I’ve been here almost one week. It doesn’t seem possible it’s been that long?! Ubud has it’s own vibe and while it’s a spiritual center of sorts, there is definitely a buzz in the air to get out and do something, go somewhere, have a massage, try a different meal, or take a walk.
Hitting the ground running, I was off to see Eddy my first morning and had a wonderful massage from him. All the energy in my body that needed balancing was the same meridian. I went back two days later for the complete acupuncture session.
The day in between, I rented Bayu’s motor bike and drove into Denpasar to pick up my new external hard drive. Before leaving, I met a wonderful new friend in Jude who is originally from Ireland, taught English in South Korea for two years and now lives in Melbourne, Australia. What a delight she is!
The trip to Denpasar really took it out of me. It was hot! It was intense city driving on a motor bike! It was successful as I got the new drive for a bargain price and it’s a charm! And it was surprising as I took a wrong turn before finding myself in the right place…smack in front of Eddy’s!
Wednesday morning, I left early to have the acupuncture session with Eddy. When I returned was when Dewa and I were going to take motor bikes to the mountain and see the coffee in Kintamani. I wrote about that earlier, the woman arguing with him telling him how to run his business, winding up in a car relaxing out of the weather, and having some great shopping on the way home. I did however OVERDO it after the acupuncture session! I had a feeling I should have simply stayed at home and rested that afternoon. No harm done, just a weary body and mind to deal with.
I had dinner with Jude and that was re-energizing! Here’s a photo of her and some of the food we experienced.
OK, the fountain photo isn’t of Jude but the “fountain of the peeing Buddha’s” she didn’t get to see.
Wednesday, I took Jude to see Eddy. She woke feeling like she wanted a massage for the soreness in her neck and shoulders. She had seen Wayan two days before and had the full treatment! Miki, a wonderful staff member at Dewa’s, called Eddy and he could see her in 30 minutes. I rented Bayu’s motor bike, grabbed my book and camera and we were off! She had a great session with Eddy and made an appointment to go back the next morning for an acupuncture session. We had lunch next door at a vegetarian restaurant and, since Jude had the energy for it and had never been to the market, I took her to the Sukawati Market 300 meters down the road. Lots of shops were closed already. Translation: those that were open were offering great prices for “good luck” sale since they weren’t selling anything.
This is the market the markets purchase from. I’ve bought things here for half the price of the market in Ubud. For many items, it’s perfect. For nicer things like the Buddha statue I was looking for, I wanted something better than mass produced statues.
We found that in Ubud from Wayan who’s from the village where they are made. At first, I thought I’d go to the village and find a statue I really liked. When Jude and I walked in, he was so enthusiastic about seeing me again and meeting Jude, his face glowed. I looked at the Buddha and wondered, “Why am I EVEN looking anywhere else”? The first really nice one was originally $1,200 which was reduced to $600 US! Yikes! Jude and I saw a pretty nice on in Sukwati for $275,000 rupiah or about $30 US. The one with Wayan was $55 and fit in to my daypack. Now that I have my Buddha, I’ve got to figure out how to get it home with all my other purchases, what I’ve been traveling with, and stay within weight and baggage limits of Air Asia and Singapore Airlines. I’m guessing if I show them a Buddha in my bag, they might be more lenient!
Yesterday morning, I woke up feeling very groggy. I’ve been waking up around 5:20 every morning, going and not resting, and it was catching up to me. I took a couple PM Tylenol to help me sleep and really felt woozy for a couple hours. At 11:00 am, I was reading a book in my room when I put it down, closed my eyes and woke over an hour later. It was an experience, maybe you have had this one, where you feel like you are REALLY waking up!
Moments later, Jude returned from her session with Eddy and we went to grab a bite to eat. We bought wooden carvings from Wayan, had dinner and Jude abandoned me this morning. I miss her company! I’ve been so blessed by meeting amazing and “alive” people on this trip. Those are the highlights of every trip!
Jude is about to return to Melbourne, she’ll continue to meet amazing people and have wonderful experiences because that is who she is! I’ll be off to Lovina and make new friends there.