Day Seven in Bali - Cooking at Casa Luna

Laura and I awoke rather early this morning because not only do we have our cooking class but we're also leaving Ubud so we had to check out of our room before we left for our class because it was not scheduled to end until after checkout time. We finished packing all of our last minute things and took our bags to reception, checked out and were met by Ari who took us to our class.

The meeting point was one of Casa Luna's cafes not far from the market and when everyone arrived our guide walked us over to the sprawling open-air food market. On a normal day the market starts at about 6 in the morning and lasts until 10 am expect for special holidays when they open at about 4 in the morning. Because of the heat most families do all their cooking first thing in the morning and do their other chores for the rest of the day.






We started at the west end of the market and were introduced to a woman who makes traditional Balinese beverages. She has a green liquid that smelled of wheatgrass in one tub, a pink liquid in another and to that she adds coconut milk and palm sugar syrup to a plastic bag and voila, the drink is complete. Our guide told us that he has lived in the area since he was quite young (he was a little vague) but she has sold her drink at the market for as long as he can remember.


Next we met a trio of ladies who sell a traditional Indonesian breakfast of rice, coconut, greens and spices in a banana leaf. They too come every day and carry everything with them, pots laden with food, tables, tablecloths and they travel on foot. Like many women in this part of the world, they balance their burdens on their heads using towels to better distribute the weight and to add stability. It is an impressive feat but even more so when you consider the rather advanced age of the three women.




Afterwards we were introduced to the various fruits, spices, vegetables and grains commonly used and available at the market. Many of the things we were shown were familiar but often they use varieties that I have never head of before and that have a different taste. Throughout the tour not only were ingredients identified but we were also told how they are used and what beneficial properties they possess.














Our tour complete, we walked over to Casa Luna's cooking school to have a sampling of Balinese breakfast foods. Some are pictured below but not all because our first dish were little green pancakes with palm sugar syrup that gives the impression that everything is accompanied by syrup which isn't true, it's just the leavings of the first item. Most of the foods were a little doughy and had some form of coconut in them or on them but were not necessarily sweet. To drink we were served hibiscus tea made from the petals of the red hibiscus flower and a bit of sugar. I found it refreshing and Laura wrote down the recipe.



Then our instructor arrive who was none other than Casa Luna's owner, Janet. She first visited Bali from Australia in 1974 and in 1984 she moved here permanently and opened the first of her many establishments. We first reviewed what it was we were going to be cooking, then we were shown the various ingredients that we going to be used. The curry paste we would be using was still in solid form so we started grinding it together using a traditional mortar and pestle. It isn't as easy as it looks and it takes a while to get the full motion down but we got there eventually.











As we started to assemble our meal the smells permeated the open-walled room. Many of the dishes called for lemongrass or ginger or garlic or shallots or a combination thereof and the aromatic spices were making our mouths water even though we had just finished breakfast. Chatting continued and soon our food was ready so we were issued plates and ate our lunch, albeit not all that long after having had breakfast.






After lunch Ari picked us up and we were spirited to Canggu where we would spend our the last three days in Bali (well, one afternoon, one day and one morning). On the way we passed many rice fields where people were busily harvesting the precious grains.


Tugu Bali is a resort renown for their spa treatments. They are amongst the best in the world and have been listed in the rather pretentious Robb Report's guide to the "Best in the World." We walked into the enormous lobby building and were immediately greeted with fresh fruit juices and comfortable chairs while we were checked in. During the process all of our bags were taken to our room and when we arrived everything was neatly organized in the entryway. The room is huge and we have our own private pool!

Once we got settled and Ari departed (we're going to miss our driver, guide and friend) we headed back to reception to inquire about getting a ride to Seminyak, the closest shopping and a rather posh area. They called a car for us and we wandered the busy rows of shops trying to find a few last minute gifts.

Before leaving Laura booked a short massage for this evening and we both made reservations for spa services tomorrow. Upon our triumphant return Laura was collected for her massage and I perused the menu. Relaxed and refreshed when she came back to the room, Laura and I had a little dinner and then decided to have an early night.

Day Six in Bali - Ariawan's Compound

Initially our plan was to take a cooking class at Casa Luna today but because this morning's offer did not include a market tour, something Laura and I were eager to see, we opted to take tomorrow's class before leaving Ubud for Canggu. Therefore we were left with an entirely free morning.

We started the day with a bit of breakfast at the hotel's water garden with Toni and her newly arrived boyfriend Braden. After eating our fill we headed to the Sacred Monkey Forest with is a section of jungle surrounded by Ubud that is home to a couple of temples and a population of over six hundred macaques. Laura opted not to join us as she was tired and her knee was giving her a bit of trouble but I don't mind being a third wheel.

The three of us arrived at the forest, purchased a few bunches of bananas to tempt the locals and proceeded down the path. Toni decided that the best way to get the attention of the resident primates was to loudly sample a banana while vociferously expounding its deliciousness in the hope that jealousy would bring them into view. Her efforts proved entirely unnecessary because as we came around the first bend in the path we found no less than a half dozen macaques awaiting our arrival.











Due to the large number of visitors these monkeys have no fear of people and we eager to get to the bananas. Braden sat on the retaining wall and immediately had two perched on his shoulders but Toni, who didn't lower herself to the level of the monkeys, discovered that her additional height was no asset in protecting her fruit. Instead, the hairy little thieves grabbed onto her shorts and climbed her body to reach the bananas that she was taunted them with as we entered their forest.







We explored the various paths leading to the different temples and the small shrines scattered throughout the forest while meeting countless natives. The descended from the trees, out of the bushes, climbed up steep slopes and seemingly crawled out of every conceivable hiding place.





After a particularly brave group stole the remaining bananas the monkeys quickly lost interest in us and we were allowed to proceed through their territory unmolested. We arrived at the main temple and explored for a little bit before exiting the forest through the southernmost gate into the village on the other side. Here I decided to leave Toni and Braden to their exploring and I headed back to the hotel.

When I arrived back at ARMA dripping with sweat I decided to take a quick shower and then to see if I could visit the clinic and shelter for the Bali Animal Welfare Association, BAWA. A few days ago I passed their office not far from the Monkey Forest and picked up some literature after leaving a small donation and was invited to see the rest of their facilities. BAWA was start about a year and a half ago by an expat now living in Ubud who was distressed by the conditions that the island's companion animals live in. Because in just about all of Indonesia, and southeast Asia in general, people regularly eat dogs the way they are treated is not especially good. The vast majority are allowed to run the streets and return home only when they're hungry where they may or may not be fed. The idea of sterilizing animals is not one familiar to Bali's residents as it is expensive and most people have more pressing concerns. Just to give you an idea, the average wage for a relatively well-paid hospitality worker is about $25-50 per month and there are many people who don't earn nearly as much as that. Here the cost to neuter an adult male dog is about $10 and to spay an adult female dog is about $20 meaning that it might take a month's salary or more to pay for the sterilization of you dog.

What BAWA does is they run a veterinary clinic for those people who can afford to pay for the care of their animals though it is not equipped for most surgeries beyond the routine. This helps to offset the cost of their free clinic treating emergencies and the animals of the people who cannot afford to pay. The paid clinic also supports a free spay/neuter program that BAWA runs and they have already had to learn to be careful because people constantly try to take advantage of their services even when they can afford to pay.

The group also captures and rehabilitates stay animals as well as those who have been abused. One of the most common problems dogs have here is skin related, scabies and demodectic mange are widely seen throughout the dog population as well as a whole host of parasites. Their adoption program seems quite successful as the public relations woman who showed me around their facilities said they adopted out eleven puppies the day previous leaving them with only two ready for homes. There were many other puppies in their care but skin problems and kennel cough needed to be addressed before they would be allowed to leave. I was told that they desex all adult dogs, of which they had about eight available, but because the puppies are more sensitive they pick them up when they reach about six to eight months of age and neuter them then.

I was also show the area where they keep their cats. Apparently when the group started the number of cats brought to them was significantly less than what they are seeing now. With the near-constant heat and humidity I expect that it is breeding season just about constantly in Indonesia so they cat population must be growing significantly.

The last part of my tour was an explanation of BAWA's education/community awareness program. They work closely with the schools to education children about compassion, care and bonding with animals. I think that, abuse aside, a lot of the problems that exist in Bali's pet population stems from a lack of education about things like basic care, nutrition, and maintenance. People seem to feel affection for their animals, generally speaking, but don't understand the expense in time and money required to property provide for their companions. I think the situation is similar but different to what we've been through in the United States over the past twenty to thirty years.






After my tour I was taken back to the hotel where I got cleaned up a bit before Laura and I were picked up by Ari who took us to lunch. The food at Indus was fantastic and although it was pouring rain Laura and I were nice and dry on their covered patio looking out from the hillside where the restaurant is situated over the jungle. Our only negative experience originated in the woman at the next table who complained loudly about the wine, she didn't care for it and thought they were trying to pass off a long-open bottle on her. Now, I know it's a nice restaurant but can you really reasonably expect wine to keep well in a very hot very humid climate? Anywho, they finally shut her up and Laura and I were able to enjoy our meals.


From the restaurant Ari drove us to his family's compound in a village just outside of Ubud whose craft is the building of temples. The population is about 600 people who live in twenty-seven compounds. Although Ari's father is the leader of the village they have one of the smaller compounds. It is a walled collection of buildings that include Ari's parents house, his house, his elder brother's house, his younger brother's house, a communal house, the kitchen, the family shrine and the family altar. There is also a large open area in the back where they can erect temporary shelter in case these is a ceremony (i.e. marriage, funeral, etc.) in which the entire village participates. While there we met Ari's mother, wife, sister-in-law, nephew and his son who had just woken from a nap. It was a lot of fun being shown around and getting a glimpse into the Balinese family life.









When we left Ari's home he took us to a painter's collective where we were able to see a number of artists in various stages of their craft. They also had an enormous gallery that was easy to get lost in as Laura and I did a little bit. There were many schools of painting represented from the traditional Balinese to watercolors to the abstract.



We then went back to the hotel to relax, have dinner and pack so that we could get to bed early. Tomorrow we have a cooking class in the morning and we're meeting early so that we can go to the market!