On Sunday, an elephant sprayed me with a trunk full of water. Yes, that’s right. I was the unsuspecting spectator at a Safari park show in Toro, Bali, after a looong scoopy ride (that would be a tiny scooter) to what I thought was going be an elephant sanctuary. It was worth the effort just to get close (even if they train them to do silly circus tricks as clown music plays in the background). I think elephants might be my favorite animal, after dogs. One cute fella actually hugged me with his trunk. That little gift had me giggling like a school girl.
Ubud at large, is an unexpected gift. It’s the first place I’ve felt anywhere near in my-comfort-zone while in SE Asia. This place is lush and beautiful. There are flower petals strewn everywhere. Palm leaf blessings on scooter handlebars and car side mirrors. The ancient Hindu and Balinese architecture is fantastical. We were staying in a commune-style, ashram “resort” far off the beaten path. We’ve had a few close calls with our lodging choices. The place felt a little like “Children of the Corn” and in this case, “children of the rice”. They gather up for their nightly prayers, en group, and chant in Hindu with a Lord’s Prayer here and there, thrown in for good measure. The young girls recite their hotel pitches in robotic fashion. “You want to sign up for morning spa? Give your credit card please, I make copy”. Something like that. At every turn.
The farm land was amazing to see. Surrounded by rice paddies and bamboo, it was so fun to drive on the country roads and all around town. Wonderful highlights included “Monkey Forest Road” where the balinese monkeys are so close it’s an eensy-weensy bit frightening. Another interesting thing to witness are the bats. One night we were swimming during the witching hour. The bats would dive-bomb in to feed on the mosquitos. I didn’t feel threatened at all. On the contrary, I was cheering them on!
Ubud is like paradise. Last night, we left for only one day. We booked a week in South Kuta to surf. Let me say this: do not go to Kuta. It was like a third world Seaside Heights, NJ. I was so uncomfortable. The scooter driving was treacherous. Our AC was broken, the wifi barely workable, the city itself was run down and sketchy at best.
Oh how I wish Julia Roberts got fat for her part in Eat, Pray Love. It just wasn’t believable with all that pasta and her skinny neck. I wanted to see how Ubud was represented in the film. Every 30 seconds, there was a 2 minute network update pause. The whole ordeal made me a little bonkers. Luckily, our five day booking was canceled and I was able to negotiate a partial refund with the easy-going host. So off we went back to Ubud, the place dreams are made of. I’m not kidding! There’s particular memory of the night before our first check out. We were driving back to home base. It was the eve of our one year anniversary. Sue Ann’s arms were wrapped around me as I drove us through the rain. The open air, the night ride, the wet pellets on my skin and the comfort of her grip… in that moment, I felt truly happy, joyous and free.
You can follow Cynthia’s stories, and become a “fan” at The Huffington Post.
She is also writing for Amnplify – the Australian Musician Network.
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