Bali. The word immediately conjures mental images of vast expanses of green rice paddies, lush tropical flora, undisturbed beaches, and serene yoga and meditation sanctuaries that, when woven with Bali's air of the mystical and divine, elevates this Indonesian island into an earthly paradise for the mind, body, and spirit. (It's not too shabby on the stomach either, but I'll get to that in a minute.) Bali is exceptional for all these reasons, as well as for the fact that its populace is primarily Hindu while the majority of Indonesians are Muslim. In addition to a strong and distinct cultural and religious identity, Balinese people speak their own dialect of Bahasa, Indonesia's official language.
Bali has been on my bucket list for some time, and it seemed fitting that I would wrap up my year-long sabbatical with a visit to a place where rest, reflection, and renewal were practically assured. In the week that my husband and I just spent there, we sought to see and experience the 'real' Bali to the extent possible when one is a foreigner and only a short-time visitor. We passed up the popular luxury beach resorts and hotels on Bali's coasts and instead opted for a joglo (a traditional, open-air Indonesian dwelling) set in the rice paddies of a village called Penestenan, just outside the city of Ubud, Bali's artistic and cultural capital. We did yoga, read books, rode bikes, walked--and walked, and even frolicked in the rain (I highly recommend this; think of it as Prozac for the soul ;-). Many know Ubud as the setting for the film Eat, Pray, Love, but long before the book and the movie brought Bali into the consciousness of the masses, the island has been entrancing travelers seeking paradise--and for many, enlightenment--on earth. After a mere week there, I can understand why people with such pursuits flock to Bali.
Once you've fed the spirit and the mind, the body isn't far behind. While I'm generally not a huge fan of Indonesian cuisine, I came to love the foods that made up my Balinese diet.
Since there's too much to share in one posting, I'll be doing two installations on Bali, with this one focusing on our Balinese home and the foods we ate when we dined in. And now, without further ado: Let's E.A.T.! :)
Our Home
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| It'd be impossible to find our place if you didn't already know where it was. Nestled amongst ride paddies and reachable only on foot through winding, narrow paths and steps, our joglo was in the cute village of Penestenan. We arrived in the pitch dark at 1am, so it wasn't until the next morning that we could fully appreciate the charming surrounds of our home. |
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| Ahhhh... |
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| Inviting, isn't it? |
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| Our kitchen and dining table. |
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As you may have guessed, our home was built by an architectural designer. A very talented
Argentinean-American of part Cuban extraction, she was featured in a New York Times article on sustainable building. |
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| Loved this view from the kitchen sink. |
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| No cabinets per se, but we were pretty well equipped. |
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| So cute that we had a full collection of stemware :) |
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| Door to our open air bathroom; loved it so much we hope to incorporate it into our future home. |
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| Best. Bathroom view. Ever. |
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| Great view from our joglo. |
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| One of these on each side of our entry way. I forgot to ask what they signified :( |
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Mosquito netting: quite possibly the most attractive/romantic product 'packaging' for
something that is essential when you're sleeping more or less in the open air. |
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Hard to tell here, but there's a few inches of clearance between
the underside of our grass roof and the wall holding up the curtains. |
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| Family shrine near our plot of land. |
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These adorable ducks passed by our house every morning on their way from one rice paddy
to another, quacking loudly the whole way. They startled easily, but you could always tell where
they were hiding by looking for all the violently rustling rice stalks ;-) |
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| Heading home for the night, this is a rear view of our joglo and its grass roof. |
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| Water channeled off the roof during a big rainstorm; very impressed that the grass roof didn't leak at all. |
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Using our empty coconuts to collect rainwater. I'd like to say this was for some eco-purpose, but really it was
so my husband could douse me with cold rain water when I wasn't looking (insert disapproving evil eye here). |
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| Another beautiful day draws to a close... |
Dining In...
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| The queen of all fruits: mangosteen. |
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| Perfect. |
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| A slightly smushed specimen, due to my greedy hands trying to get to the good stuff ;-) |
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| One of the best papaya we've ever eaten, straight from the tree of the Balinese woman who looked after us. |
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| When healthy = delicious. |
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| Indonesian passionfruit |
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| Similar to its passionfruit cousins in appearance, the Indonesian variety is much milder, with only a hint of tartness. |
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| Rambutan (aka: "the hairy fruit") |
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| Tastes a bit like a lychee and a grape get together and have a lovechild. |
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| Red dragon fruit; milder than the white variety, if you can imagine that! |
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| Lanzones |
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Hard to describe the taste, but it's akin to a fusion of grape and lime flavors, with an overtone
that eludes further description. Just one of those things you have to actually taste to understand. |
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| Every day at 8am our coconut man came to deliver our 'water' for the day. We drank almost zero bottled water all week, opting instead for what many health enthusiasts call 'the ultimate rehydrator.' For $1.50/pitcher, it actually was cheaper than water too! |
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| Doesn't get any fresher than this... |
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| Tender meat from young, green coconuts. YUM. |
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| Very little is wasted: after the water and flesh is removed, the shells are dried in the sun and then used to fuel fires. |
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| One version of Cap Cai, an Indonesian vegetable soup. |
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Balinese call this breakfast dish 'soft rice', which is very similar to congee or rice porridge.
The toppings seen here are very common throughout Balinese dishes. |
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| This is dried fish that's been stewed with chilies. |
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| I loved how the Balinese did tofu, and this dish was no exception. The tofu is firm enough to hold together but softer than most tofus I've eaten. This is a common dish with the tofu stewed in a light tomato-based broth. |
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One of Bali's signature dishes, mainly for breakfast but sometimes also for dessert: black rice with shredded
(natural, unsweetened) coconut topped with palm sugar syrup, an ubiquitous sweetener in Bali. |
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Palm sugar syrup is made by melting palm sugar in hot water.
Its taste is very reminiscent of caramel--absolutely delicious. |
