Indonesian Adventure - Bali Unfolds

Indonesian Adventure, August, 2017 

On August 1, Tuesday morning, I pull our flight itinerary out for the umpteenth time and ask my husband Art to verify once again that our August 3rd flight at 1:00 A.M. means that we must arrive at the San Francisco airport late on Wednesday night?

Both Tuesday and Wednesday vanish in a blur of list checking and note writing to Art, Jackie and Lisa so that the Marty Magic business might continue without many hiccups in Alisha’s and my absence. Alisha is checking off her own lists and writing pages of instructions to Sterling and three sets of grandparents who will relay Molly and Sterling to and from summer camps and junior lifeguard.

Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. Art and I pick up Alisha from her downtown Santa Cruz Victorian. Art voices concern about the parts of our Indonesian itinerary where Alisha and I will be alone in remote parts of the Flores countryside and I admit that I am slightly anxious about the one night we will spend alone on the boat offshore from Komodo Island. Art, John and I shared a similar experienced  10 years ago but I was with my two men and it will be just Alisha and me on this adventure, alone overnight on the small wooden boat with only our captain and fishermen crew. This will be my third trip to Bali a familiar and safe destination, especially since we will be spending much of our time with my good friend Tabra in her village Penestanan outside of Ubud. The Flores leg of our trip will be more remote and I have arranged for an English speaking driver to escort us around the island. On the way to the airport, we stop at Nijiya the Japanese market and Art stocks up on kimchi, curry and mochi. As much as Alisha and I are looking forward to a mother and daughter adventure, Art is looking forward to being on his own the 16 days we are away.

I insist that we arrive at the airport more than the required 3 hours in advance which proves to be a good thing. The EVA air check in line is already hundreds of passengers long. Our flight goes through Taipei, Taiwan and it is obvious that many passengers are heading home, each accompanied by multiple suitcases and well secured boxes. Once checked in we move to the security line and after 45 minutes, reach the end of the zig zag rope maze, pass our carry on luggage through the security scans and pop out at the gates. It’s already after 11:00 P.M. and my previous vision of a relaxing dinner prior to our boarding is no longer a reality. Within minutes, we realize that even grabbing a sandwich may be an impossibility and we rush down the concourse to the only eatery still open. It will close at 11:30 P.M. so we quickly choose our pre made sandwiches and grab 2 tiny bottles of white wine from the shelf. $36.00 later, we sit by the gate to eat our gourmet dinner. (I have no idea that two weeks hence, I will wish for a meal this delicious.)

SFO Airport, Waiting for our plane to board

We watch three movies between SFO and Taipei. Snatched with Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer is the perfect movie for a mother and daughter about to embark on an international adventure.  Although it won’t win any awards, I enjoy every minute of the mindless comedy. Between dozing and watching Paris can Wait and the Midwife, the time passes painlessly and we land in Taipei.  The airport is still sleeping when we land and I inquire about private lounge access at one of the clubs. While I’m making inquires, Alisha snaps a photo of the free lounge access wi-fi password and after we are denied entrance, we opt to sit at one of the many food court restaurant tables and check e-mail until cafes and restaurants open.  We watch the transit passengers do the same, everyone’s nose to their phone screen. At 6:00 A.M. Starbucks opens and although we don’t have Taiwan currency or a clue as to the exchange rate, I simply pass my credit card to the barista, whispering to Alisha that I have no idea how much our two cappuccinos and shared breakfast sandwich are costing us? In perfect English, the cashier replies that our total is about $12 U.S.

Starbucks Coffee at the Taipei Airport

'Pork Bun' rest and meditation area.

Kids play area, Taipei Airport

Old School reading room, Taipei 

It is a glamorous terminal with duty free shops, wonderful boutiques and inviting restaurant. This is a major Asian hub airport and I have passed through here before. Each gate is themed and there are inviting nooks and crannies where one can sit or sleep. We admire the pinkness of the Hello Kitty World, a whirl of bouncing children and step into the calm of the faux jungle forest retreat where one can rest relatively undisturbed in massage chairs behind images of tropical forests. There is an an old school library where one can sit in straight backed chairs and turn the pages of real books as well as many high tech bubbles where the connected can stay connected. We giggle as Alisha sits cross legged in a seating area where the cushions are styled like pork buns. I am fading and she deposits me by our gate along with our carry on luggage and continues her exploration of the terminal.  Eventually we board our flight between Taipei and Denpasar, Bali. I stay awake the first two hours of the five hour flight waiting for our meals and attempt sleep the final 3 hours.  When the captain announces that we will be landing soon, we raise the shades to see a volcanic  mountain jutting through a blanket of clouds below. Magical.

Bali Mountaintop piercing the clouds

August 4th, Friday

We have lost a day traveling and it is August 4th when we land in Denpasar, Bali. Immigration is quick and painless. Alisha’s bag is spit out of the luggage carousel quickly and I suffer ten minutes of angst before my bag is launched onto the carousel. We roll our luggage through a final declaration check and exit into the humid afternoon air arrival where hundreds of anxious tour guides hold signs printed with their clients name. Around a final turn I spot Tabra and after excited hugs and introductions, her driver takes our minimal luggage from us and we follow him toward the car. As always, exotic Tabra is dressed in a tiered gypsy skirt with armloads of silver bangles and wears chunky Jaguar motif rings and earrings that she designs. The traffic is terrible on the two hour drive into Ubud and into Penestanan. This is my third time visiting Bali and I actually relax into the chaos of the sea of scooters zipping in between the cars. Most are sandwiched with one or two children, wedged between their parents. Alisha is mesmerized by the chaos of the street and the rich workshops that we pass, crammed with carved wooden doors, sculpted Hindu Gods and tile friezes. Ornate family compounds intersperse the line of work shops, each stepped and carved doorway more intriguing. We stop at an exchange office and change $500 and exit with hundreds of thousands of Rupiah. The wad of electronically counted bills will barley fit into my zipper pocked of my purse. It is after dark when we arrive in Penestanan. Our luggage is whisked away by scooter and after struggling to count out the approximately $35 for the transfer from the airport, we walk with flashlights along the narrow potholed back path of the village towards our guest house. It has rained recently and the path is wet and muddy. To the right of the pathway is the village and to the left are rice paddies. Our accommodations are lovely.

Mosquito netting

Room view from our private courtyard

The guest house has at the most 6 or 8 rooms, each with it’s own enclosed courtyard. Ours looks out upon the river with it’s own outdoor kitchen and a covered pagoda style seating area. Couples are the usual guests here and Alisha and I knew we would need to share a bed which is not an issue for us. Mosquito netting hangs from the rails of the king sized four poster bed. We drop off our hand luggage and make a quick turn around before returning to Tabra’s jewel of a house a few rice paddies back.

Dinner at Moksa

An array of dishes

Moksa crepes

Tabra has warned us that it will be a long walk to Moksa, a vegan restaurant with a reputation for fabulous food. After edging the rice paddies, we walk along the darkened  street of Penestanan, turn left and continue winding downhill and around for some distance. Many other restaurants cast an inviting glow onto our path but we do not allow ourselves to be seduced by others and determinedly  continue onto Moksa. We sit outside on the raised deck, in the warm humid air and order remarkable juice smoothies infused with herbs and flowers.  The menu is interesting but unfamiliar and after much planning between us, we order two, three prix menus plus an additional entree. We share every delicious morsel. I have linked the menu here so that you too can salivate vicariously over one of the best dinners of my life. This is my treat and including tax and tip, the bill comes to less than $50.  https://www.moksaubud.com/#dojo-front-page

Surprisingly, the walk home seems considerably shorter than the walk to dinner. Alisha and I part with Tabra at her house on the edge of the rice paddies. We use our flashlight (kudos’s to Alisha for brining it.) The moon is bright and we are serenaded by frogs and the hum of insects on the way back to our guest cottage.