Ubud

Having spent my first week settling in, I began to extend my reach, venturing off to stay a night with Jen at Sukawati. The morning before I left I was up early, not knowing Gayle had only just gone to sleep after spending most of the night awake.  By 8am I felt so tired I jumped back into bed and slept till I heard Ibu Rosa cleaning the house.  She was delighted to see me and I was delighted to see her.  We communicated the best we could through Google translate which can be very frustrating. Then prayed together before she left. I then packed Joshua’s backpack which I was borrowing, it was only for one night so I didn’t need to take much.  Gayle was up just before midday and out the door to help me get a bus ticket for me or Jen to use if we couldn’t load hers up.  Then over lunch we realised that whenever we needed to add more to the card we couldn’t just do it online but the card had to physically tap the back of Gayle’s phone!  Nothing seemed convenient or simple here.

After lunch we stopped at Gayle’s hairdressers for her to get her hair coloured, she suggested I get a manicure and my shoulders massaged.  It was a great idea and I really enjoyed the pampering but then it was getting late for me to join Jen.  I paid for the service and then ordered a motorbike taxi, coming back into the salon as I wasn’t sure the app had the right address.  It was then Gayle said that I hadn’t been charged the correct amount.  I was charged 12c instead of $12.50.  She said she would cover it and I could pay her later as by this time the driver was already on his way.  It took half an hour even going part of the way through the back streets as it was peak hour.

Arriving safely, it was lovely seeing Jen, I unpacked my stuff before we headed off to grab something to eat.  This involved a 20 min walk through the neighbourhood where Jen is known as the ‘Jalan Jalan’ (walking) lady as they all ask her were she is going and her standard reply is ‘for a walk’ (jalan jalan).  We had a light meal at one of the road stalls then on to where Jen buys a bubble drink with dragon fruit.  It was delicious.

Back at the house we set out two thin mattresses on the second floor landing in front of the balcony doors where the breeze was coming in.  Jen slept downstairs in a large room which is used for meetings or communal meals. She had air conditioning and I could have slept in the same room but I don’t like air conditioning.  Unfortunately there wasn’t even a fan so I needed the doors open.  It was 9pm (late for both of us) by the time we got to bed. I fell asleep fairly quickly but was nosily woken by one of Cheryl’s cats which had been shut outside but had somehow climbed onto the balcony and come through the doors.  I wasn’t impressed at being woken, plus I’m allergic to cats so it had to go! It ran down stairs which means I had to chase it back up and out the doors before closing them.  It was then stuffy so I had to borrow Cheryl’s fan which wasn’t as easy as it sounds as it’s a wall fan propped up by one of her suitcases. I then had to prop it up on the floor so it wasn’t really reaching me but at least it was sort of moving the air around making it cooler. It took me ages to get back to sleep even after taking Phenergan. Then I was woken at 8am by my alarm.

We had planned to leave the house by 8am!  Fortunately Jen’s friend, Ayesha, had messaged her to say she wouldn’t be at the garden till 2pm because her children were home due to a public holiday.  Still we had a 45min walk to the bus stop which we really would have preferred to have done earlier while it was not so hot then spend the rest of the time in Ubud looking around.

We set off after some breakfast, heading north to catch the bus to Ubud.  Jen had a backpack full of gardening tools from Australia which Ayesha had asked her to bring for the community garden. She knew Ayesha from their time working in Broome.  Ayesha’s husband Sam has been contracted to work in Bali for a year, their two children attend a local school which is a great opportunity to learn Indonesian.

There were several things Jen wanted to do while in Ubud.  The first was to visit the bank where she bought her bus card so we hopped off the bus nearest to the bank.  Unfortunately both Jen and I had totally forgotten it was a public holiday!  Gayle had told me before I left and Ayesha had told Jen. Oh well, another time.  It was only 10am so we had plenty of time to wander the back streets which were humming with activity, mostly foreign tourists.  The traffic was less on the narrower streets than on the main drag.  Jen had visited Ubud when her children were little and noticed the changes.  She said it had been a quiet place then with hardly any shops and mostly local people.  The town had spread out since then and the shops were mostly commercial businesses selling things with an increased price to cater for the tourist trade.  We found the linen store where Jen wanted to buy a particular shirt for Ralf her boyfriend but it wasn’t in stock.  We also called into an optometrist as Jen wanted to get a new pair of glasses which were cheaper here than in Australia.  Unfortunately there was only a shop attendant so she left her WhatsApp number and prescription for her glasses. By then we were ready for lunch and walked all the way back the way we had come as we had seen a little local eatery selling local food at local prices.  The other places were twice if not more expensive with mostly western food.  We both thought, why come all this way and eat western food which is probably better in your home town?

We sat enjoying our meal and rested awhile to fill in time before meeting Ayesha, then strolled along the busy main street stopping one more time at a gelato shop for another rest and cool down while enjoying a dragon fruit and coconut ice-cream.  Jen then messaged Ayesha to let her know we had arrived and asked when should we meet her at the garden?  Praise the Lord she was also taking a taxi and knew where we were so picked us up as the garden was a little way out of town on a very narrow, very steep road.

Ayesha had become involved in the garden which was set up to educate the locals and encourage them to grow organic food.  It was quite a set-up, with a mixture of fruit trees and vegetable garden beds.  She was wanting to know how to encourage some of the tourists to get involved and was interested in hearing Jen’s idea of posting on ‘Work Away’ which is what Jen had done in Europe and the UK last year.

We were then dropped off in Ubud at a supermarket as Jen wanted to buy a few items before returning home.  Then a short walk to the bus stop for our relaxing, air conditioned ride back to Sukawait before our 45min walk back to the house.  Praise the Lord it wasn’t so hot at this time of the day. While on the bus I had considered staying on it, then changing when the routes crossed for me to get my bus to Gayle’s home; that was until I remembered I had left some of my things at Jen’s place.  On our walk back we stopped to buy some fried tofu which Jen put with some home prepared fried veggies.  I then ordered a motorbike taxi to take me home.  Praise God I started walking towards the road which our laneway came off as the driver was waiting in wrong place.  Actually his app had told him the wrong place so hadn’t come to the end of the laneway where the house was. It was then 6:30pm, much cooler and less traffic which I was grateful for.

Gayle was out as she had a large team of sixteen people from Australia visiting.  I waited up for her then chatted for a while before going to bed exhausted but still unable to sleep as one particular dog likes to make his presence known and kept me awake for hours.  I didn’t sleep well the whole night, woken several times by the night watchman but slept through the call to prayer waking at 5:30am feeling drowsy.

Friday I went back to bed again around 8am after doing a stack of washing and slept for an hour.  The rest of the morning I lazed around with Gayle then went out to shop for some things I knew Joshua, who was returning from Singapore, would enjoy.  Home to make some chocolate brownies with strawberries Gayle had bought which needed using up and some spaghetti bolognese for our late lunch.  Gayle who has lived here for over 30years misses her European foods.  That evening I waited up for Joshua to arrive home but when his plans were changed I went to bed.

I slept in, having woken at 3am, but it actually only took me an hour to fall back to sleep which I put down to the Vitamin D.  It was lovely seeing Josh again before he rushed out the door to do his citizenship exam, arriving back just after 10am when we caught up on things. Ibu Rosa, who was here, was also delighted to see him.   Then by 11am they were out the door again rushing to a church leadership meeting, dropping me off at a very large local market with all sorts of fresh produce such as herbs, veggies, fruit and meat.

I started to wander around looking at produce when I was aware of being followed so I decided to sit down hoping the woman would leave me but she didn’t and when I started to move off she followed me again.  I said in my little Indonesian “one person” pointing to myself and then pointed at her and waved my hand to indicate no.  It sort of worked.  She left me alone for awhile then started again.  So I hid from her and as she came around the corner I said ‘NO’ waving my hand.  I know she was just trying to help me or maybe she got a commission on what she helped me buy but I really didn’t want her help.  Eventually she left me alone.  I was then able to buy a few things before the next helpful woman came to assist me.  She wasn’t much good as I’m sure she was telling the hawker to put the price up.  I was able to bring it down but thought next time I’ll definitely go to the smaller market closer to the house where I could also buy half a hand of bananas instead of the whole hand. I didn’t want to carry too much back as I was going by motorbike taxi.

With what I bought, I made myself some fresh greens to go with the rice packet Ibu Rosa had brought for our breakfast, then I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Gayle and Joshua returned in the evening and we watched a movie together before having an early night.

It took me ages to get to sleep so I took half a Phenergan and waited.  I woke at 6am, so got up and was ready for the day refreshed.  The Australian team was at church. During the service they taught us a new song and preached. I knew two of the pastors from last year.  The team then joined us for lunch before returning to minister in the youth service.  We didn’t get home until 4pm then Gayle and Joshua where back out that evening for a meeting with one of their pastors while I relaxed at the house. I was in bed asleep by the time they got home.  I was amazed at how well I slept through all the external noise, waking at 5am.  This was my preparation day before joining Jen for a holiday on the east coast of Bali in Amed.  I lined everything up on the bed ready to pack and then checked again that I had everything.  Josh flew back to Singapore, it was a short visit and he may not get the results of his exam till next year when he renews his passport, which is very frustrating for people like me who would like to know.

Photos:  1. Goldern Penda, Xanthostemon chrysanthus which Jen and I saw on one of our walks    2. Street vendor dinner    3. Community garden Ubud    4. Ayesha, her kids, Jen and me at the garden    5. Gayle and Joshua

Prayer & Praise Points:

Praise the Lord for Joshua’s safe arrival and flight back to Singapore. Please pray that his citizenship exam went well and we will soon receive good results.

Praise Him for Gayle’s continual generosity, hospitality and friendship.

Please pray that my time with Jen will be positive, pray for our continual good health and safety as we navigate the traffic

Please continue to pray that I accomplish His will while I’m here.

Pray for Elsie and Ross Winchester as they continue their cancer courses. Please also pray for my good friend Anthony Higgs who is needing a shoulder operation. Believe with me for the Lord’s intervention and total healing for them all.

Continue to pray with me for world peace both in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering that both these wars have caused.  Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live in despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.

Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers.  Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.