Answer the question: how much can W&P women squeeze into one day?

Wednesday 28th September

Unbelievably this is the array of activities we squeezed into one day:

1. Casa Luna Cooking School

After a speedy breakfast we set off at 7.30 am for cooking school. First step was a trip to the market or Pasar to experience the sights and smells of the huge array of produce for sale.  Whilst many of us are familiar with Asian ingredients,  Oleg, our guide found a number that were new to us, such as torch ginger and white eggplants. A big winner was the purchasing of some sets of men's and women's knives safely housed in leather pouches. Super sharp and carefully weighted for men and women's strength there will no doubt be many a fabulous dish prepared using them (and hopefully no serious accidents.  The hustle and bustle of the market was great.

After all of that exertion it was a walk to Honeymoon villas to cook.

But of course we couldn't possibly start any serious work without morning tea! Rice,  vegies, porridge Balinese style and coconut pancakes fortified us for the tasks to follow.  Yude our teacher was a delightful skilled chef with a wicked sense of humour. Before long some of us were chopping, grinding, slicing and cooking delicious Balinese delicacies: chicken curry with chokoes, eggplant with tomato and chili, fish in a spicy sauce, fern salad and, most importantly,  raw and cooked sambal with lots of chillies.  We soon learnt that a pinch of salt in Balinese cooking was a huge amount- more like a half a handful!

Some of our party took the time to have a rest whilst the others worked.  But they all miraculously appeared when the tantalizing food appeared.

2. A safari trip to Pejeng

The excitement grew when we left the cooking school to discover that our next form of transport was to be a peculiarly Balinese vehicle: the Safari or jeep.  These rough and ready vehicles with a fold down roof are perfect for traveling around the unpredictable roads.  Fortunately a few drops of rain came and went so we could head off with the roof down and our hair blowing in the wind.  The need for hats and sunscreen became clear as we headed along the picturesque route to Pejeng. We knew there was a bushfire somewhere and were rather startled to come across a fire engine traveling at a very slow pace despite the need for some urgency!
When we were almost in Pejeng there was a slight hiccup: alongside some rice fields some new deep drains were  being constructed. When our procession of safaris came around the corner we were confronted by a huge digger blocking the road. Finding space to do u-turns was tricky but soon the menagerie was headed to Pejeng via a different route

3. A visit to Gusri's family compound

Feeling a little disheveled we entered the family compound to be greeted by Gusri,  one of the leaders of the Pejeng community. As we walked into the compound  we could hear the sounds of the local women's gamelan orchestra playing to welcome us. Their sarongs of bright yellow, kabayas of bright emerald green and their amazing bouffant hair was  dazzling.  The gamelan music with its complex rhythms, tinkling  'xylophones' and strong beats was wonderful.

Next was a stroll around the compound so Gusri could explain about the design of the buildings and the family temple
The significance of the directions the buildings face and the different heights of each building was explained so we could appreciate the care taken.

The importance of offerings was explained again whilst some of the ladies showed us some new styles

Cooking neon delicacies & Bali cakes for afternoon tea;
We are spirited to see the vivid colours the women used to create the soft rice pastries that were deep fried: some artist and skill required as we discovered. A table was groaning with drinks and plates of Bali cakes (which few of us could face after cooking school lunch!) But the black rice pudding with coconut milk was great.

After the gamelan ladies played again it was our turn.  Some of us volunteered-or were volunteered by our supposed friends. It would be fair to say that the first few minutes were musical chaos as I bashed a drum, Sue played the equivalent of a xylophone, Jan played a stores of tin drums,  Anne hit a huge gong and Thelma đdelicately played the"turtles" (a set of tiny cymbals). As we slowly got the idea it sounded a lot more melodic.  Then I started to worry about how we would know when to stop!  Fortunately the instructor, who clapped the beat anytime we strayed, started to clap more slowly and we ended quite elegantly I thought. Not only was it hard physical work but it was LOUD!
The women all thought it was fun judging by the smiles  on their faces, and they seemed pleased when Jenny gave each of them a small kangaroo pin to say thank you.

What is life like for Balinese women?
I had asked Coki, one of the leaders in the Women's Association to talk about the life of Balinese women, which she did very enthusiastically. The role of spirituality and the focus on community is clearly an integral part of Balinese life. She spoke about access to health and education,  and the challenges of combining work, housework (including making 50 offering baskets each day) and family  commitments. Some challenges are the same the world over!

Finally we farewelled everyone and walked the short distance to Madali,shock is owned by my Australian friend Alison and her Balinese partner Made.

4. Visiting Kebun Madali Villas and Organic Garden
Set amongst the rice fields we settled in for a relaxing evening doing my favourite activity - watching the rice grow.

We:

-went swimming in the pool

- drank iced Rosella tea and some wine

-listened to live music courtesy of Made and many of his friends and family. A very eclectic selection ranging from Dolly Parton ( Made's latest passion!) to Bob Dylan to Balinese pop to the theme from Rawhide!!

- enjoyed massages from Dita and two of the local Pejeng women: very relaxing

-  were served a wonderful traditional Baselines meal including
Babi Guling (whole Roast Suckling Pig) and lots of local Balinese delicacies

-watched beautiful elegant Balinese dancing by Coki's daughters and niece.

After a wonderful day we dragged ourselves on to the bus and headed back to collapse in bed and marvel at our endurance.

Your happy and more informed correspondent

Dianne

Balinese art and culture....from the sublime to the ridiculous

Tuesday 27th September

Day Two of the Conference was intriguing inspiring and challenging. Elaine's take on science and vocation was a new perspective for many of us. Catherine înspired us to think we could all reinvent ourselves whilst Sue M. had us all pondering on our personal branding: a totally new concept for many!  Jan challenged us to consider all aspects of unfinished business while Sue H. made us face up to the daunting task of managing death gracefully.  To cap it off Anne brought us up to date, and reminded us of our legal responsibilities.

Lots of conversations and considerable thinking followed these fascinating topics.

After yet another delightful lunch we headed off for an afternoon of Balinese 'culcha'.

First it was off to the Museum Rudana located in a large traditional building set in the middle of rice fields. The airy building housed a mixture of traditional Balinese art and some intriguing contemporary pieces,  including a huge canvas that appeared to be a painting of 8 penises!! A series of beautiful and vibrant dancing girls was one of the highlights for me,  but everyone seemed to find something that fascinated them.  At one point Karin and I found ourselves drawn to a painting of two girls dressed in aqua and jade. ..Then we realized we were dressed in exactly the same colours .

We were all fascinated by a huge earth coloured, very detailed canvas covering an entire wall which, on closer inspection, included the bombing of the twin towers, the Bali bombings and Osama bin Laden!! The collision of traditional Balinese  art with contemporary events was confronting.

After a quick drink and toilet stop (why does it take so long for so many women to go to the loo? ) we piled on the bus and headed for ARMA. I do love an acronym but I seem to have totally forgotten what this stands for!

Set in lush gardens with fruit trees, ancient statues - and even some man made beehives - the location was lovely. More traditional art and a range of pieces to enjoy. Some more fascinating art to peruse slowly.another time. ...and another drink. ..and another toilet stop. .. and we were on our way to the madhouse that is the Antonio Blanco gallery.

His art propped a frame of interesting reactions like:  is this pornography or art? Was he crazy or what?
He was a Spanish artist who feel in love with a Balinese dancer who then became his model. His art was displayed in a very ornate colorful building which he designed, which matched the'over-the-top' style of his art. His considerable artistic talent wasn't limited to the actual artwork as many of the collage frames expressed his creativity too. He seemed to favour women with large breasts in suggestive poses as his favourite subject. His work included Salvador Dali and Michael Jackson so he really had diverse tastes. No photos allowed so you can't see his work to judge for yourselves!
But before we even entered the Gallery the first surprise was a number of huge exotic birds perched on rails at head height and completely tame! There was an immediate separation in the group: those with bird phobias and those who loved birds, and were desperate to have them perched all over them. One huge macaw seemed less popular probably due to the huge size of its beak!! The choice included a black cockatoo, a white cockatoo and some very large parrots, all of whom seemed very content to climb all over people

After another drink (!) we piled on the bus and parted ways, some into town for shopping and dinner, some for a swim back at Kamandalu, some to their rooms to work on unfinished conference presentations. ..and some to get an early night!

We all needed to get plenty of sleep as we were headed for an even busier day on the morrow.

Your tired but happy correspondent

Dianne

Communing with nature & looking gorgeous!

Monday 26^th September

The day started with early meditation for some – lots of ohms and oooohs – followed by yoga – again for those wanting to join the hotel’s morning yoga session. A well earned breakfast where the specially ordered omelettes were a must or the noodles, plus fresh fruit and juices and a pastry or two on the side. All very healthy of course.

Our first session started at the genteel hour of 9.15am when Jenny welcomed the group that had assembled in the very well-appointed conference room complete with floral decorations and views of the gardens. The room has one of those roofs that keeps going up so that if you lean back to have a ‘little think’ your gaze is drawn upward into this never-ending thatched ceiling. Anyway enough of ceiling gazing.

We started with a getting to know you (just in case we hadn’t already done enough talking). We learned a little about our 2 W&P virgin sisters and what had been happening with the other members of the group in the past 2 years and longer. Lots of memories to share and the ‘do you remember …..’

K

The morning session proceeded with discussions around careers, conversations and contemplation. Somehow we found ourselves wearing various coloured ‘taggies’ on our wrists and talking about symbolism. From there it was the topic of busyness and being productive (or not) mixed with mindfulness and ways to be effective. The morning session finished with a quick reflection on the journey of the W&P from Broome onward and some more reminders on living well.

Lunch was another epic of exploring the various dishes on offer in the restaurant and choosing more than necessary but very nice. We are already making out presence felt in the hotel – very noisy and lots of laughter, but at least we all seem to now be oriented to the hotel, the various levels and buildings and can choose whether to go via the verandah and look over the lake or to go via the paths around the pool. The verandah is the best bet when it is raining, such as the heavy showers while we were at lunch but were starting to clear by the time we left for the afternoon sessions.

The afternoon session was the Bali Herb Walk and Jamu Class with a visit to a herb garden to learn about the numerous plants that included more types of basil than we knew of. As for turmeric we now know the difference between yellow, white and black turmeric. After sniffing the various plants on offer, we set off on a walk to the building where the Jamu and other herb creams and products are made. After much ‘keep to the left’ when motorcycles tried to pass, we arrived at the building and climbed some very steep stairs to the class-room on the verandah. A long table was set up with a place for each of us and an apron.

We were served coconuts milk in the shell followed by herbal tea and then given instructions on how to use the ingredients set up on the chopping boards at each place. First came the Jamu where the turmeric and galangal were placed in a blender. The tamarind and palm sugar went into a large pot together with the blended turmeric and boiled. We were later served this as a hot drink – quite interesting and not unpleasant – not sure that it cured anything but we can hope.

Next, we applied ourselves to the mortar and pestle with rice, ginger, coriander seeds and cloves to make a body scrub. Five willing volunteers were clothed in loose tops so shoulders were bared and the scrub was applied with a thick paste on the forehead, temples and behind the ears and the remainder massaged well into the shoulders, necks and backs. The amount of resultant perspiration were the toxins coming out – some of us must have been very toxic!

A third brew (a body oil) was made from flower petals heated with coconut oil – very aromatic. The final mix was a body mask of aloe vera and corn kernels blended together.

Back at the hotel, it was a quick swim for some before the bus then took us again into Ubud to dinner. The menu feature for the evening was duck – very delectable.

Before climbing into our princess beds, a few again took to the pool for a late night wallow; trying not to disturb too much the other hotel guests attempting a romantic poolside dinner. Ah well, we did try to keep the laughter down but the ‘no life guard on duty’ sign but two bar-tenders at the swim-up bar was a bit funny.

This is a brief skim of what happened on Monday; I am sure there are some additions that others will make. Looking forward to Tuesday and our next adventures.  

      

    Thelma

In the beginning.........

So many good times have been had that we simply couldn't find the time to report in!

Saturday 24th September
For a couple of the early arrivers - Kerryn & Dianne - a time to enjoy the sunshine and warmth was on the agenda as we awaited the bus.  After working on our tans on the banana lounges whilst we consumed lunch burritos, the skies rapidly darkened and suddenly there was drizzle which turned into torrential rain trapping us under the umbrellas.  As the rain increased the best place to be was in the pool and the warm water!

After a long tedious bus trip from Denpasar airport the rest of the W&P crowd arrived at Kamandalu desperate for food and great company.

After welcome drinks and settling into the beautiful rooms and surrounds of Kamandalu,  there was a flurry of eating by the pool followed by weary bodies heading for bed as exhaustion took hold.

Sunday 25th September

For the enthusiastic early risers yoga was calling.  Locating the'yoga hut' took significant navigation skills as the Kamandalu is built along a deep gorge which means plenty of sets of stairs and long paths winding through the traditional bungalows. The yoga hut is perched over the gorge surrounded by lush vivid green jungle. The delightful instructor Shantari made us work hard so staggering up the many stairs to locate our bungalows after the class was quite a stretch for some of us!

Everyone appeared for brunch looking looking far more energized and, judging by the volume of the conversations, very keen to catchup since the last conference. A leisurely brunch fortified us before we headed off to bathe in the holy waters -  an important ritual for those arriving in Bali.

Before praying and being cleansed we had to learn how to make individual offering baskets from leaves and to construct the huge layered offering baskets which the local women balance on their heads.  It was a stretch of everyone's craft skills but eventually we had enough made to  go to the Holy waters temple.
It was pleasing to note that we could use staplers to construct our masterpieces....phew! We were fortified by fresh coconut juice: straight form the coconut, and for those lucky enough too get a really young one we scooped out the soft white flesh. It's supposed to be very good for your digestion, as well as tasting great. 

But there were further challenges to come .......in fact it was an afternoon of challenges:

Challenge 1:
How does one tie a sarong that covers the important bits, ties on the correct side and allows you to walk and not shuffle? And then, when you accomplish all of  that, the final challenge is how you elegantly lower yourself to sit on the ground with your knees crossed without exposing your knees,  or worse your underwear!! A skill very few of us seemed to have acquired!!

Challenge 2:
How do some  'WWW' (Western white whales) women manage to climb across a wet slippery platform and climb down some steps into a pool of  cold chest high water without stepping on the large fish nonchalantly swimming around in the pool?? Not without some concern .........and some giggles.

We were at Tampak Suling Tirta Empul: very sacred holy waters which bubble up from the ground and through ancient stone pipes pour into the bathing pool. For ritual cleansing each of us had to follow an ancient procedure in front of each pipe which involved us immersing our heads and bodies into the Holy water pouring from the pipes. After completing the ritual three times then the challenge was emerging elegantly,  whilst sopping wet with a sarong wrapped around your legs restricting your movement!!

Challenge 3:

How do you try to modestly manoeuvre yourself out of dripping wet clothes in a change room which is not segregated and basically is a shed lined with lockers!  You will be pleased to hear that no photos were taken off this part of the ceremony. Somehow group action kicked in and we all stripped off and got on with it. I mean what was the worst thing that could have happened? No local Balinese man died of shock to see so many white, and some very wobbly, behinds!!

Challenge 4:
Dressed in our new sarongs and sashes we entered the temple compound to pray. Some of us risking or modesty by sitting on the ground, and others sitting near by. Praying consists of a number of repetitive movements and uses flowers, incense and wet rice to symbolise important aspects of life. The holy priest splashes you with holy water from a bowl, and then you are expected to drink 3 times from the bowl. The challenge is whether you refuse because you can hear Jenny's voice in your head saying "Don't touch it! " or whether you go with the flow and drink!!!?

After being cleansed and feeling very holy and peaceful, we headed back to Kamandalu to get changed and head into Ubud for the welcome dinner.  Mingle cafe was the venue. Mingle is owned by Alison, an old friend of Dianne's. The platters of tasty Balinese food disappeared rapidly, as did the delicious and deadly cocktails.

Tika, a local artist, joined us to talk about the Foundation she runs. It is responsible for sending poor children to school and we were inspired to help.

A quick bus trip home and we were all tucked up in bed early!