Bali on a Budget -- sights, sounds and soul food...part 3

Bali has numerous restaurants one can choose from.  However, what you will notice in the Ubud area is that there are so many vegetarian places you can go to.  I tried a few and am most impressed with the cuisine served at KAFE restaurant at Jl. Hanoman, The Garden Kafe at Yoga Barn's compound, Warung Sopa at Jl. Nyu Kuning and Down to Earth at Jl. Guatama Selatan.   These four restos have an excellent selection of vegetarian meals.  The dishes I sampled taste amazing, food presentation appealing  and overall restaurant ambience cozy.  For these restaurants, you would spend an average of IDR50,000-70,000 (SGD 5-7, or PHP 180-250) for a good-sized meal.  Add another IDR 10,000-30,000 if you would like to have a coffee/tea or dessert.  For local organic coffee and desserts, you may want to go to Coffee & Copper, a hip cafe very close to the Monkey Forest Jungle entrance.
Restaurants in Bali
Down to Earth Bali
Coffee & Copper

Before Yoga Energize drink from the Garden Kafe at Yoga Barn

Perfect drink to start your day!  It has fresh lemongrass, ginger, pandan leaf and honey.

Down to Earth meal - looks and tastes good!

Coffee & Copper local organic coffee and local rice dessert - yum!

A few days before I was scheduled to go home,  I decided to spend a day looking at the sights and sounds of Ubud.  I asked Nyoman, owner of Gusti Kaler, if he was free to drive for me on that day and fortunately he was (IDR400,000 for a half-day trip in an airconditioned car).

First stop was at the Ceking Rice Terraces where you can marvel at the gently landscaped rice paddies similar to the Philippines' Banaue Rice Terraces.   After which we went to the Goa Gajah Elephant Cave.  The cave had a large entrance that had been chiseled to resemble a demon with its mouth wide open.  Inside the cave, it was damp and eerie but here you can find statues of Hindu gods.

From Goa Gajah we made our way to the town of Mas to look at finely crafted furnitures, accessories, statues, lamps and more.  I looked at the prices of some furniture pieces and noted that one could purchase Balinese furniture at half the price of what you would pay for if you had bought the piece in Singapore or the Philippines.  Of course, you would have to take into consideration the costs involved in shipping and handling if you do decide to purchase in Bali.  

Ceking Rice Terraces

Goa Gajah Elephant Cave entrance

 Goa Gajah Gardens

After Mas,  I then asked Nyoman to drop me off at the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA).  I spent a couple of hours admiring the work of Balinese artists and spent some time walking around the magnificent gardens surrounding the museum.  As I was about to leave Agung Rai,  I heard music around the corner and saw several Balinese children practicing their local dances at the foyer.

I watched the children as they moved gracefully with the music!  Such talent!  The children were so adorable!

ARMA collection 

ARMA collection

Balinese children practicing their dance at the ARMA foyer.

Oh, did I mention that I found Ketut Liyer's, popular medicine man, residence.  Ketut was made even more popular by Elizabeth Gilbert in her bestselling novel Eat, Pray and Love.

I did not get a chance to have my palm read, so I do have a reason to go back to Bali!

I only got to see a preview of what Bali has to offer.   There is definitely more!

Below are some sites that may help you on your trip to Bali
http://www.ubudcommunity.com
http://theislandslife.com
http://www.lembongancommunity.com
http://www.supermap.info
http://www.balispirit.com

Bali on a Budget -- rituals, unlimited yoga, and more...part 2

During my stay at Gusti Kaler, my homestay host, Nyoman, his wife, children and parents, made sure I was comfortable and that all my needs were met.  They were gracious hosts who not only shared their home but also gave me an opportunity to experience how they practice their religion by inviting me to join a Hindu cleansing ritual they were scheduled to celebrate at their private Balinese temple.  As preparation for the ceremony, I was asked to to drape over a scarf and sarong over my regular clothes.

Top view of my scarf and sarong

The ritual involved a spiritual leader who sang and chanted various blessings, while family and friends prayed and laid out offerings of leaf wrapped rice and suckling pig in the temple grounds.  After the offerings were laid out, the family cleansed themselves with the holy water and flowers that had been blessed by the spiritual leader.  Once the ceremony was complete, family and friends were asked to partake of the food that was laid out in one of the gazebos.  I was indeed privileged to have been invited by Nyoman and his lovely family.
Gusti Kaler House, Sriwedari Street No. 24, Br. Taman Kelod, Ubud, Bali
Nyoman Mobile: 087 862 625 626; Email: sriti922@yahoo.co.id

Entrance to the temple located in the Gusti Kaler compound

Inside the temple grounds

Nyoman's son watching over the offerings

Spiritual adviser conducting the ceremony

Nyoman and his lovely wife

Prior to my Bali trip,  I did some online research and realized that aside from the fact that Ubud was known for being the centre of cultural tourism, it has through the years become a place where yoga enthusiasts from all over the world can improve their practice and expand their knowledge of various types of yoga,  from Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar, Yin, Restorative, Vinyasa Flow, Aero Yoga, Anusara, Laya, Yoga Nidra plus learn about other practices such as Pilates, Capoeira, Tibetan Bowl Meditation, Kirtan, and many more...  This was the perfect place for me to slowly move back into strengthening my own yoga practice which I started several years ago.  

I was fortunate to have found the Yoga Barn as they offered a one-week unlimited yoga pass for IDR700,000 (SGD73, or PHP2,500).   This was perfect as I now had the opportunity to slowly strengthen my own practice and at the same time have the chance to try out different types of yoga since they offered 10 or more different classes every day.  My normal day would start with a 7am yoga class,  light breakfast at Kafe K located in the Yoga Barn's compound, relax for a few hours then go for lunch at a nearby cafe.  After lunch, I would walk around town for an hour or so - Ubud had interesting nooks and crannies that one can appreciate more by simply walking.  Then in the late afternoons, I would join another yoga class or at times I would join meditation sessions.   Dinner would be around 6pm, then rest a bit before I go for a massage.  Such a wonderful blessing to be able to enjoy all of this during my visit!  http://www.theyogabarn.com/

Entrance to the Yoga Barn studios

Spacious and airy 2/F studio

The Yoga Barn's surroundings were so lush, green and beautiful that I decided to stay in their dorm room for a couple of days.   The room was large, beds comfortable, the bathroom was big and made it a lot easier for me to join class as it only took me 3 minutes to walk from my room to the yoga studio.  The ladies I shared the room with were all so gracious and kind.

  Yoga Barn Guest House entrance

Gardens at the guest house

Foyer

Dorm room bunk beds

Spacious dorm room t&b

To be continued...

Bali on a Budget -- massage, comfortable homestays, and more...part 1

Nice one on Ayurvedic massage Sister!   I will definitely try it one of these days.

I love to get massages and had such a wonderful massage filled visit in Bali, plus more.

I visited Ubud, Bali for over a week last year and was able to get a massage nearly every other day.  In Ubud, where I spent most of my time, there were numerous massage places to choose from.  I tried several massage places and found that Jaens Spa Ubud offered the most consistent and relaxing end to end spa experience at a very reasonable price.  Their 1-hour traditional Balinese massage only costs IDR130,000 per hour (SGD13, or PHP475).

So that you don't waste any time,  it is best that you call Jaens Spa and make a reservation.  If a therapist is available, they will immediately send their driver to pick you up within a few minutes, at no additional charge.  Their receptionist greets you warmly upon your arrival and provides a refreshing drink and cool face cloth that helps you unwind.  Once you are settled in nicely, a well-trained therapist arrives and leads you into an area where you are given a foot wash.  You are then brought to a comfortable treatment room for your massage of choice.  The therapist makes you choose the type of oil you prefer and makes sure she checks at the beginning of the massage if the pressure is to your liking.  The next hour or so is absolute bliss!  After the massage, a bowl of fresh fruits and a warm cup of lemongrass tea awaits you...   www.jaensspaubud.com

I did mention in my title that this write-up will be about Bali on a budget.  I had already done a fair bit of traveling the past couple of months and made a pact to myself that I should only travel to destinations that will allow me to keep my daily spend in the SGD80-90 (PHP2,800-3,200) range per day.

First major spend was the airfare.   November, an off-season month, was a good time to travel since the airfares were low.  I decided to go and booked my ticket only a week in advance, but was fortunate and able to get a round-trip Singapore-Bali flight via Jetstar for only SGD165 (PHP5,800).   I travel light and did not have to purchase checked in baggage which adds an additional SGD50 to the airfare. The actual flight was only 2hrs 40mins so I did not have to order any food for the short trip.

For my accommodation, I did some research online and found Gusti Kaler House, a centrally located homestay given high ratings by its guests in both Tripadvisor and booking.com.   They offer clean, spacious and comfortable fan-cooled rooms for IDR220,000 per night (SGD23, or PHP800).  The rate  includes breakfast composed of coffee or tea, fruit and pancakes or mini sandwiches delivered at your room's adjacent veranda every morning.  They also offer airport pick-up at IDR300,000 per way (SGD31, PHP1,100).  This amount is quite reasonable as the airport is approximately 45-60 minutes away from Ubud.

Gusti Kaler Standard Twin Room with Fan

 Adjacent veranda/breakfast area

 Lush/open garden in front of the room

Facade of another room

To be continued...