The Call to Cats

I’ve really settled into a nice groove in Ubud. With my runs and walks among the rice fields in the morning, yoga in the afternoon and often some sort of evening activity like a movie at the yoga barn, or just dinner out and home to bed early with a good book. Life is simple, relaxing and I feel like I’m rejuvenating my body and soul but I still want to explore some more areas in Indonesia.

So what does one do when they want a change of pace from the beautiful but busy Ubud? Go to the beach of course! There are some small islands off of Lombok (another island off Bali) called the Gili islands that I had heard wonderful reports about. Lombok, unlike Bali, is mostly Muslim as are the Gilis. My friend Debra and I headed out on a shuttle from Bali to get the slow ferry from Padangbai. The ferry boat took 4 hours plus then we had to get a shuttle from Lombok up the coast about an hour and then wait……….and wait some more. Finally, we got a small boat over to the biggest of the Gili's called Gilli Trawangan. We had some ideas from the guide book about where to stay and once we landed we headed down the beach front to find a place. Being that it is the slow time we didn’t have a problem finding a place called “Blue Beach” which seemed nice enough but we quickly discovered reasons to change accommodations the next day. During the night the generator kept switching off and therefore our fan did as well so I slept in a puddle of sweat most of the night and the blood suckers were out full force as well. Our mosquito nets were more decorative then functional. The worst of it was that at 5 am there was the first “call to prayer” for the Muslims and the speaker seemed to be right into our window and we discovered we were next to the Mosque. Quite the wake up call! Needless to say, we found another place to stay the next night.

The place we found was 100 times better and about 3 times more expensive but the price was still very affordable especially for what we got; air conditioned bedroom, a sunk in living room with TV and DVD player, refrigerator, and an outside Jacuzzi….never mind that the jets didn’t work, it was nice to have a cool soaking tub. Plus you can’t beat fresh water showers as most are salt water. We had two luxurious days/nights there and a relaxing time spent on the beach, snorkeling and enjoying fresh caught fish for dinner. I also enjoyed running around the island in the morning which I estimated about 5-5.5 miles around then jumping into the ocean for a swim among the fishes. There was a great spot on the island to enjoy the sunset which is a huge attraction and I took some great photos one night.

What I loved about island life on the Gilis is that there are NO cars or motorbikes! The only transportation besides walking is horse and cart or bikes. It was so quiet and no pollution. There were also no dogs to our amazement because on Bali there are so many stray dogs. The other thing Debra and I both loved about the Gilis was that there were tons of cats. They were mostly very well taken care of, feasted on fish daily and were very sweet and friendly. We had many cat friends (especially during dinner time) and we joked about how we preferred to have a “call to cats” instead of the “call to prayer” and how we could throw a huge party for all the cats in our party pad!

We decided not to endure another 12 hour day on the slow boat so we took the fast boat which put us back to Ubud in about 2 ½ hours with boat and shuttle. Had I not had my bungalow in Ubud for the month, I could have stayed on the Gili islands for another few days at least.

So, reality back in Ubud hasn’t been bad either. More yoga on the beach with the Balinese locals in Sanur (which is about 1 hour from Ubud) and my friend Elana and I spent the day at a beautiful cove called “Blue Logoon” which next to Padangbai (were I took the ferry to Lomok and the Gilis). It was also gorgeous with some pretty good reefs and colorful fish to snorkel among.

I was able to change my ticket and extend my visa to stay another 2 weeks in Bali then I’m back to Thailand to take a month long yoga teachers training on Koh Phangan. This wasn’t in the plan but that’s what traveling is all about!

I have a couple sets of photos for you to check out and I hope you enjoy! I miss you all but am having the time of my life :)

www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/morebali
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/giliislands

When it Rains it Pours

I didn’t know it was the rainy season when I came here and it certainly does rain. Not all day mind you and mostly in the afternoon and the rain can sometimes last between 30 minutes and 3 hours. My umbrella broke when I was in Scotland and I thought I wouldn’t really need one in Asia…I was wrong! I do have a big poncho but when ever I do bring it, it never rains. It is also very, very humid much of the time except the evenings cool off nicely and sleeping is very comfortable especially with the sounds of the night.

Speaking of rain…I was invited to join a couple women friends to go on a two day excursion to see some other areas of Bali. We headed up to the mountains and first stopped at some wonderful hot springs with private pools plus a large pool and a waterfall. It really started out as a great day and then the rain decided to come….in buckets. The roads were flooded to knee deep at in some areas and motorbikes were pushing their bikes through and some cars were getting stuck. We arrived to Lake Bratan and had planned to have some lunch then visit a beautiful temple on the water. On the water and amidst the water! It was beautiful though and we did have umbrellas that day but inevitably we got wet and when we arrived at our guesthouse near Lake Tamblingan for the night, we were all scrambling for any warm clothes we had. It was really cold! Who would have thought that I would be cold in Bali! I had to borrow clothes and slept with three blankets (I think heaters are non-existent).

The sun was out the next day and we headed out on a guided five hour trek in the jungle. The huge trees were amazing to see and the wild ginger and other flowers I had never seen like a passion fruit flower.The one thing I certainly could have done without were the leeches. You might recall my strong dislike for roaches…well, next to roaches I truly hate leeches. There is NOTHING nice about leeches and they were everywhere. I think I was a bit distracted on the hike because I was constantly doing a leech check on my body and having my friend, Elaine, check for them on my shoes and pull them off. I won’t touch them if I don’t have to. I’m very happy to say that none of the blood suckers managed to get any of my blood (I guess the mosquitoes are doing that for me) thank God.

The other excursion I did was an eco cycling tour. It started out with a wonderful breakfast overlooking Gunung Agung which is Bali’s highest mountain and an active volcano. We then were taken to a Balinese plantation where we sampled the local fruit, coffee and tea and learned about local plants and healing properties. We started our ride and on the way visited a Balinese home/compound and were able to see how they live their daily lives. We also got to walk among the rice paddies and even got to join in the knee deep mud and help out. We rode on and stopped where they were harvesting the rice and again got to help out in the process. We rode on and had the option to ride uphill to the finish of the ride that ended in a delectable Balinese feast! Always worth the hard effort with food at the end! It was a great day.

One of the most amazing things here in Bali is the cultural aspect of men and women’s roles. The women carry everything on their heads from baskets of food to construction materials like bricks and 2 x 4’s. The men do the labor as well but the women do the hardest work of carrying. Women are definitely the stronger sex here. The men in general are the artists and the skilled in woodcarving, painting, etc. which have been passed down from generation to generation. The other cultural thing I learned was about the children. A baby is never put onto the ground for the first 3 months of their lives so are carried around by family members, friends constantly and hardly ever cry. How is that for establishing security at a young age? Three month is also when the baby is named by the high priest.

They are ceremonies for just about everything (even a day for metal). The other day was dedicated to giving thanks for money and I was invited to join in at one of the local temples and dressed in their typical ceremonial attire of sarong, kabala, and sash. It is quite a social event and the locals as well as the offerings around the temples were colorful and festive. One of the most important and expensive ceremonies is the cremation ceremony with a person dies. It is even more important and elaborate then a wedding in Bali.

I continue to enjoy my time here in Bali and have met some wonderful people including the locals as well as over travelers. I am doing yoga at least 3 times a week and have found some great runs among the rice paddies so I am happy to be back running again. I did an artistic creative day with a friend, Debra, who invited me to join her to experience Rudolf Steiner’s color theory and create our very own drawing done with pastels. It was inspiring and so much fun.

I hope everyone is doing well. Enjoy my photos and I will be in touch soon.
www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/Bali

Bali, Bugs, and Bungalows.

I think I’ve died and gone to heaven! Bali is so beautiful, magical in so many ways….except the bugs! I’m being attacked by no-see-ums(I think) and the bastards are vicious. I’ve been using the repellent that seemed to deter the blood sucking mosquitoes in Thailand but it’s not working here. You can’t even see these nasty buggers and they itch like crazy. While we are on the subject of bugs….my worst fear came true in Bangkok. I literally had a cockroach the size of a poodle.…okay, but it was the size of my thumb…run over my bare foot while at the ATM one night. I was horrified and let out a very girlie scream.

Okay, back to pleasant things. Bali is hot and humid as it is still very much the rainy season but it’s lovely and green and full of sensory delights. The first night I lay in bed listening to the sounds of the night and it lulled me to sleep (even without screens and I was a bit creeped out about bugs crawling on me) and I slept like a baby. I have this great bungalow; two stories and a bathroom that is partially open to the outside with orchids in pots on the wall. There are two balconies that overlook the views and comfy chaise lounges and chairs to relax on. I love it!

Bali shops have amazing art to overload your visual senses as well as tempt your spending habits. There are beautiful paintings, silks, batiks, jewelry, wood and stone sculptures that include huge Buddhas, Ganeshes (that will definitely NOT fit in my suitcase). There are yoga and meditation classes, great health food stores and many restaurants-both Balinese and western. I’ve only started to explore the streets of Ubud and the surrounding areas.

Today I went to a dance which told of a mythical story which was interesting and then went to a beautiful temple. There are over a thousands temples in Bali and each village has an average of three temples. Bali is 70% Hindu, 15% Muslim, about 10% Christian and 5% Buddhist.. Everyday the Balinese people give offerings to the Gods and place some food(a bit of rice and crackers)and flowers onto woven banana leaves out in front of there homes and shops. They are very spiritual people and take there beliefs very seriously.

The most expensive thing in Bali is transportation. I am staying in a small village called Penestanan and it is about a 20-40 minute walk into Ubud, depending on where you are going. The yoga studio I go to is about a 35-40 minute walk and it makes for a great warm up before class(as if you really need a “warm-up” here).

Life in Bali is as relaxed or as active as you want to make it. There are great walks to do among the rice fields and a path overlooking the valley which goes for miles. There are tours offered that do cycling tours and white water rafting excursions. You can go to yoga or just choose to visit one of the many spas in town which offer Balinese massage, body scrubs, flower scented baths and much more. You can also just relax in your bungalow overlooking the views and read a good book while the sound of the afternoon rain relaxes you even more. So I think you can see why I’ve died and gone to heaven!

Paradise Island-Part 2-The perfect massage

So as I was saying before, I broke away from my little bit of paradise at Wai Nam beach to go to the northeast of the Koh Pha Ngan island to Mae Haad which also has a small island called Koh Maa that is connected by a strip of sandbar. When the tide is low you can walk over and have a look and even get a drink at the local Reggae bar(something I’ve yet to do so perhaps in the next couple of days before I leave) It’s a smallish bay that is known for good diving and snorkeling. Since I arrived the weather has been very windy and the sea rough so not good for visibility. Hopefully before I leave I’ll get to enjoy some great underwater scenery.

It seems that while my stay on the east side was with an ocean view and focused on doing a lot of yoga and hiking the jungle, my accommodation here has been in a jungle/garden atmosphere and doing walk/runs in the early morning and at sunset time getting a massage on the beach. I know, it sounds decedent and my goal has been to find the perfect massage. A Thai massage is a lot of stretching and deep pressure on points of the body which is often quite intense. An oil massage is what westerners are most familiar with. I have discovered a Thai oil massage and this in my opinion is the “perfect massage”. A combination of the wonderful Thai massage stretches with a deep tissue massage done with coconut oil to moisturize the body. I’ve had three so far and the best was last night while watching the sunset over the ocean.

In my photos you will see a picture of a Great Horned Beak bird and we saw it on our hike to the remote beach (Ploy beach) on the other side of the island. It did seem quite tame and was taking a banana out of a woman’s hand. So the story continues here in Mae Haad. The first morning I was here I went for a run and was dive bombed by a bird and it nearly landed on my head! My heart was racing and I stopped to look at it and sure enough, it was the same type of bird that I had seen on the east side. Come to find out later at the local breakfast spot “Four Tables” that this there used to be two birds here and apparently a number of weeks go, one went missing. The one remaining is a menace and tries landing on people, taking their food and beach accessories and is just plain obnoxious! I showed some of locals my photo of the other bird and they think it’s the same one and is the male. I think the female here is bored without her mate so therefore causes havoc with the tourist.

Island life……it’s hard to beat and even harder to break away from and if it weren’t for the fact that I’m leaving next week for Bali I’d be really sad to leave. I really have enjoyed my time on the islands and feel the most relaxed since I left the states.
Follow this link to see all my photos from Koh PhaNgan www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/KohPhaNgan

Paradise Island-part 1....finding the perfect spot

Sorry about the delay in blogs. I think the island life is getting to me…meaning I’m extremely relaxed not to mention the limited internet connection here on the island. So, I’m going to write this in two parts because there’s more then one story in the past two weeks.

I came to Koh Pha Ngan on the 7th of January after doing yet another one of these “too good to be true” package bus/ferry deals. The reason being is that I had already scheduled it before Lana and I left Bangkok for Cambodia and even though I vowed to never do that again….there I was waiting in traffic in Bangkok, arriving at a totally different ferry then I thought I would and at 3:30am. This meant waiting until 7:00am to get the ferry over to Koh Pha Ngan which was 4 ½ hours on very choppy waters. Luckily I don’t get seasick but it was a long, long night and day!

I finally arrived and planned to make my way to the east side of the island in a area called Haad Thian and where a spa/resort called The Sanctuary is and where I was hoping to stay but they were booked up because of this huge gay wedding of a couple from Las Vegas and Tokyo-not sure where they live now-but it was one festive event….more on that later. So I ended up staying at a place called “Lovelip” very close to The Sanctuary so I could also take advantage of the yoga and meditation classes at the Sanctuary. I didn’t really connect with the bungalow at Lovelip so I started exploring some other options. I wandered over to the next beach called Wai Nam and there it was! Paradise found and I was determined to stay there and apparently so was everyone else so it took patience and three more nights at a bed bug infested bungalow (I realized this after nearly scratching myself raw and thinking that the mosquitoes were brutal here!) before I could get a room. In spite of the above mentioned it was worth it. I had an amazing bungalow with a view of the ocean, cliffs and coconuts trees and slept soundly to the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. I left the bed bugs behind but did have an infestation of ants but hey….this is the islands. No hot water showers or flushing toilets but it more then paid off to stay 6 more nights in paradise. Wai Nam beach also had a platform overlooking the ocean to use for yoga and meditaton. I took advantage of this as well as doing a few classes through the Sanctuary.

Back to the wedding! The event took place the day after I arrived and right on the Haad Thian beach. The bridegrooms were dressed up in colorful kimonos and the guests were clad in wild makeup and outfits. Come to find out one of the grooms is an entertainer in Vegas and many of the guests were talented as well so they put on quite a show after the ceremony plus a fireworks display that was pretty spectacular. It was a fun night and I met some really nice people including Davie from South Africa who became my hiking and hanging out buddy for some of the time I was there. I made friends with a couple from Germany and Victor actually helped me to carry by bag over rocks and cliffs when I first arrived by boat (since it was rough they said they couldn’t take up right into Haad Thian), a sweetheart of a man, Michael, from the Uk but living in Thailand and Amsterdam, and Anna from the UK who I grew to really enjoy our walks and talks together.

Davie and I hiked over to an even more remote beach which was about a 45 minute hike and was beautiful. Another day we hiked into Haad Rin(where I took the boat from) which was close to 2 hours up and down through the jungle and as I was swinging on vines to help myself down the steep embankments, I re-named myself “Jungle Jane”. It was incredible with great views and on the way back we got caught in the rain and were totally drenched but it was worth it!

There is a bit of a party scene there on the island but it’s one that you can partake in or not. The dance parties on Tuesday and Fridays nights barely get started before midnight and go until noon the next day. Needless to say, I did not go and luckily was far enough away that I wasn’t kept awake by the music. After all, Koh Pha Ngan is famous for their “Full Moon Parties” that attract thousands of people.

So sadly I tore myself away from this lovely paradise after ten days only to experience a different side of the island……….”same, same but different” as the Thai’s like to say. I will tell you all about that in part 2 of “Paradise Island”

If it seems too good to be true....

It probably is! We asked our travel guru Bill what he thought was the best way to get to Koh Chang which is an island not too far from the border of Cambodia and he said we could take a taxi to the border for $30 and then in Thailand get either a local bus or a mini van (which he said they make you wait till it fills up. We figured we get to the border and look at the options. We happened across a travel agent in Siem Reap and decided to check out what else they had available. Lana was ready to jump over the desk and kiss the Thai girl who informed us that a bus/ferry combination from Siem Reap to Koh Chang would cost us $12 each! We decided that it sounded like a great deal so why not?

A minivan picked us up at 7:30am from our guesthouse and took us about 10 blocks to a travel agent and told us we had to get out and wait. For what? Another bus oh course. An hour or so later a bus came and crammed us all in along with our luggage like sardines for the 2 ½ hour ride to the border. The border wait was chaotic and we waited in what seemed to be the never ending line that took about 1 ½ hours. We then waited…again, for a minivan to take us about another 10 blocks or so to another wait station. By this time our patience was wearing thin but what are you gonna do? We waited until 3:30 and Lana and I were stuffed into the front seat thinking we had the best seat in the minivan but I was literally on the hot seat-not sure what made it so hot but I was getting pretty cranky during the 4 ½ hour ride. I’ve also wanted heated seats but NOT in Thailand!

We arrived to Trat and were rushed out of the van and literally had 10 minutes to get our gear and onto the last ferry. After what should have taken 7-8 hours total, 13 hours later we finally make it to our destination. Thus the title of this blog!

Finally once in Koh Chang we had some time to relax. The first day just getting to breakfast and the pool felt like quite the feat for the day. The next day we rented a double kayak for about 2 hours and had a great day! We enjoyed a wonderful sunset, great food and some classic people watching. Time to relax for the remainder of my time in Thailand!
Only a few from Koh Chang www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/KohChang

Honk if you've been to Cambodia

After reading online about the border-crossing scams, we decided we were brave enough to give it a shot. We got up at 4:00 a.m. to take a taxi to the Moh Chit bus station. The Bangkok street markets were already open and active. Our bus was packed with locals, we were the only “falongs” heading for Aranyaphratet. We arrived at the border around
9:30 a.m., prepared for the fake Visa salesmen and con-artists. It wasn’t as terrifying as we had been told. We only had to walk one block to the 1st window for the Passport check. At the second window we paid the $20 for our Visas into Cambodia, plus an extra 100 Baht for no copy of the photo. (No one mentioned that!) The 3rd window stamped our passports, and finally we went out to meet our ride to Siem Reap. He was supposed to be waiting for us with a sign reading “Toni Bodeau”, but we waited and wandered around for two hours, dripping in sweat in the dirty, hot and humid border area. Finally, he approached us and said he had been looking for two men. We fooled him! He took us to the Poi Pet bus station, where we met our taxi driver, Mr. Heng (or “Hung” as I referred to him!) We spread out in the air-conditioned taxi, surprised that they drive on the right side of the road in Cambodia. Mr Heng never stopped honking the whole way to Siem Reap, about a 2-hr drive. In fact, everyone seems to hook in Cambodia for this reason or that.

At the Two Dragons hotel, we met my dad and his friend Bill. We cleaned up, had a fresh strawberry smoothie, and then took a Tuk-Tuk to Pub Street for dinner. Bill wanted to go to Happy Pizza, where they serve “ganja” with anything. During dinner we were constantly interrupted by kids selling books and bamboo bracelets. They spoke English and were persistent yet delightful and funny. “America has 300 million people, minus 4 – because you 4 are here!” joked one boy. We walked about the town for awhile, and then headed back to the hotel because we were getting up at 5:00 to go to Angkor Wat temples to see the sunrise.

Our guide and Tuk-Tuk driver were waiting for us when we came downstairs the next morning. It was pitch black and I was wondering who the hell gets up this early…apparently many people do since it was packed already. We waited for the sunrise(a bit of a disappointment but still nice)while we struggled to understand our guide and Lana and I had to interpret for each other very often. He was a wealth of knowledge for the things we could understand but after about 10 hours later and too many “Lana’s and Toni’s….as he used the plural for our names…we had about all we could handle for the day. Plus it was hot, hot and humid to boot! Back to the guesthouse and another strawberries shake, shower and back out to explore Siem Reap. It’s a great town, filled with many restaurants and shops. The only thing unlike Thailand is that they really pester you to buy, buy. Lana become “Madame America” with many of the young kids trying to sell us on whatever the special “Happy New Year” priced item was.

The next day we got up (a more reasonable 7:30am start) and used the same driver but decided to decipher for ourselves with a guide book the different temples we visited. One that Lana and I really liked was out about 40 km away and we had to hike in about 1 mile or so up to a waterfall and along the river where there were many carving in the water and rocks along the river. It was really amazing to see. Being that it was New Year’s eve we headed into town again and Lana and I got a foot scrub/massage under the full moon. This is the life! We had a couple of drinks in an outdoor café and chatting with the sweetest boy who looked about 14 but said he was 18. After some excitement of the police chasing some boys on a motorcycle with guns we decided to head back to Two Dragons and bring in the New Year with the local Cambodians from the guesthouse. We danced and listened to music and counted down the New Year…..a very different way to bring in the New Year.

New Years day the four of us headed out to Tonle Sap Lake and rented a boat to see the floating villages of Kompong Khleang. This was incredible to see how the 6000 villagers lived in a village of about 1260 houses. You’ll see by the photos how they lived in houses on very tall stilts to accommodate the heavy rains and rising water levels. They row everywhere; to floating veggie and fruits markets, fish markets and just about anything else they may need. We got out and walked along the village and met some of the locals. The children are not shy at all and followed us and loved to pose for photos. This was truly the “real” Cambodia. Between the floating village and Angkor Wat we were so glad we took the challenge to cross the border and visit this amazing country. We figured going back over the border to Thailand would be a breeze….or so we thought!

I downloaded all the photos I took so I know it’s a lot but I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking them. www.picasaweb.google.com/tonibodeau/Cambodia

Happy New Year!!