)
* Wonderful dinner at Min Jiang at One North where we were treated to amazing Peking Duck

The Good:

* Little India and Arab St are fun – such diversity in Singapore
* The Raffles Hotel is gorgeous
* Dinner at Min Jiang was outstanding

The Bad:

* Did I mention that it’s hot here?

Today Akiko joined Carrie and me on our morning journey to Little India and Arab Street. Little India is bustling with people; Arab Street is a little more subdued (thankfully – it would be hard to be busier than Little India!).  Here is a picture of Akiko and Carrie in Arab Street (Akiko is ~8 months pregnant):

 

Carrie and I then ventured off on our own to the ArtScience center to take in an exhibit of sculptures made completely out of legos.  The artist’s name is Nathan Sawaya and he is known as the “brick artist”. If you’re ever in Singapore, or if this guy’s stuff ever comes to your town, you should definitely check it out.  Here’s just a sample:

 

 

 

 Then we walked over to the Raffles Hotel, which is named after Stamford Raffles, a Brit who worked for the British East India Company and is credited with making Singapore the major port hub that it is today.  There are a lot of things named after Raffles in this City.  Here’s the hotel:

 

We ended the night with dinner at Min Jiang at One North where we had traditional Peking (or Beijing) Duck.  I hadn’t had that since I went to China in business school, it was delicious!  Tomorrow we are off to Bali.

Follow me on Twitter at @adonaldson1214

Day 17 (Mar 22 2013): Singapore Day 1

The Quick Facts:

* First day in Singapore, spent walking around and exploring
* Saw Chinatown, including the Chinese Heritage Center Museum
* Went to the Botanical Gardens
* Drinks at Level 33 (a microbrewery on the 33^rd Floor of the Standard Chartered building in the Marina Bay Financial District)
* Dinner at the outdoor food court in the financial district

The Good:

* The Botanical Gardens are immaculate, with a beautiful orchid garden
* The outdoor food court in the financial district is not to be missed – mass chaos, and a very real Singaporean experience

The Bad:

* It is really hot in Singapore – being near the equator really does heat things up!

Being a Friday, our hosts Akiko and Mathieu both had to work so Carrie and I were left on our own to explore Singapore.  Armed with a map of the city, we first set out for Chinatown to get a sense of the history of a major source of immigrants at the beginning of Singapore’s rise.  We stopped at a Buddhist temple which was kind of neat:

 

Then we went to the Chinese Heritage Museum which was a fairly detailed and realistic view into the lives of the Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s/early 1900s.  At $10 (Sing$) admission, I would recommend it.  No pictures though.

After Chinatown, we hopped on the immaculate subway to head over the Botanical Gardens.  Admission is free to the gardens, however you must pay $5 to get into the Orchid Garden, which has some really beautiful flowers.

 

 

 

 

After a quick nap, we walked around the Marina Bay area to see some of the newer buildings and skyline of Singapore:

 

 

 

And then we met up for drinks/dinner with Akiko, Mathieu, and a friend of mine CK who proved to be an outstanding and generous host that made sure we sampled all of the true Singaporean cuisine there was to be had.

 

Follow me on Twitter at @adonaldson1214

Day 16 (Mar 21 2013): Travel to Singapore

Today we said goodbye to New Zealand.  As followers of this blog have seen, New Zealand is simply a majestic country that produces a seemingly endless supply of stunning vistas.  It enables you to imagine what life was like millions of years ago, and provides an oasis of nature and beauty from the modernity and urbanization of (most of) our daily lives.  I can’t recommend a trip to New Zealand highly enough, you must visit at some point in your lives.  You won’t regret it.

Nothing to actually report from today, other than a 10 hour flight from Christchurch to Singapore.  Singapore Airlines is lovely, I can see why they are so highly rated!  We met up with Carrie’s college friend Akiko (and her husband Mathieu, who are also kind enough to be hosting us at their apartment) and had a nice dinner at an outdoor restaurant called Kilo.

Day 15 (Mar 20 2013): Whales and Seals in Kaikoura (Oh My!)

The Quick Facts:

* Spent the day in Kaikoura, which is known for its marine life
* Went on a whale watching boat tour – saw three sperm whales!
* Then walked the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway, a (free) walk filled with stunning vistas and an up-close and personal visit to a seal colony

The Good:

* Saw my first whales ever
* Up close encounters with seals – they are almost as cute as dogs!

The Bad:

* Kaikoura is a small town that definitely died down at night – it seems to be very much a town that thrives in the summer but gets sleepy after peak season

Kaikoura is known for its marine life – whales, dolphins, fur seals, penguins, birds, etc.  The reason for this is that the continental shelf in Kaikoura ends only ~200 meters from the shore, when it drops off quite suddenly to depths of ~2000 meters.  The southerly currents in the canyons below the surface of the water dredge up nutrients from the ocean floor, creating a feeding zone for all of the marine life that people come to see here.

So two big events today.  The first was going on a whale watching boat tour (Whale Watch Kaikoura) which we did first thing in the morning – the advice we got was go on the first tour (which leaves at 7:30AM) to get the water while it is still calm.  This is a well-oiled, highly efficient tourist operation – not a second is wasted from the time you enter the building to watch the safety demonstration, to how the boat pulls out of the harbor as soon as the last person is seated.  Once the boat has set sail, the whale watching experience is somewhat archaic – the crew rely on their eyes to spot whales as they surface for oxygen.  When that did not immediately work, the skipper used what appeared to be 70s-era technology (extremely large headphones (ipod earbuds these were not) and a microphone) to listen in the water for the whales talking to each other.  Eventually, we found what we were looking for (this is a sperm whale, you are seeing its entire head (some of which is hard to pick out in the photo), with the back of the head noted by the hump):

And this is the whale spewing out water through its blowhole:

 

And then we found two whales who were seemingly hanging out with each other (which is rare – sperms whales are highly independent creatures; see the two humps in the water):

 

And finally, when they were done getting their oxygen and ready to go dive for more food, the whales do so with a flip of their tail into the water:

 

After that experience, we went on the 3-4 hour Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway, which I highly recommend.  Not only is it free, it takes you to some stunning vistas as well as to the Point Kean Seal Colony, where seals just sun themselves on the rocks and wait for you to take their picture.

This one had an itch that just needed to be scratched…

 

Strike a pose...what a ham!

Then we continued our walk for some more spectacular views that we’ve become accustomed to in New Zealand the past two weeks.

 

And that’s that.  Our day ended with a drive to Christchurch, where we unfortunately fly out to Singapore in the morning.  More on that later.

Follow me on Twitter at @adonaldson1214

Day 14 (Mar 19 2013): Rainout

The Quick Facts:

* Our plans to hike the Queen Charlotte Track in upper Marlborough were foiled due to the continued rain – the track requires transport via water taxi, and the rain demanded a limited water taxi schedule that would not accommodate our schedule
* So we toured the town of Picton, grabbed a coffee at a café (yes, we paid the exorbitant price for a cup of coffee to nurse our wounds from the rainout), and drove to our next destination (our next to last night in New Zealand!)
* Stayed at Albatross Backpackers in Kaikoura – one of the better options for backpacker hostels in Kaikoura, I think most of you would enjoy alternate and slightly more expensive accommodations

The Good:

* Well we were able to catch up on things like our blog!
* Neither of us have suffered a new sandfly bite in over two days…although the old ones are still itching plenty!

The Bad:

* A bit disappointed to miss the Queen Charlotte Track, as the Marlborough Sounds are supposed to be beautiful

So that’s that.  No pictures from today either.  Stay tuned for tomorrow, hopefully cool activities await!

Follow me on Twitter at @adonaldson1214

Day 13 (Mar 18 2013): Biking and Wine Tasting in Marlborough Wine Country

The Quick Facts:

* Drove from Nelson to Renwick, which is a town in the heart of Marlborough wine country
* Dodged the rain to rent bikes and tool around the vineyards, stopping for wine tastings along the way
* Stayed at Watson’s Way backpackers, a wonderful place with big clean rooms, a gorgeous kitchen, and the friendliest proprietors (Pat and Paul) you can ask for – highly recommend if you are ever in the area

The Good:

* We may have found the only good deal in New Zealand – wine tasting!  Most of the vineyards do not charge for wine tasting, and often let you have 5 – 6 pours of their catalog!  We only need to do that every day for the next 1-2 years to make up for the fleecing that has occurred on other parts of our trip.
* Our accommodations in Renwick were lovely, especially the owners Pat and Paul.  They treated us like their children (even handing us chocolates on our way out!), have a good rate on bike rentals, and are ready to give great advice about which wineries to visit (and which ones are free!).
* We made some new friends at dinner – Oscar and Annika – who are from Sweden, on a 6 month journey that will take them to New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Africa. We hope to meet up in Southeast Asia in a month or so!

The Bad:

* We had to be strategic about biking due to the off-and-on rain, but we managed to stay much drier than yesterday

After arriving at our hotel for the evening at around 12PM, we were greeted by the proprietors (Pat and Paul) and allowed to check-in.  We then got our bikes rented and were off for an afternoon of biking through vineyards and wine tasting.  Paul was nice enough to give us a briefing complete with a hand-written annotated map with notes on all the wineries (which ones are free, which ones have food, etc).  It’s a speech he’s given hundreds of times before, but delivered it to us with the patience and excitement as if this were his first day on the job.

The Marlborough wine region is known mostly for its Sauvignon Blancs.  Here are some pics of the vineyards:

 

Here is Carrie after a little wine…

 

…and here is Carrie after *a lot* of wine (oh dear!).  Notice me in the background (I am being reflected by a mirror).

 Not sure what my problem is in this photo…

 

And, in case you’re interested, here are the wineries we visited, with a brief note on our favorites…most of these have distributors in the US so be on the lookout!

No. 1 Family Estate: Sparkling only, owned by Daniel LeBrun who is apparently some big-time champagne guy from the Champagne region in France; wines were pretty good although I don’t think we had a true standout

Huia (pronounced Hoo-ee-ah): we loved the Huia Botrytised Riesling 2009 (a dessert wine; in full disclosure we bought a bottle); also really liked the Huia Sauvignon Blanc 2012 and the Huia Merlot Rose 2010

Giesen: this is one of the bigger wineries in the region (which always makes me suspicious); we liked the Brothers Sauvignon Blanc 2011 and the Viognier 2010

Nautilus: another big winery, all of their wines were decent but did not standout; we liked the Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Framingham Wines: this winery has a gorgeous courtyard with rose bushes, and a cellar that anyone can go down to; we liked their Framingham Sauvignon Blanc 2012, the Framingham Classic Riesling 2010, and the Framingham Noble Riesling 2012

Gibson Bridge: this is a small winery that does not have a distributor in the US; it was started by a husband and wife as a second career to pursue their life-long dream; we enjoyed the Pinot Gris 2010 Reserve (Andy’s fav), Pinot Gris 2009 Reserve (Carrie’s fav), and the Pinot Gris 2010 Cellar Selection (serendipitously, a blend of Andy’s and Carrie’s favorites!)

Follow me on Twitter at @adonaldson1214