Balispirit yoga retreat in Ubud, Bali

Sigh... Ubud, what a great place! I flew out of Jogja on Wednesday afternoon and was picked up from Denpasar by the retreats driver and headed off into paradise. Ubud is about an hour further north of Denpasar and is very green and chilled and laid-back... perfect to escape and relax for a few days! Everything was organised ahead, the airport pickup, hotels, yoga classes, and meal vouchers so it was all very cruisy. It was really interesting- Ive been doing yoga classes in Jogja and what a difference it makes to have them taught in english for a change! I did several different classes, tried some different styles of yoga and meditation and it was lovely and relaxing. Strange to be travelling completely by myself tho! The Balispirit yoga studio is located above a cafe on one of the main roads of Ubud, and I ate there a few times. Wonderful organic and fresh food :) On the first day I did a morning yoga class which was a real workout but fun, then wandered around the town for a while. The call from locals in Ubud is "Transport, yes? Yes, transport?" which is better than all the "Hello, miss"s I guess. The town is a real hippy place, very arty and slow. There were so many shops selling jewellery,wood and stone carvings, fabric and paintings, some really beautiful things! Lots of good cafes too and interesting book shops. My class on Thursday night was tricky, although it was an open level class, the teacher wanted us to do head stands and shoulder stands and things... bit scary! (Tho I wasnt the only one who couldnt do it, only one person could!) A bit out of our depth. On Friday morning I did a walking tour of the surrounds of Ubud, through some temples, rice fields, villages, and by a stream. It was really pretty but so so hot! After a quick dip in the pool, I had a private yoga session in their new yoga barn- this beautiful big place with open walls and a gorgeous view, almost hard to concentrate on the positions! On Friday morning after my class, I was picked up and taken to Spa Hati, a day spa where they kept me hostage for 5 hours! Terrible... I didnt really know what to expect but was v pleasantly surprised by a 90-min massage, body scrub, flower bath, sauna, spa, facial and pedicure! I didnt want to leave! The yoga classes on the weekend were a different style, a bit slower and more meditative, so it set the mood for a lazy laid-back couple of days. I did some shopping, explored the town and just hung out in cafes and relaxed... It was sad to leave such a nice hotel and Balispirit... Sigh... :) Have to go back...

The yoga studio at Balispirit and our overlooker, Shiva (?)

Me and the beautiful pool at Biyukukung hotel

Tea with Sultan Humengko Buwono X

This morning I met up with Jess K & Erinn and we went to the breakfast market at uni. I had no idea it was so big! There were stalls and stalls of food, jewellery, clothes, toys, everything! Lots of people too, we got there a bit after eight and a lot of the food was selling out (gotta get in early). It was really nice tho, had a great chicken and rice curry, the others had peanut vegie dishes and we sat on mats on the floor to eat it (called lesehan, its where there are low tables and bamboo mats, more often than not eating with your fingers). After that Jess and I headed down to Malioboro and the Kraton, the sultans palace. I'd been there last year and Jess too a couple of years ago, but we were told that theres a second entrance to the side so we decided to check that out instead. It was great! I cant believe it- we spent ages walking around, there were heaps of buildings and courtyards and displays- how many people must miss that just cos they go to the front entrance! (Which wasnt much, last time we covered it in about 15 mins). We also saw a Javanese dance performance, got interviewed and signature requests from about 20 high school girls, had afternoon tea with the Sultan.... nah not that last bit... it was interesting, but I forgot my camera. I used to carry it round just in case that photographic opportunity arose... but now its raining all the time, it puts a real dampener on things! (hahaha...)
Exciting day, I also discovered that someone goes around and turns on all the street lights. Manually. And that a packet of Berocca performance only costs $3. And that Antarctica makes up 90% of earths fresh-water supply.

Help, I need faster running shoes!

Arg Im so mad! This place is driving me crazy! I was just walking down the main road at uni, minding my own business when I noticed this guy with a video camera taking in some of the scenery, I thought... And then I noticed it follow me as I walked past! Im so mad at this place at their lack of boundaries or respect or whatever it is that makes them think its ok to harrass white girls! I cant walk down the bloody street without everyone feeling the need to say hello to me and ask me where Im going, whats my name, where am I from, or just blatenty stare. Its rude! I wish theyd just leave me alone, its f-ing freaking me out! Someone needs to run a national campaign to educate these people on personal space and boundaries and subtlety! The women are fine, theyre nice... Maybe Ill just move and live with the Minangkabau in Sumatra- thats a matrilineal society... meaning its run by women so men would have more bloody respect! Then maybe leaving the house wouldnt be so stressful :S

Where are your gumboots when you need them?!

The wet season has officially started and its so frustrating! Its been raining raining raining... the other afternoon I had class at 3 til 4 and it started pouring at about 230 so I had to run between builings at uni and got soaked in about 5 metres! I decided to catch a bus, as I hadnt yet bought an umbrella, which took forever to come, was crowded, then got bogged in a ditch in the road and so I ended up walking anyway! I stopped a couple of times- it was pouring for about 3 hours straight- but waiting under eaves of shops was quite boring so I decided to just get it over with and walk home :S Fifteen minutes, several flooded streets and every inch of my clothes soaking, I got home and dry... The last couple of afternoons Ive spent watching DVDs on my laptop in my room... and this morning, i still had to wait out the rain before I could even get lunch! Fingers crossed it settles into a routine- I can see myself getting stranded and soaked!