Cremation Ceremony

Wayan has been busy in his family village with a cremation. It’s an important ceremony in Balinese culture and it takes weeks of preparation. There are 34 people being cremated so there are numerous offerings and cremation towers to be made. Today is the last day. The ashes are gathered and placed inside a coconut before being sent out to sea on a small, but beautiful bamboo raft to the next life with everyone's blessings.

new sculptures in the garden

Our gardens are ever-changing and Wayan has a new sculpture project in work alongside the irrigation channel. I think there will be about 15 of these statues by the time he's done.

No trip to the river is complete without a fresh coconut drink along the way. A perfect refresher in the midst of the new jungle walk.

Pak Gading is one of our most favourite visitors

A famous healer and masseuse, he has had no formal training as we know it. His knowledge was passed down from his grandfather. At around 75 years of age, he may have no teeth, but he is lean, with strong, muscular arms that would be the envy of any 20 year old.

Local Balinese see him for all manner of injuries from torn muscles to broken bones. He has healed many an injury for Wayan and myself and is always kind enough to come to our place to work his magic.

For some, he becomes the daily addiction….. “can I book Pak Gading just one more time before I leave?”

He is most popular after the volcano climb. The day starts at 3.15am to get to the top by sunrise. On the drive home everyone is usually happily tired, but there are quite a few tight muscles that could do with some work. One day as we drove down the driveway we could see Pak Gading sitting by the water, looking out over the rice paddies. A sleepy voice from the back of the car spoke for everyone - “what a vision.”

Mt. Batur Volcano Climb

As much as we like to keep an element of surprise to this trip, we do get a lot of “how far, how high” questions. So here you go, this is what you’re up for on the climb and it’s worth the effort!

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.