Having just spent a week in London I am reminded of how much I love that city. It is alive. And as much as it can be over-crowded and busy, there are always pockets where you can find solitude – be it a garden you can walk through and enjoy or a simple quiet street. It would take a lifetime of living there to know all the neighbourhoods, so even though I lived there for the better part of a year when I was 19, there was lots to discover.

First off – Clapham, where my fabulous hostess Tina and her roommate Sarah live. I don’t think I’d ever been to the area before, but I found their place easily enough when I landed on a Monday morning. Sadly I didn’t actually take any photos of the area – I have to admit I did a sorry job of photo-documenting most of my time in London. Take my word for it, it’s a fun area, lots of life, restaurants the requisite Sainsbury, pub, restaurants, Clapham Common, Battersea Park, and a crap load of dry cleaners and shoe repair shops. On Sunday morning I went for a run through Battersea Park, over the Albert Bridge, through the streets of Chelsea and back again. It was beautiful. Note to self – next time I need to run with my iPhone and not my iPod so I can take photos along the way. It’s not often you run past a house with a sign by the door that states an Arctic Explorer lived there in the late 1800’s.

Here’s a sampling of some of the streets and neighbourhoods I did manage to capture.

Taken while walking over the Bridge from Waterloo to the city centre.

One of the many lovely streets you see as you walk down Piccadilly, or was it Regent? Either way…love it.

On the way to Portobello Market.

The Rings do look good on Tower Bridge.

Hard to do anything but love Notting Hill.

Like I said…love, love, love Notting Hill.

As Tina said, when you stumble into Shephards Market you feel like you’ve just discovered a little secret. We had dinner and a drink at the pub.

Really, little nooks like Shephards Market are quiet gems tucked in a big, busy city.

Now here’s a combo I hadn’t ever thought of. A Polish-Mexican bistro. Random.

And here’s a look at what you can find at the Polish-Mexican restaurant with a French name (L’Autre)…

Maman – la photo suivante est pour toi…

Crossing London Bridge. Seemed very sturdy to me mum, but I sang for you anyway.

And Olivia – these next few are for you…

And from inside the double-decker – up top.

And finally, my favourite photo from the streets of London.

More thoughts from London later.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not quite sure where they came up with the term ‘reality tv’. As far as I know I’ve never ‘dated’ 18+ men at the same time; never lived in a house nor in some remote place competing to stay and vote others out; traveled around the world racing others (although I wouldn’t mind trying that); etc. etc. etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed many an evening with friends watching what we refer to as “trash tv”, but it’s something that feels a little dirty once done.

Enter “Secret Millionaire”. Apparently this is the second season, but it’s new to me. A millionaire changes their identity for a week and lives in some of the most depressed areas of the US on welfare, in what you’d call a dump. They have to figure out how to live and eat on about $35 a week. Gone are their fancy clothes, cash, credit cards, cars and everything else they are used to. They have no contact with their families. And we’re really talking about some of the worst areas out there – Skid Row in Los Angeles is one such example. They spend 6 days walking around the neighbourhood getting to know some of the people living there and look for organizations they can volunteer with for a day or two. They explain the tv cameras by saying they are part of a documentary on volunteering. At the end of the week they decide how much they are going to donate to the organizations they volunteered with. We’re talking anything from $30,000 to $250,000 plus. That is not small change, even for a millionaire. And for some of these organizations it means they can survive. Watching how their week transforms them is incredible.

But the beauty of this show is how it highlights others who give their lives to helping those in need. Here are a few examples:

– Limbs for Life – an organization who helps those who have lost a limb (whether they were born that way or suffered an accident) get prosthetic limbs, which can cost $15,000-$20,000 per limb. In the US heath insurance, if people have it, covers 1 limb per lifetime. A child needs a minimum of 1 new limb per year – more is ideal depending on their growth pattern. It’s crazy.

– A transition house for women and their children in Skid Row, LA. These women are they because they are abused at home and need a way out. They turn down 300 requests per month because they are full up.

– An organization who goes out on the streets to find Army Vets and give them clothes, food and help them get back on their feet.

– A guy in LA who in his spare time gets donations of clothing and toiletries and splits them up into packages he can give out in Skid Row.

– An organization in Oklahoma City that works which youth who have nothing and are generally neglected at home and teaches them how to wrestle, feeds them, and tutors them so they can learn how to read. They teach them to be responsible for themselves

– An organization that gives children with a terminal illness the best damn bedroom they could ever want – adding joy and sunshine to a child’s life that is filled with struggle and sickness when they should be able to just run around and have fun.

And so many more.

Talk about a reality check. What’s my biggest worry today? Where do I live? More importantly, what do I do to give back? Not enough, that’s for sure. Time to re-assess.

Watch the show. Secret Millionaire. Get inspired and then do something about it.

Hard to believe it, but I have been home a month now. Wow. It’s about time I added a few final thoughts and some random photos. Here goes…

I have been lucky enough to travel a bit. There are many places I’ve been to that I love. The jungle in Thailand and Bali can now be added to that list. Every day was ‘perfect’ – whether it was sunny, rainy, busy or lazy. Every night I said ‘thank you for an incredible day’ as I fell asleep. And when Jacques was around, every night at dinner we would toast to “another great day”. Doing that every day for 4 weeks is pretty amazing. And all I can do is sit back and say ‘thank you’ to everyone and everything that enabled me to take that trip.

Here are some random favourite photos of people, places and experiences that didn’t fit into my other blogs.

The day before Jacques left Wayan invited us to attend his family compound’s annual ceremony. You see, every family compound has its temple, and once a year the family has a temple ceremony. Neighbours come and help with the ceremony, and you do this for your neighbours as well. It’s not often you get such a personal glimpse into daily life in a different country, so it was a no-brainer for Jacques and I. Of course we would attend. We were honoured to.

Jacques walking down the street to Wayan's, in full ceremonial dress.

This building is in the centre of the compound. I saw through the open door that there's a very small tv in it, complete with rabbit ears, and it sits on the floor. There's no other furniture in the room. Wouldn't do out here would it! I love little glimpses into daily life elsewhere.

The building on the left is where the patriarch of the family sleeps - which in this instance is Wayan's father. Living in the compound are Wayan's dad, mum, uncle, wife and two children. His cousin is working on a freighter, but otherwise lives here as well.

In Balinese culture, you live your entire life in the family compound – unless you are a girl. Girls move to their husband’s family compound. Imagine that…no mortgage, but no real choice about where you live your life.

The kitchen. Lots of storage, no oven, one little cooktop with 2 elements on it. Cooking for the family here would be interesting. After the ceremony we were offered a traditional meat and jackfruit dish with rice and some chicken satay. Super spicy deliciousness.

The offerings. I never ceased to be amazed by how intricate and beautiful they are.

The Ceremony begins. Behind the priest, dressed in white, is Wayan's dad.

I love the priest's face. Apparently you are born a priest - it's not something you choose as a profession. His father, grandfather, etc. were also priests.

Holy water. I love the tops to the bottles. They have spouts in them so you don't need to take them off. They just wave/shake the bottles to get the water.

I was asked if I wanted to participate in the ceremony. Yes please! This procession of women walked around the compound blessing the home. Sitting in the front of the photo are Wayan's dad (on the left) and uncle.

Pretty sure they gave me the easiest of responsibilities - all I had to do was wave the little bamboo 'fan' in different areas of the compound. Thankfully I had the women in the procession in front of me to show me where to stop and do it.

Amazing hands. Wayan's father is not a big man, but those hands....big and strong. The sign of a man who's worked in the rice fields his entire life

Wayan's dad, in prayer.

Wayan's wife and youngest daughter. Both are beautiful.

Wayan's eldest daughter. Gorgeous.

Wayan and Jacques putting holy water on their heads - part of cleansing yourself during the ceremony.

All in all another wonderful Balinese experience.

You’ve read about the fabulous chef who made our meals at The House of Singing Bamboo. It’s time for you to meet him.

Made, our incredible chef. And his daughter Annie, who you met in an earlier post. I asked him to come to Vancouver...he said no....

Dinner my last night in Ubud. Can't remember the name of the beef dish, but it was delish. As was the traditional Balinese chicken, rice and veggies.

The little French restaurant Jacques and I found while walking through Ubud, and the home of the best chocolate tart I’ve ever eaten.

The infamous chocolate tart.... And the restaurant had a take-out deli.... Chocolate tarts to go? Mais oui!

The view from our table at the restaurant. Of course when Jacques and I were there it was night time, but I went back a few days later for a late lunch.

And last but not least, a few words on massages. Those of you who know me well know I love a good massage. I’ve often said that if I won the lottery I’d have a massage every day. Southeast Asia equals cheap, good massages and I had my fill.

– 3 while at the silent retreat in Thailand – all of them amazing (2 30-minute massages, 1 hour massage)

– a massage and facial the day after Jacques arrived, in my guest house (3 hours for about $30!!!)

– a 30-minute head and shoulder massage in Ubud (just down the street from the French restaurant) – $3! Jacques and I figured why not? Only thing was we left thinking that it was a great massage, but that we needed to shower – the massage tables are fabric and they don’t put towels on them so they’re more than a little grimy. Jacques’ shorts had lines of oil all over them. We had a good laugh at that.

– a massage on the beach in Gili, in a little gazebo. There’s something amazing about having a massage, hearing waves and thinking “the sound of the waves isn’t a cd, it’s actually waves hitting the shore about 10 feet from my head”. Fabulous.

– a massage the next day in Gili at a local spa – probably the best massage of the trip.

And the next day is when I found myself thinking “I don’t want a massage today”. WHAT????? What did I just think? That can’t possibly be true! But it was. No massage for me that day. In fact, I only had one more, the day before I left – another massage/facial at the House of Singing Bamboo. I don’t normally do facials because my skin is super sensitive and doesn’t react well to most products. I have no idea what she used, but Made’s facials were wonderful.

And that, I think, is that. Still hard to believe I’m not planning the trip but that it is indeed done. And I’ve run out of superlatives to describe the 4 weeks. So I am left with immense gratitude. What an experience.

Thanks for reading about it. I’ll be blogging again – who knows about what!

Considering I’ve spent 2 weeks in and around Ubud, time to share some of the highlights I’ve observed and experienced. Some I have photos for, some I do not – I’m not always fast enough with the camera.

Motorbikes, mopeds, scooters – this island is over run with them. I’m told the ‘regulation’ is that you must be 17 to drive one. But I’ve seen many a child much younger than 17 riding them – sometimes even driving their parents around. I’ve also seen families of 4 on one bike – who knew they were also a family vehicle! I’ve seen more stuff piled onto one than I ever thought possible. And girls/women riding in the back like to sit side-saddle – sometimes with stuff piled up on their heads. Wish I had photos for all of the above, but afraid not. Given the small size of the roads here, it’s definitely the best way to get around if where you’re going isn’t walking distance.

Ubud – Known a the ‘cultural centre’ of Bali, there are artists everywhere and a good number of art galleries. I didn’t actually visit any, so I can’t comment on those. Not all artists here are visual artists – there are musicians, dancers and writers too. And all this filters into all aspects of life here – there are restaurants and cafe’s that host literary evenings, art shows, etc. Other than that…. At the main intersection of the central roads in the city lies the Royal Family’s palace. I finally went in to see the areas they allow visitors to see.

Walking down the Streets of Ubud can sometimes feel like you’re taking a chance with your life…the motorbikes, cars, tour buses and pedestrians all vying for the same space – remember, the roads are not very wide. But even so, if there’s a ceremony to be conducted…it happens…and the procession will make its way down the main street. Traffic comes to a standstill, and can be mayhem to clear, but everyone understands and no one gets upset.

I was sitting in a cafe along the main road on Saturday, at about 6pm. And suddenly....here comes the procession. The temple they were going to is on the main corner (opposite the Royal Palace).

Although the buildings/shops are really close together, there are little lanes that pop up. Do yourself a favor and have a look as you never know what that lane opens up to.

Also in the centre of the city is a lotus garden. It has the lotus cafe on one side of it, with tables overlooking the garden. On the other side…..Starbucks. That’s right, there’s a Starbucks here. I’m only happy to see that they’ve at least modified their sign to fit in with the local aesthetic (it’s wood on wood instead of the green sign).

The Lotus Garden by day.

The Lotus Garden at dusk - even prettier. And all set up for a traditional dance show.

We allowed ourselves to be 'that tourist' and each bought a Starbucks Bali mug. What can I say, it's a nice mug. With it you get a free coffee - I don't drink coffee, so Jacques had two.

I’m always surprised when I travel to far away places to see what from the ‘west’ makes its way there. In Korea it was Dunkin’ Donuts, they were everywhere. Here?

The Circle K... Really??? But they are everywhere. It made Jacques and I laugh. And nobody here even knows about Bill and Ted's excellent adventure...

Ubud’s first ‘modern restaurant’ was opened by Murni in 1974 – that’s right, 1974. She still owns and runs the restaurant and in fact now also has a few guest houses and a spa. I had to have at least one meal there. It was delicious. And I particularly liked the menu – where the front page tells you that they do not use any MSG but….

I love that they go for taste. I also love that they let you know that sometimes the service is just slow for no reason. It was not slow when I was there.

It’s easy to spend time walking the streets of Ubud and even doing a little shopping. It’s also easy to cycle or walk the countryside and villages that surround it. About 10 minutes from where I’m staying is a village that still has the old, old original walls around its family compounds.

It is just so pretty.

The entrance to Pancasila village

And my favourite part about wandering around the countryside – the children. Choruses of “hello, how are you, what is your name, my name is…., good afternoon, good morning” – it’s like they’re simply repeating all the English they’ve learned to date. On my last bike ride I came across a group of 4 boys who giggled non stop, kept yelling out hello, and when I stopped to chat two were too shy to do so. Even after they were out of sight I could hear them laughing and repeating all the English they know.

Good morning. Good afternoon. How are you. What is your name....

So fricken cute.

And then there’s a little area above Ubud called Penestanan. This is where you’ll find ‘artists houses for rent’ when they are off the island. Some cute cafes, and yoga Yoga has definitely infiltrated Ubud. Seems they are catering to the yogi traveler. The best way to get to Penestanan is to climb the stairs from the main road and then just walk the little paths/streets.

The stairs up to Penestanan

You know you're getting close to a yoga studio when these signs start popping up.

As you can see, there’s plenty to keep a girl busy meandering through Ubud and its surroundings. Merci Ubud and the House of Singing Bamboo.

You’ve seen Jacques’ room and my outdoor bathroom. I think it’s high time to see the remainder of this place. Owned and run by Annette and Jim (an Australian couple who have been living in Indonesia for 10 years, Bali for 4) The House Of Singing Bamboo is about 15 minutes out of Ubud, tucked away on the side of a gorge overlooking rice paddies. This is definitely a case where photos will give you a much better idea of how beautiful this place is – I don’t think I can find the right words.

You come down this stairway from street level and the first landing you get to is the guest house (where I’m staying).

And here you have it. The entrance to The House Of Singing Bamboo – my guest house.

Come on in! On the ground floor is the bedroom and sitting area, with a deck, access to the bathroom and a kitchenette.

The deck – where the dining table is located, and another sitting area. Fresh fruit is served here every morning. And when we opt in for the chef made dinner, it’s served here as well. That’s the main house you see on the right, a couple of levels lower down the hillside. 

Yes please. I’ll have some of this every morning. Papaya, watermelon, mango, banana, and sometimes other local fruit. Fruit that is allowed to ripen on the vine is seriously millions of times better.

The view from the balcony – down the gorge, cascading rice paddies.

A great place to sit and write blogs – or just sit.

Upstairs is a sitting area complete with tv and dvd player. We watched almost a full season of Modern Family….oh JJESSS

We can use their pool whenever we want. It also has an amazing view of the rice paddies. I must admit that the past couple of days I’ve fallen into a routine of waking up, eating some fruit, lounging by the pool for the morning and then either heading into Ubud or cycling through the local villages in the afternoon. Awesomeness.

A look up at the guest house from the main house.

I went for a little walk through the rice fields yesterday. I’m told it’s okay to do so. I did come across a few of the people working the paddies. They smiled and said hello – but I still felt like I was intruding on their world.

This is hard, hard work. Made even harder for the owners of these rice paddies because of the deep gorge. They cannot get any motorized machinery into the paddies, so it’s all done manually – just like it’s been done for centuries. The irrigation system is complex. Because this is the rainy season, he needed to drain some of the water. More than a day’s work for him produced a series of lovely little waterfalls. He must have an extremely strong back, arms and hands.

Somehow they manage to get a couple of cows down the narrow path to the paddies to help plough.

The baby rice. When I first got here there was a tarp covering it for protection. Soon they’ll take the baby rice from here and plant it through the paddies. They grow a highbred, which means they can cycle through three rice crops per year.

As you can see, this is a pretty special place. A few nights this week we’ve heard chanting and music from celebrations in the surrounding villages. The gorge seems to trap the sound. As I sat listening to it I thought “this is an amazing example of what makes Bali so mystical”.

There is one large market in Bali where you can buy and sell cows. It happens twice a week and is quite the spectacle. When Wayan told us about it and asked if we wanted to go see it, we said “hell yes!” Why not? You have to be up and out early to see the cow market, so Wayan met us at 7am and off we were.

First things first though….breakfast! And this time it’s a local tradition – babi guling – otherwise known as suckling pig.

Wayan took us to a little joint where the locals go. This way we know it's authentic and we're not being charged more for being tourists. I'm a little taken aback by the display of the pig's head, but hey, I'm here to experience Bali, and this is definitely typical Balinese. Jacques seems to like it 🙂

And here it is. Babi Guling. It's extremely tasty with a good bit of spice (Balinese food is spicy and the locals are surprised that Jacques and I can eat it and that we like it - a lot). Rice, spicy pork, crispy skin, and every part of the pig served up for breakfast. Wouldn't want it every morning, but it sure was delicious.

And this is where we sat to eat our breakfast. Outside in the restaurant owners' family compound. I asked if the bed behind Jacques is an outdoor bedroom. Nope. When a family member passes away their body is laid here until their cremation and people come by to pay their respects. So there's only one way you lie on the bed. But people sit around. It's just part of every day life here.

Breakfast was done and back on the road we were. Next stop, the cow market. It is organized chaos as trucks come in and out of a muddy parking area to offload and load cows. Some are from local farms, some from as far away as Jakarta. It’s the only market in Bali where you can buy and sell cows. But it’s not all about cows….

As we make our way from parking the car to the market, we see firsthand the loading up of cows. Even here you find a well dressed man.

Sometimes the cows need a little coaxing, and man power, to get up into the truck.

Men take the buying and selling of roosters very, very seriously and cockfighting is a big thing here. Thankfully I haven't witnessed any such fights...so far...fingers crossed that this remains the case.

Ducklings anyone?

Maybe a tropical bird?

How about a green chic? Or a pink one? No idea why they dye them...

And yes, the cows. Lots and lots and lots of cows.

And even some bulls. Crazy how he looks like he has a tear.

Jacques needed to find a hat to ward off any further sun stroke or burning of the head. I recommended this one. Even in Bali you find Sponge Bob hats. Somehow he managed to get Wayan in on the silly photo taking.

Um, which one is Jacques??? Even the very serious young man at the hat stand laughed at this one...

Jacques managed to find a suitable hat and it was time to leave. Onto the temple.

I'm not completely sure, but this might be the only temple in Bali with a moat.

The temple's bell tower.

The view from the bell tower.

I love gargoyles. Whether they are on Notre Dame in Paris or on a temple in Bali. I love gargoyles.

The inner temple is sacred and therefore off-limits. It is only to be entered by those who worship here - and there are rules around who that is. It's a very complicated system, but everyone knows where they fit in. There was a ceremony finishing up as we walked by.

I have no idea how old she is. But she's obviously weathered a lot - and is still stunning. She guards the bridge over the moat.

Our timing was impeccable. As we were leaving the tour buses started to arrive. Phew!

Just another day in Bali. And by that I mean ‘just another beautiful day in Bali’.

After leaving Gili, we headed to Amed which is on the east coast of Bali. Because Bali is an island of active volcanos it has black beaches. Never having seen any before, this was something we wanted to see. Armed with a hotel recommendation from our hosts in Ubud, we headed to Amed from Gili. Here’s what we found.

Welcome to the Villa Coral, our home for the night.

Inside the villa. Outdoor washroom out the back, upstairs loft with my bedroom and balcony. Jacques was king of this villa (seemed only fair).

The view from our villa. Incredible to be right on the beach.

We lucked out again. Room, view, sunshine.

Visit from a friend on the restaurant wall. Maybe he had an offering to make.

Peak-a-boo from behind a painting hung on the restaurant wall.

Amed. A string of beach side hotels/restaurants and family compounds. There's a lot of diving and snorkelling to be had here. The water is crystal clear and very salty. You'll find Amed salt all over the island.

The beach in front of our villa.

Mount Agung. It last erupted in 1963 and was quite devastating. But as Wayan was saying today, it also provided Bali with a lot of building materials (stone, pebbles, etc.)

So many shades of green. Such a lush environment.

Cutting through a corn field.

Kids are kids are kids. Out playing soccer.

We could have easily stayed here a few more days. But, it was time to head back to Ubud for the last couple of nights of Jacques’ time in Bali.