The Bali Bliss

Well...............................The Bali Bliss...need I say more? Of course I will to hopefully to take you all there with a few words and stories if possible. If you have been here then you will smile at the memories and the scent of incense as it follows you everywhere in Bali along with the smiles of the people.

Getting here was a flawless trip from Bangkok..........there wasn't any chasing trains or missing trains. I did have to spend the night in the airport since I got in Bangkok at midnight and my check in time was 5:00am. I didn't feel the need to explore KoSan road any further.....:) My yoga mat came in handy while trying to find the perfect bench to sleep on. When it was finally morning it was time to start the next journey. At this point I was still a little hesitant with whether or not I should have stuck to my Laos plans but NOW I'm completely sure the universe has sent me on the right path.....:)

And so yesterday, I landed at 11:30am to bargin with a taxi driver so I could come straight to Ubud. I'm trying to stay out of crazy Kuta (popular surf destination) and head to the places with more culture and less backpackers. Ubud is def. a backpacking destination but a diff. kind of backpacking destination in my eyes. I do plan to head to the ocean and take some surf lessons but maybe in Lombok or Lovina possibly near Bali...who knows, I didn't know I was coming to Bali until 4 days ago so anything could happen at this point. I will let the wind do it's magic.

Ubud is a very artsy little town full of coble streets, mottor bikes of course, beautiful jewelry / clothing, little guesthouses owned my families, woman carrying amazing stuff on their heads (bricks, clothing, baskets, food, etc...) and everyone doing ceremonies all day long with their bananna leaf bowls and beautiful flowers as they burn incense and make prayers. It's beautiful!!!!!!! The people are nothing but smiles and everyone wants to know where you are going, what you are doing, what is your name, where are you from, what are you doing tomorrow (I ask them what they are doing tomorrow sometimes and then we both just laugh...tomorrow...too far ahead for me to even think). The taxi drivers which drive motorbikes are very funny......I have already had many conversations with them and found myself on the side of the street singing "Hotel California" with one. He thinks I'm a musician now..........hmmmmmm I kinda like that. One taxi driver I talk to quite a bit as I pass him by quite often will be taking me to a river with Holly Water and you are actually allowed to swim in it?????? Seems strange but nice (swimming in Holly water).

Some of you woman know I just completed the book Eat, Pray, Love while in Thailand....Well, I read it backwards starting with Bali and that is just one of the reasons I decided to come. So, as silly as it may seem I came to find the Medicine woman, Wayan and the Palm Reader Kutut...and guess what!!! I found Wayan on my first day in Bali. I wasn't expecting it to happen so fast but next thing I knew she was blessing me and doing crazy medicine woman stuff to me. So, for the next 4 hours I experienced one of the most powerful life experiences.......:) She had me drinking all kinds of juices, teas that tasted god awful, chewing and eating terrible leafs, taking herbal pills and so much more. She has 3 young little healers to help her prepare and bath my body. I had more people see my naked body all at once then ever imagined and they were all bathing me. They use the Beetle Leaf to scrub everywhere and then take a salt ginger to scrub even more........it was amazing and my skin feels great today!!!!! Everything was feeling great until I saw a knife ...yes, a knife.....My eyes showed fear as I made humor out of it and Wayan would laugh. She thought I was quite funny which helped us bond a little outside of her Medicine Woman world. Well, I'm sure some of you are wondering why the knife....yes..why the knife..well, she was getting ready to cut off a wart (I know an ugly wart....:)) off my finger. Hmmmmmmm OK, sure whatever you want to try Wayan. And so with a little pain and massage while she was cutting the wart I screamed, moaned and laughed. After the knife she would rub garlic and hot lime skin on the finger along with using beetle needles to give a type of shot I guess??????? While enduring the pain, the young Bali boys gave me one of the best massages I have ever had. One was only 14 and his family can't afford to send him to school so he learns from Wayan the medicine ways. After my treatment was completed she gives me everything she has used to keep using it everyday for quite a while. Today was my first day and it takes a while so it's a ceremony in itself. Oh yeah, I have to wear these huge leaves on my belly everyday for 3 hrs. Wayan makes you a wonderful snack after the treatment and it's all organic. Everything on the plate is for something (heart, liver, stress, etc...) and it's delicious!!!!!!!

My bungalow is called Gardna's House and it's amazing. It's in this little compound with a family (Gardna's family) and they are so amazinly sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet..I feel part of the family already. It's $90,000 to stay which is 9 dollars (maybe a little under) but that includes a beautiful breakfast and hot tea all day long. I have a huge porch which I love and my ghecko friends to keep me company. Gardna and her family are busy making a lot of bannanna leaf ceremony items because on Wed. I will be lucky enough to experience a celebration called, Galungan Nyepi which is something about the good fighting the evil in their culture. It's supposed to be amazing and I will be emersed in the culture........loving it like chocolate!!!! Oh yeah...Wayan said no chocolate for a while and I just smiled and she laughed. I told Gardna that one day I will help her make the bananna leaf bowls if she would teach me so I'm looking forward to that as well.

OK, so much to write but all in all Jenna has found one of her favorite destiniations and would encourage anyone to take the Bali journey (maybe stay out of the young backpacker places but that is me....:)).

Lot's of Bali love and smiles to you all!!!!!