Resting and chilling in Bali

Its been a week since I arrived and I have now landed in my body, am sleeping in Bali time and am loving this space -  I am staying in such a wonderful house with beautiful people here to make my stay so welcoming and comfortable.  I get fresh fruit and a fresh coconut each morning and I have been taking things really slowly and gently and feel comfortable and at peace.  Its a wonderful feeling.  

Bali is a heaven for tourists, the weather is amazing, there is everything to make us feel the amazingness of island life, its ideal, and Ubud, is filled with tourists from all over the world all here for different reasons, some passing through, some staying, all just enjoying the wares and hospitality of these beautiful people.         

This is the Golden Goddess - my chariot for the next month

I had decided before I arrived here,  I would learn to ride and then hire a bike. Well after 1 lesson I realised learning to ride a bike is not as easy as I thought  and would it take me at least a week or more to master so I have hired a car to be more mobile and so that I can explore this island at my leisure and in my own time.  On Tuesday, I took charge of the golden goddess chariot  and I feel so free and independent - especially as I am able to drive on the left hand side of the road.
What is so incredible about my adventure is that I am doing everything in my own time and at my leisure - and that is the golden gift of my sabbatical and  although its been a week since I arrived, today is really only the third day that I have felt present and able to adventure into the outside world.  Its beautiful here with so many temples, shrines, coconut palms, bananas (or piesangs as they are called by the locals, much to my delight), orchids, frangipanis, blessings and the energy and essence of Asia, which differs so much with the west and Africa.

I have been wondering how to write my blog posts from Bali, as this part of my journey was to start writing my book, to catch up with myself and its very much an inward adventure. But as I progress I am sure the stories and experiences will be expressed perfectly as they are meant to.

What is amazing is how happy I am to be alone here and haven't felt lonely once.  I am enjoying the space, the beauty, the gentleness, the weather even though it can be a bit humid, the rain, the sounds, the smells, the food, the people so much, and I am completely at home and in my element.  I feel absolutely no pressure and that is so refreshing for me - this is the part of my journey where I Am shifting and becoming so much more of who I am - my essential and authentic self - and will I want to leave here - mmmmm not really I can feel that already, but I do know that I can come back at any time.

I am here until the 26th June and have worked on a plan to explore Bali aswell as nest here in Penestanan, just outside Ubud.  I spent time on the internet checking out the Island and trying to find as many places to visit that are not full of tourists, which may be a little difficult but I do know that south is where the vast majority of tourists, surfers, divers and mainstream tourists go, so those are the parts I have chosen to ignore although I may do a day trip to Kuta to check it out and meet Drumcafe's drum distributor.  Bali is small - and when I started my planning for my road trip the distances between the places I plan to spend the night are all around 100km with many villages and towns in between which is great as I have lots of time to enjoy each place in as much time as possible.

Ilhu

But that's next week and all for another post - right now I wanted to share a little about the people here and the wonderful people that are supporting me in making my time so special.  Ilhu is co-owner of the house, foreigners can't buy property here it seems and usually have a local partner in whose name the property is registered and run.  Ilhu is wonderful, she is very well educated and knows the tourist industry really well.  The women seem to work really hard and have the business head - this is just my own observation.

The Balinese name their children from a system specifically used by the themselves.  Since most Balinese are Hindus, most names are Hindi or Sanskrit, while others still use native Balinese one. Regardless of being male or female, each person receives one of four names based on birth order. Though there are significant variations in the four names of Balinese people, some due to caste membership, and others due to regional customs and variations in the Balinese language between the North and the South of the island, there are four names in Balinese culture that are repeated frequently. The firstborn is "Wokalayan" (Wayan or Yan, for short), second is "Made," third is "Nyoman" or "Komang" (Man or Mang for short), and fourth is "Ketut" (often elided to Tut) - thank you Wikipeadia.  

Erni

Erni cleans the house, does the washing and makes my breakfast each day.  She is a delight, and can't speak much English and is teaching me names for the things in the kitchen - so this is how I learned that bananas are piesangs, coconut is klapa, the fridge is the ys-kas, sugar is gula, to say thank-you is terimakasi after which they say matur suksme (which I am assuming is 'its a pleasure or you are welcome'), goodbye is da da, my favourite is that 'f' is pronounced 'p' so fifty is 'pipty' - blessed beings.

Martini

Ilhu organised a masseur to come to the house to give me massages, how lucky I am, and her name is Martini - a lovely girl and I am privileged to have had 2 massages from her already. In Bali there are massage houses everywhere and reflexology and little fish that eat the skin off your feet - ooooo that scares me haven't tried that yet - actaully saw that in Jozi first - its becoming really popular - I will have a session before I leave Bali but still find it a bit weird.


When the local people ask me where I am from, and I say South Africa, they have 2 responses - one is - AH Waka Waka - and the other is AH Nelson Mandela - the king of Africa - both of these make me smile so much.  Its amazing how the world cup being in South Africa made an impact in the world - most don't have any idea where Africa is let alone South Africa - but soccer they know, Waka Waka they know and our beloved Madiba has become King of Africa - a worthy title indeed.

     

I have started working on my book and it is amazing to actually sit down and start to write.  This has been in my heart for more that 8 years now and I have worked on a strategy and an outline for the book although, as with everything else in my life, this is a divine journey and so it will manifest and be created with divinity and flow from source.  I am blessed to have the space and the opportunity to allow this to manifest at this time and being in such a sacred, gentle and supportive space will give me the start that I need in creating this.

I have to end off by telling you that today I visited a Drum Factory in Ubud, amazing place that manufacture djembe drums, didgeridoos, shakers, instruments, kagun box drums, hungs - a wonderful vibrant warehouse and they distribute all over the world.  And I bought myself a fibre-glass djembe with a goat skin - and today I drummed - and my soul is dancing with the rhythm.  This is my new beloved drum and she will joining me on my travels from now on.

Da Da from a very blessed and gentle Bali, until next time xx

Ariverderci Italia ............

I started writing this post at Venice's Marco Polo airport on Monday 21st, as I many hours to wait,  and to my dismay my post didn't save - why I don't know so I begin again - technology is like life - unpredictable and can change at any moment.  But like life and its many ups and downs, and ebbs and flows, we adapt and so here I am re-writing my post.  I am in a completely different space at this moment compared with Monday and it is from this space that I reflect on the past week and share my experiences.

                            


Last Friday was my first day in Venice and I was so excited to see this city - a fulfillment of so many years of romantic dreams and visions that I had held for as long as I could remember.  Sure part of the romantic dream was to be in love in Venice and float down the canals on gondolas, but still this is my sacred, divine adventure and one of the amazing experiences I am having is being in love with myself and where I am at any given moment, so there I go on the water bus from Punto Sabbioni where I was staying, to Venice.  What I didn't know is that at the same time as I arrived in Venice to culminate my Italian journey, so did the America's Cup Yacht Event - bringing with it 1000's and 1000's of people.  So arriving in Venice - St Marks Square - on Friday morning, equipped with a 72 hour transport pass and all my usual anticipation and excitement at the journey ( especially the water transport part of the journey), and bam into the masses I stepped and was so overwhelmed - it was unbelievable how many people there were.  I was able to find the grand canal water bus and hopped on (with about 1000 other tourists) and set off down the grand canal to explore Venice.  And its beautiful, and getting off and wondering the streets and allies, crossing the water canals on ancient bridges, the architecture and the amazing art inspired and touched me.  But the commercialism and exploiting of the tourist industry with the prices of things, and the attitude didn't impress me - it saddened me.  I understand its how they deal with their 20 000 000 visitors a year in Venice and I bless them for that because on a resources level and sustaining the sinking city with so many visitors and their expectations,  is not an easy feat - they actually manage very well.  Their water bus system is so impressive and most buses come on time, leave on time and one is never stranded or left waiting for too long for transport, even late in the evening (the best time to travel as its quiet).  But for me personally my illusion was shattered and I knew I was ready to leave Italy and move on.






Visting Murano and Burano on Saturday was amazing - Murano Island - is the Glassmaker's Paradise and since 1291, this tiny Venetian island has been the home of Venice's glassmaking industry. Glass production was moved to Murano Island from the main part of Venice because its production posed quite a fire hazard.  Its very pretty and a little Venice in its architecture, canals and art.  I love glass - I am always absolutely amazed at the alchemy of transforming sand with fire into the most beautiful glass that captures light and each piece is so unique and so vulnerable in its make up.  Murano Island is glass heaven - there are so many, many shops selling this local crafts from tiny earrings and statues to giant chandeliers and sculptures (and everything in between).  






















Burano is known for its small, brightly-painted houses, popular with artists. The colours of the houses follow a specific system originating from the golden age of the island's development; if someone wishes to paint their house, they are required to send a request to the government, who  respond by deciding which colours permitted for that street or area.  And its such a beautiful island - really small and full of brightly coloured houses, flower boxes, awesome arty shops.  Burano rose in importance in the 16th century, when women on the island began making lace with needles, being introduced to such a trade via Venetian-ruled Cyprus.  En route to Burano I met a woman Theresea and her daughter Andrea, from Milwaukee  USA and it was really wonderful wondering around Burano with them and being able to share the absolute magic and quaintness of the Island.

            

And that night I went to sleep feeling happy and filled up, reflective of my time in Italy and the wonderful experiences and amazing people I have met and places I have visited.  At around 3 in the morning I woke up with the bed I was sleeping in shaking, the windows and doors shaking and rattling and the earth shaking, and it was quite a shock.  I listened for people outside or signs that I should evacuate and there were none, and the shaking stopped - and I lay there feeling utterly alone and so far from home - and I knew that something was happening somewhere else - it was such a moment in my life where I realised how vulnerable yet connected to all that I am. Sunday morning I found out that there was a 6.9 earthquake in Bologna - 132 km away from Venice. Its been a shifting experience for me.  My last day in Italy I felt like I was not in my body at all - that earthquake had shaken me to my core and I just needed to sit and reflect and prepare for travelling onto a new place - part of me just wanted to go home.


And now I am in Bali - it took me 2 days and a 6 hour time change to get here and I am very slowly landing into my body and getting into a new rhythm of being.  I am not sleeping properly as yet as my internal clock is all confused but I have time - as much as I need and each day its feeling better.  I am in paradise and know that my blog for the next month will take on different energy and vibe as my experiences here are to be completely different to Italy.  

Italy was an experience that fulfilled a deep longing and dream for me - I am enriched and inspired and will go back and explore much more again, but differently next time and not alone.  If I look back at the hi-lites - and there were so many - of Italy and try sum up what I gained and learned from my time and experiences there - the ones that stand out for me are :


   Michelangelo - his genius his wisdom his work


   The old history and the stories that live and breathe in the amazing architecture


  The warm, authentic people who are so in love with their country and their way of life


  The amazing coffee, wine, olive oil and food 
                                           
  The art - so rich and beautiful and centered in a belief system that is rich in history, symbolism  
  and a connection to the old ways.


And there is so much more - ariverdeci Italy - my heart is expanded and I say farewell as I will return soon ...


Until next time, be blessed, Nameste xx

 

                                         






 

Crazy and true

Well its crazy and its true - in 5 days time I leave Italy and embark on the next part of this Sacred Divine Journey - I am off to Bali until the 27th June. Its amazing how much I have experienced since arriving here on 30 March and that this time is nearly over. My last 4 1/2 days will be in Venice and I am so excited to explore this ancient city that I have dreamed about but before then I wanted to write and share what I have been up to since the 9th May. After Damanhur I went to Torino for 2 days and it was interesting for me how I didn't want to leave the energy and the magic that I experienced at Damanhur - and since then have found everything that is city orientated completely insignificant - its an intriguing space to be in. While in Torino I utilised my time to write and reflect on my Damanhur experience and then moved onto to Milano where I have spend the last 4 days with a friend whom I haven't seen for 23 years - a long time. His name is Che Kahlil Behr, and we met in Cape Town in the 1980's when I lived there with Nicole - its a lifetime ago and it has been really amazing to spend time with him and connect after so many years.

And we have had such a wonderful time - hanging out and sharing and talking - it was a completely different experience for me to have someone to talk to and share with after being alone for much of the past 48 days of my journey. What has been so wonderful is that we both didn't want to spend too much time in the city and so we spend 2 days out of Milan exploring such beautiful spaces and countryside - I am realsing again how much my Damanhur experience has shifted me and I just find that connecting and being in nature with all its incredible beauty is where I need to be - everything else feels unreal and out of place. 

Che and I met on Thursday evening and went to a wonderful Nepalese restaurant, drank a bottle of wine and ate exceptional food, and we connected. Afterwards we decided to go have a drink and by chance discovered a little bar tucked away which just happened to be Senagalese and was like stepping into Africa ! and there was a Djembe drum. I was so happy and got to play - yay !!! the drinks were served in plastic cups and the bar stools were made from wooden boxes with old carpeting on the top - this was so authentic and not Italian at all - it was wonderful. Che's fiance - Francesca is from Milan and her brother Tommy lives there. He and his lovely girlfriend Sara,  joined us.

 

Northern Italy's Lakes District, between Milan and the Alps, is part of the Italian region of Lombardy. Lake Como (Lago di Como in Italian) is a lake that takes on an inverted "Y" shape just a half hour north of Milan. Lake Como is the deepest lake and third largest lake in Italy. To discover this lake we took a train on Saturday to a town called Lecco - when reading on the internet the information was that this town is quiet and off the main tourist track and there is a ferry/boat that leaves each hour to take locals and visitors around the lake to discover medieval towns and villages. Well that is not quite how it panned out - beautiful Lecco is surrounded by the most amazing mountains and rock faces, but it was packed with teenagers - and yes the information was correct, not the main tourist route, but full of locals - and there was a Rural Festival happening along the water's edge so there were lots and lots and lots of people. 

     

We were so happy we were going on the boat to discover the other towns and mysteries but that was not to be as their Ferry Boat only runs on Sundays - that was so disappointing and again the language barrier and google translation seems to have been unclear - so what to do ? We went to a cocktail bar, Che was called an "arse-hole" in Italian by a grumpy proprietor who was irritated because he wasn't sure what the difference between a frozen and normal dacari is, and I ordered a Jamacian Julip which was a complete fruit salad in so much rum - by the end of our cocktail experience we didn't really mind what the proprietor called us and he changed into such a sweetheart - we had fun and drowned our sorrows.

Lake Maggiore, Lago Maggiore in Italian, is a the largest lake in Italy's Lake Region. Lago Maggiore is a popular lake just north of Milan and reaching clear into Switzerland. Che's future parents in law - Lino & Louise Lamantia live in a little town on Lago Maggiore called Porto Valtravaglia where they run a Pasticceria & Gelateria. We decided to visit them for Mother's Day and see the Lago - hopefully to get the ferry ride we had missed out. It was raining and chilly - a pleasant shift from the extreme heat for the 2 previous days and we caught 2 trains to Porto Valtravaglia and walked next the Lago Maggiore to get to the Pasticceria - it is so beautiful and so quiet and peaceful - such an idyllic village. And what a wonderful couple - they were so happy to see us and welcomed us with open arms and delicious munchies. It was so amazing to feel the love of family and connection and to witness my friend in the loving arms of this Italian family - I am happy for him and for them.

And we got our ferry trip - leaving from a town called Laveno- Mombello sailing to Intra and then changed Ferries and went on an adventure around the Lake to an island - Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) where we stopped for an couple of hours - wow it was so beautiful - ancient, filled with history, flowers and amazing trees and of course wonderful birds and ducklings (cuter than cute) - and then to land at Arona and a train ride back to Milan - it was a memorable day.

Our last night in Milan we went to the most amazing little restaurant - I booked accommodation in Milan in the next street to where Che was staying in a fantastic B&B called Cocoon run and created by an architect, Mia Buzzi (http://www.cocoonbb.com) and based on her information we went to Ciribogo. What a wonderful experience - the decor, the food, the menu and they cater for vegetarians, it was a wonderful experience which I loved especially when I could order a chalice of red wine (a glass :-) - they have no website but check out http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187849-d796149-Reviews-Ciriboga-Milan_Lombardy.html

       

My time with Che was great and amazing to get to know someone after so many years - it works out that he and Francesca will be in Bali at the same time as me, and I feel really happy to get to meet her.

And now here I am in the most beautiful town Vecenzia with its ancient and amazing architecture preparing for my last days in Italy and the magic and dreams of Venice. I have a huge amount of excitement within for the next part of my journey and what will be unfolding for me.  As I sit and reflect on my journey so far, where I have been, the amazing experiences I have had, the incredible people I have me, how difficult it was for me in the beginning and how much I miss home, my loved ones and drumming, and the shifts and changes that I am undergoing with my new awareness, I allow my heart to open and I feel absolutely supported and guided in what I am doing.  However it unfolds, is absolutely perfect and I am filled again with gratitude and awe for this adventure.

With love and blessings, until next time, Ciao.