The Mountains of Bali: A Welcome Respite
Welcome back to our third edition of our newsletter! When we last left off, we had just finished a grand adventure in Yogyakarta where we faced many challenges at the Buddhist temple of Borobudur. Now, we are off to our final Indonesian destination: Bali!
Before we get started, we would like to dedicate this newsletter to Christy, who passed away this week. Christy was Sol's good friend and adult ballet student who always dreamed of dancing as much as possible and visiting Hindu temples across the world. You are dearly missed ❤️
Arriving in Denpasar
The four of us - Dang-Huy, Sol, Mama-nim, and Baba-nim - took a flight from Yogyakarta to Bali around midday. We were surprised to learn that Bali was in a different time zone than Yogyakarta since it is more central within the country’s archipelago. Despite having been to the tourist hotspot of Yogyakarta, we were blown away by the sheer volume of tourists in the Denpasar (Bali) airport. In Bali, western tourists tend to have a negative reputation for disrespecting local culture, so we were intimidated. Thankfully we didn't encounter anyone like that, possibly because the government of Bali has been trying to educate tourists and regulate the issue. Instead of encountering that kind of tourist, we stumbled across an eclectic mix of tourists such as two mullet-adorned Instagram influencers! Funnily enough, a few weeks later we ended up finding their Instagram reels!
Though off on a work trip, Olivia had organized a driver to pick us up and drive us to our hotel tucked away in the mountains. Adis, a tall, warm and kind Balinese man, picked us up. After all four of us squeezed into his car, we were off to a resort tucked away in the misty mountains of Bali.
Bali: the Island of Gods
Bali is a huge island housing varied geographical wonders resulting from a long history of active volcanoes. You'll find beautiful coral reefs with some of the highest biodiversity in the world, beautiful beaches with crystal clear waters, and misty and dynamic mountains. The layers of volcanic ash resulting from eruptions bred fertile soil, giving life to the amazing variety of plants and enabling bountiful harvests.
While the majority of Indonesian regions are predominantly Muslim, Bali is primarily Hindu. In fact, the Balinese are only one of two non-Indic indigenous Hindus in Southeast Asia, with the other being the Balamon Cham people of modern day Vietnam. In Bali, you'll find Hindu temples all over the island and can see alters and offerings at local homes when walking through the streets.
Why are Balinese people so warm and friendly?
Balinese people, making up 90% of the population, are some of the kindest and friendliest people we have ever met. Their religious views are a significant contributing factor to their pleasant demeanor. Adis talked extensively about karma - the idea that you will receive back the positive or negative energy that you put into the world. In other words, “what goes around, comes around.” This central belief helps the Balinese orient how they conduct themselves; for example, if a tourist desecrates a holy site, the Balinese do not lash out. Instead, they believe that karma will result in the tourist receiving an equivalent punishment later in life. In fact, lashing out at other's wrongdoings would only cause further suffering via negative karma! On the converse side, the Balinese extend significant warmth and kindness to strangers. Coupled with the beautiful geography, it was no surprise to us that Bali is called the Island of Gods. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant financial stress as 50% of the economy relies on tourism, but things are returning to normal nowadays.
Sol: Ever since Adis shared his perspective with karma, I think of his words whenever I feel upset at a stranger's rudeness and disrespect. It's like his face appears glowing in my mind stating, “it is not our job to get upset and lash out in return.” It's actually really helped a lot in protecting my own peace!
Are we there yet?
Our drive to our accommodation started from the beachside airport and progressed from the city to more rural roads. As the sun started to set, Adis checked to see if we wanted to stop for dinner before continuing towards our hotel. Google Maps told us we were three hours into the four hour journey. “No, we can keep going!” we chorused ignorantly, confident in the app. Adis was surprised but continued forward nonetheless. The roads grew narrower as the sky darkened, until it was pitch-black out with only the headlights illuminating the winding road. Two more hours passed. According to Google Maps, we should've already arrived! But Adis lived in these mountains, not too far from our resort, and knew the roads like the back of his hand. We still had plenty to go.
Sol: This was the first time in my life I'd ever been carsick. With the roads being so narrow, it felt like we were constantly turning. It didn't help that I was so hungry as the drive was taking significantly longer than anticipated. My body needs food every 2-3 hours or I start to feel unwell. I was honestly pretty miserable and only found respite in meditating while counting backwards for each breath.
Unbelievably, the road became even narrower until it was just wide enough to fit the car. We later found out that there was a steep drop off to our right! We were in awe of Adis for navigating and finding room to pass other cars descending the mountain. After a total of six hours in the car, we pulled into our resort and were greeted by an older Dutch gentleman and his Balinese wife - the owners of the resort! William and Kitty (we can't remember their names but per Google this is correct) were excellent hosts and helped us get settled into our rooms. We were so grateful that we had Adis as our driver for this journey. His native knowledge of the mountainous roads was invaluable, and his commentary and conversation helped us to take our minds off our churning stomachs and dizzy heads.
The resort was composed of a few rooms, a common space with tables where we could order food from the kitchen, and sprawling gardens. Our hosts brought us to the dining tables and gave us the menu. Wondrously, the entire menu was vegetarian, with 90% of it being vegan!
Sol: I was about to cry from relief knowing there would be good food coming. I always pack snacks to avoid situations where I get so hungry, but I'd run out this time. It's tough because those situations always flare up my chronic illness and I have a really hard time voicing what's going on.
Dang-Huy: Also, the food there was just amazing. It had a refined but still down-to-earth quality that just kept me coming back for more. Later, I spent some time with the talented ladies in the kitchen, practicing Indonesian, learning Balinese words, and studying how they cooked the delicious meals. They got a lot of flavour out of just some simple sauces - kecap manis (sweet, often spiced soy sauce), cuka (vinegar), and a bottle containing a clear liquid which said “Bumbu Rasa”. Bumbu refers to herbs and spices that have been ground into a paste, and Rasa means flavour.
And almost better than an all vegetarian menu was meeting Moli! Moli is a fluffy, long-haired dog that instantly brought us joy. We both grew close to her throughout our time at the resort.
Sweet Moli. We miss her! She also had an adorable baby that was kept by one of the ladies working on site.
After feasting on some of the most delicious vegetarian Nasi Goreng (fried rice), we headed off to bed, exhausted by the trip.
Relaxing Family Time
Up until this point, we had been traveling at a breakneck speed with little time to adjust to the timezone differences. We went to Jakarta, Bandung, and Yogyakarta, having only 1-2 full days to explore before travelling to the next city. So after the long ride up to the mountain retreat, we were absolutely exhausted and just needed time to enjoy the peaceful surroundings. We spent the day just lounging around - morning yoga, eating delicious vegetarian food, and spending time together with Dang-Huy's parents.
Breakfast with a freshly made veggie omelette, toast, butter, jam made from some local berries, and hibiscus flowers picked from the garden. Hibiscus flowers were used as a garnish in my first cooking job, and besides looking pretty they have a subtly spicy taste. ~ D
The garden at the retreat. William said he had the whole retreat built from scratch with his oversight. He had previously worked as an architect.
Baba-nim taking some well-deserved rest.
Sol always so candidly beautiful!
Mother and Son condiment shenanigans.
We went for a walk in the mountains. Nearby, we heard Buddhist monks chanting at a local temple.
Coffee with a View
Baba-nim is a man of culture, passion, and curiosity. He often buries himself into finding the best pastry, craft, or game that has piqued his interest for a couple of months until he shifts his focus to another topic. However, there are a couple of things that have kept his interest over the years:
Coffee
Croissants
Vietnamese food
Anytime he goes on vacation, he will without doubt search and find these items, sometimes disappearing from sight for up to 15 minutes before returning with a croissant in hand. So, how would he get his fix in the rural mountains of Bali? Luckily, Mama-nim had found a recommendation on a Facebook traveling group for older women for a very special small-batch coffee plantation.
We were driven about 15 minutes on the rocky roads by a local Indonesian driver until we arrived at the base of the plantation. After walking up a dirt path, we were greeted with an incredible view over Bali and the fresh scent of clove and coffee.
A middle-aged gentleman came up to greet us, sat us down on a homemade covered bamboo deck, and explained to us his idea for the coffee plantation.
The owner.
He wanted to grow small batches of coffee in the mountains of Bali, where the higher elevation and volcanic soil would allow the coffee to grow healthily and happily. He planted many clove shrubs and fruit trees alongside the coffee shrubs to promote better biodiversity, soil health, and coffee bean yields. And finally, he kept honeybees who would cross-pollinate the flowers of all the shrubs and trees. In this system, he had a wholesome and cyclical agricultural practice that he wanted to share with the world. And we found ourselves as some of the lucky visitors who could taste his coffee, honey, and cloves before the rest of the world had access to his agricultural gems! He was ramping up to stockpile enough batches before looking for buyers.
Ice Cream Bean, one of the fruits grown on site! It has a slight licorice flavor to it and was creamy with large seeds inside.
You eat the fruit by peeling back the thick outer layer and chewing the sweet white flesh surrounding the seeds.
Cloves laid out to dry under the sun.
With that being said, it was time to taste the coffee. It came served hot-but-not-too-hot on ceramic mugs that were glazed a playful blue. We saw a beautiful chocolate galaxy contained within the cup, swirling with twinkling coffee ground stars.
You may have thought our description to be a bit over the top, but the video is proof! The owner vigorously stirred some coffee grounds into the coffee to create the effect.
The coffee was the perfect temperature for sipping as we took time to breath and destress. Even though the coffee was served black, it tasted so richly of chocolate balanced with the bitterness of Arabica beans. We took a few sips of the coffee, marveling in its aroma, and then mixed in a few spoons of luxurious palm sugar.
Dang-Huy: Here's what I previously wrote about my feelings on palm sugar:
“Palm sugar is like if you took the best parts of honey and dulce de leche [caramelized condensed milk] and brown sugar and morphed them together into a wonderful blissful melt-in-your-mouth nectar of the GODS.”
Sol: Prior to this coffee experience, I wasn't a coffee drinker at all. I would only have a few sips of what Baba-nim would make at home when visiting. However, the chocolatey richness of this cup started my fervent love for coffee.
Feeling inspired by the delicious flavors and beautiful view, I decided to sketch the mountains. ~S
We were also served a small plate of honey to taste with a spoon. The honey was not as refined as what you might find bottled at the grocery or market - there were still small pieces of honeycomb floating around - but it was the most delicious honey we've ever had.
The honey had notes of the fruit and coffee beans it grew alongside. It was the most aromatic and delicious honey I have tasted, possibly because it was fresh and not heavily processed. ~D
Our palates were still in for another surprise as we ordered Dadar Guling, a pandan-flavored pancake rolled up with a filling of coconut and palm sugar. It was perfectly sweet and chewy with the caramel flavor of palm sugar mixing with the coconut. It was delectable!
Dadar Guling.
Inside the Dadar Guling!
Balinese Healing Massage: Painful and Powerful
After spending more time with our hosts, we learned that Kitty is descended from a long line of healers in her family. She offers therapeutic massages to folks staying at the resort that are experiencing pain and tension. Upon learning this information, Mama-nim and Sol signed up to receive a healing treatment.
Sol: The experience was unlike any other therapeutic treatment! There was a separate stand-alone building specifically for the sessions. After changing and getting onto the massage table, the healer entered the room and we discussed the areas to work on. She said a prayer over me before getting started. The massage was intense! It felt like she was squeezing and milking my muscles. She used heated clove oil and explained to me that it has multiple healing properties and is indigenous to Bali, making it the perfect oil for this type of massage. I was definitely yelping and using every breathing technique I knew to get through the massage because of how intense it was. Well over an hour passed by the time she was done as I had so many areas in need of treatment. I was so grateful for the massage, especially after the long journey up the mountain. My body had been in rough shape. She gave me wood tea and I sat on the porch drinking it, taking in the beautiful landscape around me. I felt lighter and more open. My legs felt unlike any legs I'd had in my adult life, and I felt so much more mobile. I didn't know my body could feel like this!
Vegan oatmeal made just for me after the massage! The fruits were the sweetest and juiciest I've ever had! ~S
We had only one day left in the mountains, and it was an extra special day: Dang-Huy's birthday! He had no idea what was in store for him and how Sol, Mama-nim, and Baba-nim would work to make his day extra memorable. Keep an eye out for our next newsletter where we dive into what happened!
With rejuvenated legs and a growing love for coffee,
Dang-Huy and Sol