Lovina

Friday the 5^th of July I had been awake from 2am!  I tried sleeping again but couldn’t, so I got up and finished packing my things to take to Lovina, in the far north side of Bali. I read through my last blog before sending it off to Elaine to correct, ate my breakfast and chatted with Vi-Lay and Jen, then tried to sleep again before our driver arrived at 9:30am.  I had just laid down when there was a knock on my bedroom door, it was Ibu Rosa with a gift, a lovely local scarf which she wrapped around my neck before I excused myself to try to get some sleep.  No such luck!  I had just started to relax when Jen called up “the driver’s here”.  I heard Ibu Rosa chatting away and was later told she was helping the driver, over the phone, find his way to our door.  I filled up my water bottles with ice water while the car was being loaded with our bags. Gayle wasn’t up and we didn’t want to disturb her so, after saying bye to Ibu Rosa, we were off.

It was a three hour drive across the Kintamani mountain range and down the other side through Singaraja, a major city, then along the coast to Lovina to be dropped off at our accommodation. We had stopped once for a toilet break and once to buy durian which we had been looking for all the way through the mountains.  Both Vi-Lay and I love this exotic fruit and because I had only seen a few the whole time I was here we decided this maybe the only opportunity to enjoy one.  Our driver came with us to negotiate a price but I don’t think he was very helpful as we couldn’t really bring the price down much although having some Chinese tourist paying top dollar (actually rupiah), while we were there, didn’t help.  Still we were able to haggle it down 50,000 rupiah and still I thought we’d paid too much but boy was it delicious.

It wasn’t long before we arrived at our destination where we unloaded our baggage leaving it at the reception till our room was ready at 2pm. In the meantime, we decided to look around by walking towards the main road to explore the local warangs for some lunch.  We went left at the road looking into all the little shops along the way till we found something we thought we would all like.  Then back the way we had come to a local cake shop to try some of their wares.  Returning to our accommodation we filled our water bottles from the drinking water container instead of using their plastic bottles, we are all trying to set an example on no plastics.  We were shown to our chalet and were very surprised to be taken to the roof top where a little wooden house was perched.  It was not the type of chalet we were expecting!  Our other surprise was the two bedrooms and a sofa bed that was not at all what was described or what we expected for three adult women.  There were two bedrooms with double beds but the sofa bed was a short, narrow wooden lounge which was a little larger than a two seater chair and definitely not wide or long enough for even Vi-Lay who is an average size Asian.  We tried to explain but they said two of us could share one of the double beds. Not on your life!  All three of us were not into sharing a bed especially as we are all light sleepers who toss and turn, waking throughout the night.  Eventually I suggested we take the cushions off the spare chairs, putting them on the floor wrapped together with a sheet.  We were given two extra sheets and a pillow.  I took the first night and although I was real tired still woke at 11pm staying awake till 2am.

Meanwhile after unpacking and making ourselves comfortable we headed to the beach with our bathers.  Jen had booked our accommodation, it was in a great spot halfway between the main shopping drag and the beach. Unfortunately Lovina is a tidal beach with the tide at it’s lowest when we went down for a swim!  Never mind we walked along the foreshore exploring instead, then returning to our hotel where Jen and I took a dip in the pool keeping our heads above the murky water.  It was very refreshing and cooling to our warm sticky bodies.  We then relaxed in the slight breeze on the pool chairs in the shade.

Vi-Lay had gone for a lie down.  We all showered and change before heading back out to the main road, turning to the right this time to see what was at the other end of town.  This time we stopped in at a Mixue ice cream parlour all ordering a sundae with different toppings.  Jen had given them her keep cup but they had put my choice in instead of her choice, I suggested instead of throwing it out, as they had intended, they should just tip it into my container which was larger anyway.  They were surprised but obliging even giving me extra ice cream and topping to make it look the way it should.  I didn’t mind because it wasn’t going to change the taste.  That evening we returned to the main road so that Jen and Vi-Lay could buy their dinner. I was very tired by this time but wanted to stay awake so I would sleep better but it didn’t seem to make any difference. I was very grumpy as not only was I tired but also being bitten by something, possibly mosquitoes but maybe even ants which always seem to find me.  The food looked delicious and I would have loved to have joined them in their choice but didn’t want to eat as I felt a bit queasy and had already eaten enough for the day. With their dinner in hand we returned to the chelate were Vi-Lay and Jen sat beside the pool eating while I retired to our room, took a shower and tried to sleep.

Falling asleep wasn’t so difficult, even on the narrow bedding on the floor, once everyone was back but I woke at 11pm unable to fall asleep again.  By midnight I decided to take something to help me sleep but this didn’t click in till after 2am!  I was pleased when woke feeling refreshed and ready for the day.  By 7:30am we were all off to the beach to check out the tide, strolling along the boardwalk in front of all the beach front hotels, bars and restaurants.  The tide was in so, after walking quite a distance to check out what was around and the best spot for a swim, both Vi-Lay and Jen took the plunge while I was happy to just sit minding our belongings.  There were many people trying to sell their wares: jewellery, beaded bracelets, necklaces and sarongs.  Local fishermen trying to encourage us to go dolphin watching, which we kindly declined saying it wasn’t good for the dolphins, unfortunately this is their livelihood.  So many tourists both Indonesian and international come here for the dolphins.  The boats herd the pods into one big group then force them along causing them to leap into the air through fear which of course is what the tourist have come to see, unaware that the dolphins are being traumatised.

Back to the room for showers then back down to one of the beachside restaurants for rujak (fruit salad mix with a sweet and sour spicy mix) plus other morning snacks before hunting down a decent café for my coffee fix at a café on the main road.  Then some lunch at same place we had eaten the day before but unfortunately it was closed so we walked further down the road to another little warong.  Here we met a young guy, Valentino who’s English was excellent as he had studied in LA. He later gave Jen the contact for his father, Raymond, who could be our driver.

That night instead of heading for the main road we decided to walk further up the beach in the opposite direction to where we had gone that morning.  There was a totally different vibe during the evening, providing entertainment, food and drinks for the tourists.  Some places had live music, others soft background music and one place hosting a wedding had extremely loud K-pop music.  After about a kilometre we saw the locals; some cleaning fishing boats, others collecting mollusc along the sand bars which had been exposed due to the low tide.  Then back for an early night.  Jen and I had swapped beds, with me now in her former bedroom with the squeaky bed and Jen on the floor.  And still I couldn’t sleep till after 10pm!

Vi-Lay and I were up early and out the door by 6:30am to buy some sweet Asian breakfast snacks.  We were delighted to see that just at the top of our street along the main road was where the local market was set up.  There were lots of scooters lining the side of the road as people came to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, meats and an assortment of sweet meats, some of which were being made fresh in front of us.  We stopped at the market that was set back a bit from the road under a large tree canopy which had many small stalls selling mostly fresh products including what was along the main road but also fish, household goods and things for the Hindu offerings. Here we found some homemade sweet and savoury snacks, including Jen’s favourite three layered rice cakes. Stocking up on some treats we headed back to the room for breakfast and to ready ourselves for the day.  Vi-Lay wandered off for a walk in the rice paddies while I caught up with my journaling and Jen with her stuff.

We had ordered a car from Valentino, who had given his father Raymond’s number to us. He picked us up at 10:30am, driving us west along the coast to Permuteran Beach an hour and a half from Lovina. On the way he was telling us some of his life stories.  He was originally from Singapore and had come to Bali after the pandemic to buy some land and set up a business with his son who married a local. His English was also very good. At Permuteran, Jen and Vi-Lay went for a swim after all four of us were shown around the turtle hatchery and conservation centre.  There was a fenced off area of sand where some of the eggs, which had been rescued off the beaches, were buried.  We looked through the glass window of a hatchery box where there were cylinders full of eggs. Raymond mentioned to our guide there were some little turtles which had hatched.  Our guide was surprised as these little critters weren’t due to hatch for a few more days.  Opening the box and the tubes with the hatchlings he gently picked them up placing them in another box where they would stay for five hours while their placenta dried out, they were then put into a pond for newborns.  I was so thankful that the Lord gave us this very special moment.

There were two ponds with baby turtles swimming around; one group were Green turtles another were Hawksbill turtles. In a small tub of water three Hawksbill babies were swimming, these poor little fellows had injuries or birth defects. I’m not sure what would happen to them as they couldn’t be released into the sea as they would not survive. Maybe if they didn’t die they might be added to the big pool where an old lonely turtle swam.  This turtle was about 100 years old and although it had been released many times it kept returning to the shore as it had previously been a pet.

On our return to Lovina we stopped off at a well know seafood eatery, RM Mina Segara. With Raymond’s help we chose our fish which was weighed to price it then the main body was cooked on a BBQ and the head and other parts were cooked in a very spicy soup.  The dishes were then served with rice and a side of kangkong vegetables. Unfortunately the fish was very charred and not as delicious as what we had eaten in Amed. The soup was too spicy although once our tastebuds got used to the heat it wasn’t too bad.

Raymond then dropped us off at our accommodation where we left our things and wondered back out to the main street for a Mixue ice cream.  We took a bit of a rest; Vi-Lay upstairs while Jen and I had a dip in the pool. We met some lovely ladies on their holidays who were teachers from Denpasar.  As I was coming back up the stairs outside our room I stumbled while carrying my supply of drinking water.  I smashed the shin on my left leg in two places!  It hurt like mad.  I called out to the Lord for help asking for healing praying that I hadn’t broken any bones.  Vi-Lay came out to see what the loud crash was about and suggested I use some ice she had in a container in the freezer. I also called down to Jen who was still at the pool asking her to bring up some ice from the reception which I could wrap around the area.  That with prayer really helped.

Later that evening we returning to the main street for an evening snack of Terang Bulan a tapioca flour pancake mixture topped with peanuts, cheese, sugar and condensed milk some have chocolate and cheese.  We also had a savoury Martabak; a dough base which is spread very thinly, cooked slightly over a hot griddle then a mixture of egg and chives is spread over the dough which is then folded over the mixture, it is then turned over to cook on both sides before being sliced into pieces and served.

It was our last night in our room, Vi-Lay taking the bed on the floor, Jen back in her room and me in Vi-Lay’s original room.  None of us slept really well, we couldn’t get the right temperature on the air conditioning which the previously nights I had turn off but this night seemed to be muggier.  I also heard everyone going in and out of the bathroom as my door was open to help ventilation and the bathroom door was beside my room.

Vi-Lay was up early to take a stroll by the beach, Jen left a little later for the market to get snacks for our journey home.  Vi-Lay returned then left for a walk to her favourite bakery and Jen to the beach for her last swim. I stayed behind to write.  Coming together again we packed and cleaned up before storing our bags once more at the reception.  Jen stayed with them waiting for Raymond who was driving us home while Vi-Lay and I walked to the café for a coffee where we had gone the day before.  There were a few Aussie families coming in with whom we chatted with; one couple with their two children had been in Bali for two years, he worked as a consultant for an Australian company dealing with solar.  Many people are in Bali with business visas while conducting their business online, the government encourage these businesses as they help with the economy through renting and spending within the community.

After loading the car, Jen and Raymond drove down to pick us up before beginning our trip south across the mountain range. There were many road projects along the way building bridges across the ridges to shorten the journey.  Our durian seller wasn’t there this time and the ones on the other side of the mountain wouldn’t lower their prices so we went without.  We stopped at a local market to buy some bananas but there weren’t any ripe ones.  Then we stopped at another roadside fruit vendor where Raymond bought fruit for us, including the snake skin fruit which I had tried before but didn’t enjoy.  This time was quite different, although the texture was the same it was much sweeter. We also stopped for lunch at a local restaurant with a view down the south side of the mountain. Then continued downhill as the traffic became more and more congested till we reached Gayle’s home.  Here Vi-Lay and I parted way leaving Raymond and Jen to continue to her guesthouse in Sanur where she would stay the night before catching the ferry to Gili Air.

Vi-Lay and I unpacked and waited for Gayle’s return.  She had been busy all day and returned exhausted but offered to take us to Tiara Gutzu where, while they ate dinner, I shopped to restock the fridge. It was early to bed for all of us and yet I couldn’t sleep!

The next morning I dragged myself out of bed at 5:30pm having woken at 5am not being able to sleep longer. Vi-Lay was also awake so we decided after getting a few things done including the washing from our trip, we would go out for a walk. We left around 7am just going around some of the back streets to avoid the traffic. En route back we stopped and bought a few sweet and savoury homemade snacks wrapped in banana leaves.

Gayle was off out again, dropping us at the place where I had my haircut as Vi-Lay wanted a cooler style. We had a bit of a wait as there was only one professional hairdresser and some other workers who washed hair or swept the floors and a receptionist. I nearly fell asleep while waiting I was so tired. Vi-Lay’s cut looked very smart. From here we walked to McDonald’s for Vi-Lay to check out what they had different to Australia, then a hot walk home along the busy, dusty road taking a shortcut through Gosha restaurant to check out their menu, and home.  The rest of the day was fairly quiet, making rice paper rolls for our lunch leaving some for Gayle when she returned.

Wednesday Vi-Lay and I were up early for our walk, this time we went in the opposite direction still on the back streets, stopping for some homemade snacks at one of the vendors who had converted an old van into a shop front, it was very unique.  We continued west past the mosque and what looked like a Buddhist temple nestled amongst suburban homes, till we reached another semi main road.  Here we turned left to check out a local restaurant Ming.  Their menu was local food with some western dishes all at reasonable local prices.  We decided we’d like to come back to try them out.  We then walked a little way back up this road to the next road which took us back in the direction of Gayle’s home, stopping at another vendor this time selling young coconuts.  Vi-Lay had been wanting to buy one since her arrival.  After sitting here awhile to taste her wares, we headed home with Vi-Lay carrying her enormous coconut, we must have looked very strange.

Back at the house, Ibu Rosa arrived at 9am, then Lora and Weni, who had stayed previously, turned up with Gayle’s medication.  Gayle asked me to show them how to turn on the bore water just in case they needed to know in the future.  Gayle had shown me after I was left alone one day without water.  Sometime the mains water fails leaving us with no running water, this is when the bore water is needed as backup.  Last year when Joshua was home he had someone fix the water pump to the tank where the bore water is stored.

Before leaving, the girls translated for me as I made some suggestions to Ibu Rosa in regards to the raised garden beds outside the walls around the house and garden.  I showed her where I had thought the soursop seedlings might be planted and she suggested the bed beside it be cleaned out and planted with herbs and vegies.  This was a project for her after I leave.  She was very sad to know I wouldn’t be returning until next year.  I bid them all farewell and adieu till next we met, God willing, in 2025

We had a busy day ahead as Gayle drove Vi-Lay and I to a Mall in central Denpasar where she met an old Aussie friend.  Vi-Lay and I wandered around the shops noting the prices for items were similar to those in Australia except for a few shops and the supermarket.  We bought a few things at the supermarket before staying there for lunch.  As we were leaving Gayle called to say they were about to leave but before doing so we joined them for a Durian Es Teler which is an ice desert with durian pulp, avocado and jackfruit with condensed milk drizzled over the top.  It was delicious.

From here Gayle drove us to the House of Hope where Vi-Lay and I took the English class.  We had lot of laughs for unlike Jen who did a great job of calling out instructions to make a heart shape on graph paper, my simple smiley face was a little contorted!  Still everyone enjoyed themselves and I hope learnt some new English words while practicing simple instructions and conversations.

Back at the house Vi-Lay and I cooked up most of the remaining vegetables in a stir-fry before heading for an early night.

I was awake just after 2am and couldn’t sleep again so stayed up writing this blog before trying to catch up with sleep again at 6am.  Vi-Lay was also up at this time having not slept well either.  We both enjoyed listening to the rain as we slept, so decided not to walk but instead just do our last wash. By 9am a group of youth from church turned up to pull out plants for Ibu Rosa to do her new garden beds. The church leaders also came for a meeting with Gayle. I helped both in the garden and in the kitchen making ice coffee and pancakes.  Then Gayle’s leadership team arrived for a meeting.  Both groups stayed on till midday when they all prayed for our trip to Vietnam. I felt so blessed to be prayed for.  After this they all left and Gayle, Vi-Lay and I went to try our Ming restaurant. It wasn’t bad, on a similar par to Gosha for its prices but less menu choice. Gayle had more meetings that afternoon and some of the youth returned to tidy up the garden. Vi-Lay and I prepared for our flight and relaxed.

Photos: 1. Purple allamanda (Allamanda blanchetii)    2. Jen and me on the boardwalk Lovina    3. Room service    4. Sunrise over the rice paddies, view from our chalet    5. Restaurant on forshore    6. Turtle hatchery    7. Paying for night food    8. Morning market stalls    9. Vi-Lay enjoying her coconut at home    10. Durian Es Teler    11. Laurin and me being silly

Prayer & Praise Points:

I praise God for your ongoing prayer support while I’m away.

Please continue to pray for Gayle’s ongoing health concerns, especially her eyes.

Please pray for Jen, Vi-Lay and myself; for our safety as we navigate the roads here in Bali.  Pray also for ongoing good health and protection against disease.

Please continue to pray for Elsie and Ross Winchester as they continue their cancer treatment. 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, South Brazil, PNG and all countries dealing with major disasters, wars and the unbelievable hardships they cause.  Pray for all those caught up in the suffering these events 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.