tofu, tempe and tomato dish

This one is quick and easy. Lots of chopping of ingredients and then you are ready to go. Its just about equal parts potato, tempe and tofu. Add extra chillies if you like a spicy dish. Serve with rice and a dish that has lots of greens for a healthy balance.

1 medium potato cut into fine strips
5 cubes tofu cut into fine strips
10cm x 5cm piece of tempecut into fine strips
1 tomato roughly diced
salt and pepper
cooking oil

sambal
3 small onions
3 sections garlic
2 small chilies

Cook potato, tofu and tempe separately in pre-heated oil in a wok until golden brown. Drain excess oil.
Finely chop onions, garlic and chillies. Cook in wok until golden brown.
Add tomato pieces, salt and pepper.
mix cooked potato, tofu and tempe back into the wok.
Cook for 1-2 minutes.

"Chocolate Substitutes" - steamed pumpkin, banana and coconut parcels

Sometimes the discussion around the table at Sharing Bali heads in the direction of "chocolate". Everyone's chocolate habits are confessed. There are preferences for nightly hits of dark chocolate, and some who claim to eat it for it's anti-oxidant value! There is not a scrap of chocolate to be had at Sharing Bali even though it is grown as a crop locally. Everyone seems to get through the week without it as we do have some sweet treats as part of the menu. This seems to be one of the favourites that Gusti whips up for us. We include it in our cooking classes and there is a lot of fun to be had achieving the pyramid shaped perfectly wrapped banana leaf parcel!

3 cups finely chopped pumpkin
1 cup riceflour
1/2 spoon salt
1/2 spoon palm sugar shavings
1 cup fresh grated coconut
2-3 drops vanilla
2-3 pandan leaves (optional)
1/4 cup water
sliced bananas
banana leaves for wrapping (10cms x 15cms)

Sprinkle salt over the chopped pumpkin. This helps soften the pumpkin. Spirnkle in the water and mix by hand, squeexing the water through the pumpkin. Drain off excess water.
Add flour, sugar and coconut and continue mixing by hand. Add vanilla essence and extra water, if needed, to keep it moist.
Place a spoonful of the mixture onto a banana leaf, add a slice of banana if you like. Wrap the banana leaf around it to form a nice pyramid. Rolling the leaf up and folding over the ends is a less tricky option.
Steam for 15 - 20 minutes.

Body4U hits Sharing Bali!

We were lucky enough to have the most delightful bunch of gals from Body4U join us for a few days on a very special retreat. Angela and the girls lived life to the max. Running, rafting, volcano trekking, swimming, not to mention enjoying the food, our staff and life in general.

Angela sets a very high energy level and I can only imagine that any of her clients that she is training at the Body4U gym in Cleveland must get a sensational workout!

The pic is from a "coffee stop" after a trek. Made from fresh local coffee, ground vanilla and soy milk. Delicious. It got us up the last bit of the long hill!

Oh yes, did I mention the singing...........

monkeys in the trees

This is a little like "where's wally" but if you look really hard you can see the monkeys in the trees in the photos. They come up close to our bungalow in the afternoons, usually when I am just thinking about having a bit of a nap.

There is a family of about five and they chase each other, looking for the new bamboo shoots to chew on. We have staring contests through the trees, and as soon as I lift the camera they dash off!

more recipes from our cookbook - "pepes" spicy steamed fish

Gusti makes several fish dishes, but this one would have to be a favourite. You only need small pieces of fish. The sambal provides all of the flavour. We use a small river fish that has been semi-dried but any fresh fish fillet would be fine. If you don't have banana leaves handy, you can use foil, especially if you are going to throw them on the grill.

pepes (steamed spicy fish)

6 small fish fillets
2 tomatoes diced
1 spoon oil
banana leaves for wrapping (approx 20cm x 15cm)

sambal
3 small onions
5 pieces garlic
3 small chillies
3cm piece ginger
2 whole macadamia nuts
3cm piece white ginger (kencur)
2 pieces 2cm turmeric
3 lemongrass stalks finely chopped
pinch salt

place all sambal ingredients in mortar, and crush with pestle
add tomatoes and continue crushing
gently mix in 1 spoon oil


steam banana leaves for 1 minute to make them more pliable
generously coat 1 fish fillet with sambal and place on banana leaf
wrap and secure ends with toothpicks
steam for 15 mins (or place on grill)

Best served with rice and a cucumber salad for freshness. A Bintang beer does seem to be the perfect drink to finish it off.

pepes (steamed spicy fish)

pepes (steamed spicy fish)

6 small fish fillets
2 tomatoes diced
1 spoon oil
banana leaves for wrapping (approx 20cm x 15cm)

sambal
6 small onions
5 pieces garlic
3 small chillies
3cm piece ginger
2 whole macadamia nuts
3cm piece white ginger (kencur)
2 pieces 2cm turmeric
3 lemongrass stalks finely chopped
pinch salt

place all sambal ingredients in mortar and crush with pestle
add tomatoes and continue crushing
gently mix in 1 spoon oil


fish

steam banana leaves for 1 minute to make them more pliable
generously coat 1 fish fillet with sambal and place on banana leaf
wrap and secure ends with toothpicks
steam for 15 mins (or place on grill)

the breakfast favourite - banana pancake

Wayan has always served fresh fruit and banana pancakes for our guests for breakfast as the Balinese tend to eat a variety of rice puddings (burbur) for breakfast, which is not for everyone.

1 banana
1 egg
juice of ½ lemon
2 spoons rice flour
¼ cup milk
pinch cinnamon
1-2 drops vanilla essence
1 lime
grated coconut and palm sugar for garnish
salt
butter for cooking

Combine egg, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a dish. Mix with a fork.
Gradually add milk until a smooth, pouring consistency is achieved.
Fold in flour. Add more milk if necessary. (we prefer a thin mix)

Peel banana. Cut in half lengthwise and place in boiling water for 1-2 mins until slightly soft.
Remove from water.

Melt a touch of butter to grease a small shallow frypan.
Pour in a thin layer of pancake mixture.
Cook until golden brown. Just before ready, place banana in centre of pancake and wrap edges over. Cook for a further 30 seconds.
Place on plate and garnish with grated coconut and palm sugar. Serve with a piece of lime.

favourite recipes from Boot Camp - peanut sambal

PEANUT SAMBAL - the most delicious peanut sauce that is used for sate, mixing with green vegetables or just for dipping with rice crackers. There are two parts to the recipe, start with preparing the fried sambal (sambal goreng).

fried sambal
5 small onions finely sliced
4 garlic sections finely sliced
3 small chillies finely sliced
pinch salt
cooking oil

toss onions, garlic and chilli in pre heated oil in a wok over a high flame until golden brown
add pinch salt during cooking
remove from wok, drain excess oil and put aside to cool

peanut mix
1 cup fresh, unsalted peanuts
1 teaspoon palm sugar (may be substituted with brown sugar)
pinch salt
½ tiny lime
cooking oil

toss peanuts in pre heated oil in a wok over a high flame for 2-3 minutes
remove and drain excess oil
crush cooked peanuts using mortar and pestle until a dry paste
add cooled sambal to mortar and continue crushing with pestle
gradually add 1-2 tablespoons cold water to make textured, creamy consistency
add palm sugar and pinch of salt and continue grinding
finally add squeeze tiny lime and mix in
(nb: if using blender instead of mortar and pestle do not overblend to a smooth paste. A slightly crunchy texture is much nicer)



GREEN BEANS WITH PEANUT SAMBAL (sayur pelecing) a simple but tasty dish that spices up green leafy vegetables. We usually use beans and/or jungle fern (paku), but a variety of green vegetables may be used. Try spinach or snow peas. The peanut sambal is found in the previous sambal section.

30 or so green string beans
small bunch jungle fern (or other green vegetable)
1 cup peanut sambal

wash and trim greens
cut into bite size pieces
blanch the greens in boiling water, drain
gradually mix through peanut sambal by hand – enough to coat the greens

Boot Camp Bali Style March 2009

Sunday in Australia and I’m trying to adjust to a day that does not kick off with a Boot Camp session followed by banana pancakes, fresh juice and lemongrass tea. It’s not easy.

What a week we’ve just had. The days started with a 6.30am wake-up call from “Sarge”. No-one was late for the 7am starts. Everyone made it through all of the sessions as well as the volcano climb. Existing injuries, fears or limitations didn’t hold anyone back. The group got everyone through the tough moments, no one was left behind. Great stuff.

The first day was a big day. A morning Boot Camp session, a midday jungle walk and then an afternoon pack-march along small paths passing through rice paddies and crossing a steep ravine. In between catnaps were taken. Everyone felt it in their quads the next day.

Gabi’s yoga session at the end of day two soon stretched everyone out. A few of us even managed to move through a shoulder stand to having our legs stretched over our heads touching the floor behind us.

But I somehow don’t think anyone from the group will look at a coconut in the same way again. After spending hours using them as weights, jumping over them, and running a few kilometres along village roads with them, they are now seen in the same light as the dreaded sandbags. The best part was what I have come to think of as the “coconut express”. Everyone in line, passing coconuts along and then the end person gets to sprint to the top of the line and it starts all over again. The object is to get to the gate and back at speed. Drop the coconut and its push-ups, at Sarge’s cadence, for everyone. The group had to hit the ground just once and they were so close to the gate!

The trip up the volcano is a day of adventure for most people. It’s a challenging day, starting off in the early morning darkness to reach the top by sunrise. It’s steep, rocky and slippery at times. The group broke into three, all going at very different paces with their guides. The early group arrived to swirling cloud cover at the top, but by the time everyone else joined them, the sunrise was spectacular. The trek back down is more difficult and the walking sticks were put to good use.

Later, in the hot springs, bumps and scrapes were compared. There were a couple of slips, leaving some nice bruises to the top of legs to take home. Nothing that a couple of hours in the hot springs with drinks couldn’t soothe!

By day four I had a keen reminder of how practical everything in village life is. Over breakfast Wayan told us that some people from the next village had observed our stretcher runs and were wondering if the group were all doctors and nurses and were practising their ambulance skills? They were very bemused by the fact that it was just being done for the sake of exercise!

Behind the scenes was busy for Wayan. Not only were there 10 Boot Campers to take care of, but it was also “Galungan”, a major ceremonial event that happens every six months and stretches over a week. It is an important week for making offerings, preparing sate and lawar, putting up the penjor, and of course going to temple. Wayan had to be back at his family house and temple just outside Ubud every night whilst everyone was asleep in Ayung Sari Indah. It was a special time for our guests to be in Bali to see it all taking place in the village.

In between all of the activities, there was a break in the water pipe so Wayan and a team of men had to walk the 9kms of pipe through several ravines to fix the break. There’s no such thing as calling a government office after hours for help. When the water pipe breaks, the whole village is without running water, so it’s a group of volunteers that go and deal with it. (My suggestion of turning Boot Camp into something practical in the future, such as water pipe maintenance, didn’t go down too well).

But it wasn’t all hard work. A “mandi lulur” in Ubud soon had everyone relaxed. 90 minutes of massage, exfoliation and yoghurt treatments followed by soaking in a bath full of aromatic flowers and leaves left everyone positively scrubbed and glowing. The muddy jungle treks became a distant memory. It didn’t take much convincing that having a massage with Pak Gading in their rooms later in the week in their rooms was a good idea.

Gusti, “the kitchen goddess” gave us all a cooking lesson on day five. We started off with the secrets to making the perfect chai lemongrass tea that everyone had become addicted to during the week.

Then we moved onto “sayur pelecing” – green vegetables with spicy peanut sauce. There was a lot of mortar and pestle work. We all had to take turns as it was like a Boot Camp session in the kitchen. The end result was delicious and we devoured it pretty quickly. I’ll post the recipes and the photos in a separate blog.

We were treated to a spectacular sunset on the last night. The perfect prelude to the final celebration dinner. Time to get out of the workout clothes and into some good gear. The shopping sessions in Ubud came to the fore.

Bamboo flames lit the path to the dining area in the rice paddies. Wayan brought us smoked duck and chicken. (The duck and chicken are stuffed with traditional spicy sambals, wrapped in a skin of the palm tree and then smoked for 12 hours over a smouldering fire fuelled by rice husks). Gusti and the kitchen crew cooked rice, sambals, coconut fish curries and of course traditional sates on lemongrass stalks. Our friends from the village joined us, making up a small gamelan orchestra bringing music to the night. It was a well deserved night of fun. But not too much fun, as there was still one more Boot Camp session to look forward to in the morning. And it was a challenge session starting at 6.30am, full energy required!

Everyone finished strong on the last morning. Time for one more banana pancake and a couple of hours to kick back and soak in the views from the bungalows before heading home.

I always feel good after a Boot Camp or Yoga retreat. It was put to the test today. I have been writing this blog on and off all day today in between unpacking, washing, and dealing with life in general back here in Australia. Late in the afternoon I headed out to my Bikram Yoga class (heated yoga). As there were no beginners in the class, our teacher announced that we were going to have an intense class. “Be prepared to work hard, stay determined and focused”. I was a little nervous as I had not practised for over a week, but I have to say that I had the best class ever. The week of Boot Camp kicked in and I all but skipped out of the 90 minute class. Yay!

Everyone is going to upload their photos onto a flickr site, so stay tuned for the link.

getting ready for Boot Camp 2009

Just two weeks until our Boot Camps for 2009 start up. We have a full group for March 15 and we are all very excited to get going again after the wet season.

But it hasn't been without some last minute "excitement". Whilst feeling the despair of our bushfire and flood victims here in Australia, Mother Nature was lashing out in Bali recently.

One week we were hit with horrendous rain, of an intensity way beyond the normal wet season deluges. Damage to our bungalows and our drainage systems. Wayan and a team of 12 men worked in the rain for a week repairing the mess.

Wayan rested for what seemed like just a minute, and then wham, we were hit by cyclone Freddy. Freddy was mean. Wayan called me back here in Australia to let me know that most of our grass roofs had "flown across the valley" and trees were down everywhere. Wayan was cutting down dangerous trees when it was safe.

It wasn't just us. Around 20 houses in the village had awful damage. In fact Freddy blew a destructive path all the way up to North Bali.

So another week later, and Wayan has worked with a team of 15 men to clean up Freddy's mess. The roofs have been replaced and have had a ceremonial blessing. We are back on track and ready for our Boot Campers, but not without some heartache.

But whilst the damage was devestating, we are grateful that no one was hurt during the storms. Nothing else matters.

So, Boot Campers we are ready!

lemongrass tea

I'm back here in Australia, missing Bali just a little. Just a couple of more weeks and I will be back in the village.
So I've been out to the garden and cut myself a piece of lemongrass and brewed up a glass of lemongrass tea. It's like a little taste of Bali. Thought I would share the recipe from our cookbook:

LEMONGRASS TEA

1 stalk of fresh lemon grass
1 lime or lemon
pinch fresh ground cinnamon
1 tea bag
boiling water
sugar as required

Cut end off lemon grass and remove outer dry leaves.

Gently bruise the lemongrass with the back of a knife or a small mallet to release the flavours

Tie in knot and place in glass with cinnamon and sugar if needed

Pour in boiling water

Add tea bag. Remove after tea turns golden brown. Not too strong or else it will overpower the lemongrass

Stir in a squeeze of lime. Serve with a couple of stalks of lemongrass instead of a spoon for stirring.

For our Chai Tea add some fresh ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

Lemongrass is really easy to grow. If you can't find a plant in your nursery, just buy a piece from your grocery store. Put it into water for a week or so until roots start to grow. Plant in your garden and you will soon have your very own supply of fresh lemongrass. In my opinion, fresh lemongrass tea wins hands down everytime over a dried tea leaf that is infused with lemongrass. Delicious!

“the rhythms of the wet season”

It’s the start of the wet season so it’s time to adjust. I have worked out long ago that it is best to get into the natural rhythm of the day in the same manner as the Balinese.

The mornings are busy. Everyone makes the most of the sunshine before the early afternoon tropical downpours disturb the day. The whooshing sound of the rain takes over and everything becomes quiet and still. Even the insects seem to be on mute. It’s rest time. Personally, I don’t need any further convincing that there is nothing better to do than lay down, read a book and usually indulge in a very restful afternoon nap.

Once the rain is over, everything comes back to life. Bamboo blinds that hold back the rain are opened up, paths and balconies are swept, and the farmers go back to work until sunset. The rain often thunders down again late at night, soaking the ground, all ready for the next morning and so the cycle continues.

The cool early mornings are my favourite time of the day. Wayan does not vaguely share my enthusiasm for sunrises so I slip out of the bungalow very quietly. Long ago I learnt to curb my natural habit of instant chatter and activity from the moment I wake up. It took me a while to figure out that I am considered to be a walking, talking nightmare by “non-morning” people.

I head off for a walk every morning. Sometimes to the east in search of the sunrise and the view to Mt Agung, or maybe down the path to the kubu that overlooks the river. I usually get to my yoga mat by 7am or so. For me, this is the perfect start to the day.

I’ve had a few easy, restful days, so this morning was day 1 of stepping it up a little. A week ago I committed to doing the Kokoda Challenge in July 2009. 96kms in hopefully no more than 30 hours. Yikes! I’ve coerced two workmates to join the team and we are all going to manage our own fitness regimes in conjunction with training with Sarge and his other recruits on the trail every two months. It’s a great challenge that I am really looking forward to and I love that the Kokoda Challenge is a charity that supports teenagers who may need some help to get back on track. www.kokodachallenge.com.au I have done plenty of jungle trekking over the years, but always over a few days. Never without sleep! So, no slacking off now, this is serious and we are all determined to make it.

So I hit the hills this morning and even managed some runs in between. (I have no problem trekking up hills for hours, but I absolutely loathe running). So it’s hills when in Bali and then I’m counting on a combination of Bikram Yoga and morning walks with a weight in my backpack when back in Australia to get me there. I have found that Bikram Yoga (heated yoga) has been the best discipline I have ever taken up. Sweating it out in the hotbox for 90 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week, really works on my strength and focus. It’s also great cardio. I didn’t ever think it would be possible for my heart to race as much as it does during a Bikram session. I love the 37-degree heat. It’s like being in the tropics, inducing an instant detox every session.

It is harvest time in the rice paddies alongside Ayung Sari Indah right now. Starting at sunrise, farmers are cutting, threshing and sifting the rice husks. It’s back breaking work. They laugh at me early in the morning as I run past them. They are probably thinking that if I just worked all day with them in the rice paddies I wouldn’t need to be running up and down hills. Fifteen or so people all work together, moving their way through the paddies. There is lots of “omong kosong”, or gossip, in our language. I can hear them all day long. They have breaks and wander over to our kitchen to ask for hot water to fill their thermoses for tea. They get a lot done before the afternoon rains.

We have the most delightful guests staying with us at the moment. They are true “foodies”. Meal times are the highlight of the day for them. Every meal, every flavour, is devoured and appreciated. They have taken to spending time in the kitchen with Gusti, “the kitchen goddess”, learning the secrets. Once again they are astounded that such wonderful food comes out of such a tiny kitchen with such “primitive” appliances. Just two gas flames, a wok, and a bunch of battered saucepans back up the essential mortar and pestle. A few knives and chopping boards complete the kitchen. Four people weave around each other in a space that most westerners would consider adequate for one.

After their first chore, crushing the ginger, garlic, onions, chillies and turmeric with the stone mortar and pestle, a change of clothes is called for. It’s hot, and it’s hard work. No token chopping for guests in this kitchen! Shorts and singlets are required much to the amusement of Gusti and the girls who barely raise a sweat. But they are hooked. We are going to buy them a couple of stone mortar and pestles from the local market to take home with them so they can continue their Balinese food experience at home.

Their enthusiasm is infectious. They suggest that we think about 3-4 day cooking retreats. Start by taking the guests on what they have named “gathering walks”, where we walk for a couple of hours gathering an array of fresh fruits and vegetables along the way from our gardens and farms close by. Then back to the kitchen where the fun begins. Add a couple of afternoons spent in Ubud for some spa treatments and it could be a lovely 3-4 days. It’s a good thought.


A couple of days later …… just back from my farmers’ breakfast.

I woke up to a hot, sunny morning. The mountains have burst through the clouds, everything is sparkling clean and lush after the rain. A perfect morning for photos. I grabbed my camera and wandered up to the village. Gusti and Putu join me for a walk down the village road towards the east, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Agung before the clouds move in later in the morning.

Ten minutes down the road and someone from the rice paddies to the east is yelling at us to come and join them. It’s Sonada, a friend of Wayan’s. His family is out in the paddies transplanting the new rice. Perfect timing, they are ready for breakfast. Sonada’s wife has a basket full of food for everyone that she cooked early in the morning in the kitchen before heading out to the rice paddies. Breakfast is a handful of rice, some bananas coated with tapioca and steamed in a banana leaf, topped with palm sugar. The ever-useful banana leaf is folded and used as a bowl to eat from. Accompanied by a small glass of hot sweet coffee, and of course, the men have a kretek cigarette (clove cigarette) to finish.

As we are eating breakfast, I hear the sound of gamelan music and the men start tapping their fingers to the beat on imaginary drums. I’m looking for the ubiquitous cheap radio or cassette player, but I can’t find it. I ask where the music is coming from and one boy cheekily brings out his mobile phone from his pocket. Yep, they have downloaded gamelan music onto their phones. Nokia has moved into the rice paddies.

The rhythms really are a-changing!

Yoga Plus 5! retreat

I kept a diary on one of our Yoga Plus 5! retreats. It's a little long, so you may want to get yourself a nice cup of lemongrass tea to get you to the end.

Monday

It’s 5.30am and I am on my balcony, sitting on my favourite batik clad bamboo lounge looking out over the jungle. I have a glass of lemongrass tea and my laptop for company. This is my writing spot for the week. Not bad.

It’s the start of the rainy season so it’s a little cloudy, the mountains are trying their hardest to push through the mist. Yesterday’s rain seems like it has spring-cleaned this part of the world. Everything looks so lush. The hibiscus seem to be dripping with intense colour and the sharp green of the grasses and trees nearly hurt my eyes.

There are so many sounds. To my left I can hear the morning chatter of birds, the breeze is rustling through the bamboo just in front of the balcony, from below is the gentle sound of the river and from behind me I can hear the distant squawking of the roosters waking up the village.

All of this is interrupted occasionally by what I now call the Cicada Chorus. Full blast, big voices, singing their hearts out for a startling five-minute performance. They must have a conductor out there somewhere, tapping his baton on the bamboo, as they start together and finish together perfectly. Not one stray voice at the end.

I’m looking forward to a Yoga Plus 5! retreat week. Daily yoga with Gabi, a volcano climb, hot springs and spa treatments are ahead. Perfect.

Time to get ready for Yoga. Gabi will be here soon.

Our morning yoga session was strong. Lots of standing asanas that called for strength, focus and balance. Balance is not my strong point, so I really had to work hard as Gabi took us through the variations of the warrior pose. The Bikram Yoga classes I do back in Australia have really taught me that balance is all about focus. I know that if my mind starts to wander away from my breath and my alignment, that I fall out of the pose. It’s that simple. Wayan says I have a monkey mind. He has often told me that he can hear the monkeys gibbering away in my mind when I am sitting in “silence”. I’m working on it.

The second part of the class was floor work. With a little help on my alignment from Gabi, I was able to get much further into a shoulder stand than usual. After 90 minutes we are all refreshed and re-energized. Our backs are straighter, and we have a spring in our step, ready for the day.

After a shower we wandered up to the dining area. Whilst we have been working on our asanas, Gusti, the kitchen goddess, has been working her magic on our breakfast. There is mango and pineapple juice, banana pancakes, fresh fruit and lemongrass tea. Served on a banana leaf, the banana pancakes and fruit look like a work of art. The fruit is a multi-coloured pile of freshness next to the feather light pancake, both sprinkled with freshly grated coconut and palm sugar, and the finishing touch is a red hibiscus.

Breakfast starts to have a whole new meaning in life, and once again I make a silent promise to recreate this for myself when I am working back in Australia. I get home around 6am after my morning exercise and then it seems like a race starts. So, no more dashing out the door, after a hastily gulped down breakfast of muesli, yoghurt and if I am lucky a cup of tea, often consumed whilst checking emails! There may not be time to cook a banana pancake, but I can serve myself fruit in one of my coconut bowls and it would take me just a minute to go out to my garden to pick a hibiscus and sit on my balcony and enjoy my breakfast!

After a rest and some lunch, we drive into Ubud and hand our bodies over to the delightful people at Bodyworks for a couple of hours of indulgence. Our guests enjoyed the traditional Mandi Lulur, which is a massage, followed by an all over body exfoliating scrub, and then into a bath of fragrant petals. Finished off by having cool yoghurt rubbed into the skin as a moisturiser. They came out very relaxed and looking very polished and glowing!

I went for my favourite treatment, an hour-long pedicure complete with leg and foot massage. After the soaking, scrubbing and polishing my feet are now fit to be seen in a pair of sandals.

So feeling very relaxed and refreshed we head back to Ayung Sari Indah for our sunset yoga session. As it is our second session for the day, it is a little softer. It is dark by the time we are finished and we are all feeling pretty pleased with ourselves after day one.

Dinner and sleep is all we need. It’s 10pm…. the end to the day for us. Wayan has returned to his family house for a ceremony. Offerings have been made all day and will continue for the week. Tonight is important, as Wayan must help the priest bury a young coconut with offerings in the ground under his ancestral temples at midnight.


Tuesday

Started the day with a walk around some of the gardens. The most perfect white lilies have bloomed in the front pond and there are several new pink lotuses in the pond next to the rice paddies. They are my most favourite flowers.

By 7.30am we are back on our mats for another yoga session. Our guests are fairly new to yoga, so it’s a lighter session today. Gabi spends time really helping with everyone’s positions, getting to know the injuries and weaknesses being dealt with. As always we finish the session with Gabi leading us in some beautiful chanting.

Our guests are off to the Elephant Safari Park for the day, so it leaves Wayan and I free to catch up on jobs. I spent most of the day on the computer, sending emails. Wayan dashed between government offices in Gianyar updating paperwork. Our patch of paradise is not exempt from the trials of bureaucracy. We make it home just after our guests.

Dance is a way of life for many Balinese as they start to learn to dance at the age of four or five. The girls learn to carry anything and everything on their heads on a daily basis from the age of around three, giving them wonderful posture and balance. Many times I have tried to learn to dance with Gusti and the girls. Just the basic steps are beyond me. You need so much core strength and excellent posture to hold the poses in the correct position. After just a few minutes my thighs and my upper arms are giving me so much grief. I have survived Boot Camp sessions and trekked through jungles for hours, but nothing reduces my muscles to quivering jelly as fast as a Balinese dance class! Whilst Gusti and the girls dance like graceful butterflies, I feel about as lithe and graceful as an elephant by comparison. But it is all good fun, and I live in hope of one day moving with just an ounce of their grace and strength!

After an early dinner, we head into Pura Dalem to see a dance troupe. I have been lucky enough over many years to see some wonderful performances as part of temple ceremonies. The temples come alive with everyone dressed in their finest, carrying exquisite offerings. The air is vibrant, the colours are intense, a sea of batik, gold and white. The gamelan orchestra and the dancing go on for hours, as this is entertainment for the gods. The sweet smell of cloves from the men’s cigarettes mingles with the fragrance of the frangipani and cempaka flowers in the offerings. It’s a heady experience.

It’s not quite the same, going to see the performance in Pura Dalem, as it is a performance mainly seen by tourists. The funds raised goes to the upkeep of the temples and it is also very good practise for the dance troupes. As visitors we seem to impose formality. We sit politely and clap at the end of each session, not something the Balinese do. At a Balinese temple ceremony, the surrounding noise is constant, everybody chatters through the performances, coming and going as they please. Sometimes there are dances by children and they often forget their steps or part of their costume comes astray, and the audience breaks up into laughter.

But nothing takes away the magic of the dance performance itself. The girls dancing the joyful Gabor, or welcome dance, are beautiful and elegant. The Baris dancer brings to life the dance of the warrior. And of course, the Barong dance is dramatic. You soon forget that the face of this mythical animal is a mask as it comes to life during the dance. The graceful athleticism of the dancers is astounding.

Soon we are back in the car heading towards Ayung Sari Indah.
Everyone is straight to bed. We are leaving at 3.30am to drive to Mt Batur.

Wednesday

We arrive around 4.15am at Gede’s house next to the lake. It’s pitch dark, a little cloudy, but no rain thank goodness. Time for a last minute check of our packs – water, torches, food, cameras, walking sticks. All ready to go, just need our guide. A motorbike hurtles down the drive, the rider bounces towards us and we get to meet Putu, our delightful and as we soon discover, very energetic guide. Gede loads him up with some extra water, eggs and bread and we are ready to go.

The first 30 minutes is a fairly easy, steady gradient going through the tree-lined area. The path is covered with fallen leaves and the ground is soft underfoot from the recent rain. It is quiet and dark, new moon just 2 nights away. We get into an easy rhythm, step by step, our torches lighting up the footpath just ahead.

As we leave the tree line, we hit the rockier and steeper stuff. Time for the legs to kick in. The group soon splits into those who power to the front and those who are happier at a slower pace down the back. Putu practically dances his way along, never raising a sweat. We stop for rests and as the sun appears we stop to admire the mountains and the lake below. We can also now see what lies ahead and it’s looking very steep.

The last kilometre to the top feels like it is straight up. The pace slows and we use our walking sticks to help us take big steps up. Someone comments that a little more time on the stairmaster back home may have been a good idea. Everyone is feeling good about themselves as we finally make it to the top in reasonable shape.

A few other groups are already at the top sitting in the little huts, drinking hot tea, rugged up, relaxing. We unload our packs and join them. Putu heads off to cook us some eggs in the steam rising out of the rocks.

We are on the edge of a caldera and have a dramatic 360-degree view. To the east is Mt Agung, down below is the lake. It is a perfectly still morning, so the water is like glass, the dark mountains reflected in the natural mirror. I love it, it is a magical feeling to be standing on the top of a volcano early in the morning.

But back to face reality, the trek back down to the lake. Doesn’t matter how many times I do this, I still have to gulp back the fear as I think of the steep descent. I’ve done it again, I’ve powered through a climb, arrived at the top feeling charged and then my next thought is “I wonder how much it would be for a helicopter ride out of here?” I soon discover that I am not alone in these thoughts. In fact, those of us who relished the upward climb are now at the back, with locked knees and thighs, hanging on to our walking sticks as we descend. At times it is loose, slippery gravel and dirt. Putu approaches parts of the track as a snowboarder would, slipping and sliding his way down and letting out a whoop at the end. Oh, to have that carefree approach!

We all make it back down with dignity intact, just a couple of harmless falls along the way. Putu has taken an easier path for this group and we make the round trip in 5 hours. Wayan has had a few hours sleep and is waiting for us at Gede’s house.

A couple of hours in the hot springs soon ease the tightness in everyone’s muscles. A few leisurely laps in the pool are relaxing. Getting out of bed at 3am turns into a distant memory.

We head back to Gede’s place for a lunch of fresh fish from the lake, grilled with lots of local onions. Everyone is hungry and the food is delicious.

It’s very quiet on the drive home. Everyone is tired and sleepy. Nothing else to do but have a well deserved afternoon nap!

Thursday

We’re back on our yoga mats by 8am, comparing aches and pains from yesterday’s walk. Tight quads, stiff knees and a couple of blisters are the most common. Gabi arrives and assures us that she will help stretch us out by the end of the class. My first sun salutation series was not exactly fluid, but after a little while, my body warmed up and found a way to follow Gabi’s flowing asanas. We work on some cleansing twisting poses today, squeezing out toxins.

After yoga, some of the guests drop into the kitchen to learn some of Gusti’s cooking secrets. Recipes and techniques are memorised.

We head into Ubud around 10am as everyone is keen to do some shopping. Legs are too sore for the planned jungle walks. We drop off at the market and agree to meet at Bodyworks later in the afternoon for some more spa treatments. It’s hot and steamy in Ubud after the coolness of Ayung Sari Indah.

Refreshed from pedicures and foot reflexology treatments, we head home. Gusti has fruit juices ready when we arrive. Time to kick back and catch up on some reading before getting ready for our final dinner together.

Wayan has been busy organising treats. He goes to the old man in his village to pick up duck cooked in the traditional Balinese way, slowly smoked over a fire built from rice husks. Gusti and her helpers have been making chicken sate sticks, jackfruit curry, jungle fern with spicy peanut sauce, and several different spicy sambals.

Kerosene torches light the garden and Wayan’s friends make up a small gamelan orchestra. Everyone is dressed in sarongs, including our guests, their skins glowing from their healthy week of work. We do our best to dance Balinese style on the grass to the amusement of the locals. Not exactly graceful, but good fun.

Friday

We start the day with Gabi for our last yoga session. Gabi helps everyone through their sun salutations, keen for everyone to go home knowing that they can at least do this series by themselves every morning. We work hard, our bodies recalling our daily practises. We finish, listening to Gabi’s chanting for the last time. The last namastes are said, whilst looking out over the rice paddies and the mountains for the final time.

Time for the one more banana pancake and lemongrass tea. The guests are tossing up whether they are inspired to go home and cook for themselves and their families or whether they will be going to into shock when they realise that there will be no-one to bring them their meals served on a banana leaf three times a day. They have one last request, “can we take Gusti home with us?”

When we get back from getting our guests off to the airport, there is a quietness in Ayung Sari Indah. Rain has settled in so I read a book on the outdoor bed for a few hours whilst Wayan sleeps. Everyone relaxes, no more sweeping or cleaning. Even Putu, Gusti’s little girl sits quietly, playing in the garden.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday rolls along quietly. Bungalows are cleaned, gardens are swept. The boys play backgammon at night.

On Sunday we are awoken at 6am by the sound of kulkul being drummed. The kulkul is a drum in the centre of the village that is used to call meetings, or to announce it’s time to proceed to ceremonies, or on rare occasions for help in emergencies. This morning it is just a persistent soft drumming, letting all the men know that they are expected to meet in the village for a working session. Trees and gardens on the roadside need to be trimmed, irrigation channels need cleaning up. Wayan stumbles out of bed, grabbing his machete and straw broom and makes his way to the village to join the other 50 or so men for a couple of hours.

(I’m not sure there would be the same reaction at 6am on a Sunday morning back in my suburban street in Australia??!!)

I head for my yoga mat.

Later in the day Wayan and I head out to have lunch at a new organic restaurant near Ubud. It’s a nice place surrounded by rice paddies.

We have just an hour or so to relax on the balcony, before I pack my bags, say goodbye to everyone and head back to the airport. Time to go back to the other life for a while.

sharing bali blog has launched

At long last, I have got around to creating a blog for Sharing Bali!
I hope to keep our guests posted with what's going on in our lives up at Ayung Sari Indah.
I have loads of stories that I have been collecting, waiting for me to get it all together in the blog world. So I'm going to upload a whole bunch of posts in one go. If anyone needs any info on our part of the world, or just wants one of our recipes from Gusti, our resident kitchen Goddess, then please get in touch.
I might also use this blog to post last minute specials for our Boot Camp or Yoga retreats, so check in from time to time.
So, here goes!