Bali 1

Am churning this out in a bit of a hurry so excuse the grammar and spelling and format!

The plane-bus (Air Asia) landed here safely at Bali's Denpasar airport at about 1.30 pm (no diff between singapore time and here) and then we took an hour long taxi ride to Ubud, Bali's cultural center.

 Ubud is littered with crude artists gallerias, sculptors workshops and numerous handicrafts unique to bali for sale. The people here are staunchly hindu and when they hear that we are from India, the first thing they ask is - you also Hindu! And if i say yes, they look very pleased. I am put up at a home stay, in the compound of a family of traditional artists. Eddy the concierge-manager, is really the most friendliest, most helpful guy you ever met. Typical balinese homes have a sort of revised 'tharavadu' system- instead of one large house around a courtyard, they have several little little duplexes and line houses inside the same compound, seemingly helter-skelter. Some of thse little houses are now hostels for tourists. The family here is very simple and traditional. The grandmothers sit on the steps of their homes and pluck betel leaves from the vine or shave the coconut leaves into broom sticks, as if this were Telicherry- bringing you to the obvious connection my Mallu mind made, as per the passage below.

The resemblance of Bali to Kerala is just striking. Waving paddy fields, alternating heat and rain, moss growing over gravel, weeds bursting out of cracks in the sidewalks that line the narrow winding tar roads...even the people look like malayalees with slanting eyes. The houses are so similar, with the high walls guarding the face of the houses in the compound, above which only the red rood tiles, stained dark green with moss is seen. Only thing is that the roofs end in corners with ornate flourishes. Actually, its this ornate-ness that characterizes so much of the sculpture and architecture of Bali and makes it so distinctly beautiful, even though Indian themes and styles are often employed. It is so much more intricate and detailed and...for wanting a better word, ornate.  

Since the idea was to relax today, I visited one of those spas that Bali is famous for. It was unbelievably cheap, though the beauticians and masseuses were very thorough and professional and the establishment was not at all shabby. I got an hour long balinese massage, an hour long flower facial and an hour long avacado cream hair treatment, all for just IDR 250,000 which is about S$30. In Singapore, this would have cost me $300; in India at least $3000. Amazing! I feel polished and brand new.

Tomorrow morning, I am cycling to Buntur Mount Volcano.For BREAKFAST. Really, am thrilled to bits. And feeling parched as I've run out of mineral water.

Later!