Our Return to Bali Post Covid April 2022
I woke up at 3am to the sound of the rain gently falling for the first time in what seems like months. Our bedroom was so dark, I went to the toilet and listened to a podcast in bed until 3.30 when I went back to the bathroom and showered. It seems like an hour ago but it is 7 hours later and we are in the air.
A few minutes ago I sat on the plane and felt the thrust of the jet engines as it picked up enough speed to lift off the ground. For us this is the first time since the beginning of 2020 when Covid shut down the world. We are finally on our way back to our second home in Bali.
The price we have had to pay to arrive at this time and place has been quite harsh. I feel that we have compromised by having the Novavax Covid vaccination but it was our only way out. PCR tests, documentation to prove that we are vaccinated and insured. What a new world we have entered into.
We will arrive in Bali around 2pm (4pm) Melbourne time. Made will pick us up from Ngurah Rai Airport, hopefully with Purnami. We have 100 kgs of luggage. It’s hard to believe that just 3 years ago I actually weighed more than the luggage that we have on the plane, I’ve lost the equivalent of a full suitcase plus a carry on bag since then. I’d much prefer the weight to be in my baggage than on my body.
The preparation to get ready for our trip has been arduous and unrelenting. Moving all of our artwork to Red Hill, pulling the paintings off their stretcher bars to roll up to take to our villa, cooking enough food for Finn to get through the 35 days that we will be away. It has all been worthwhile. I’m so happy to be returning to the island that I first visited almost 40 years ago. So much time has been spent there over those 4 decades. So many memories.
We’ve ended up just a short walk from Tjampuan where we stayed in 1983. We will walk past that location at dawn tomorrow morning on our first walk up the Tjampuan Ridge since January 2020.
If all goes as planned we will get to the villa just before the sun sets. What will it be like? The last time we were there the pool was being dug by hand and the walls had been ripped down in the old joglo that we purchased off Liz Chandler. We had 4 flights booked in 2020, all canceled due to Covid. The plan had been to go there to supervise the renovations but alas this did not happen and Georgie did the whole renovation over WhatsApp with the help of our dear and loyal staff member, Purnami. What an amazing task that was. I feel certain that we will be pleasantly surprised to walk into a 3D version of our villa as opposed to looking at photos.
We have found a Balinese person to stretch and frame our paintings so that might be our first port of call. Having our own artwork always puts our brand on our living spaces. There will be lots of tweaking to be done over the next 5 weeks. Lots of styling and finding bits and pieces, artefacts, sculptures and whatever else is needed to finish off our home in Bali.
We’ve only been in the air for an hour. What a familiar place a plane has become for me over the past few decades. The smell of food being warmed up, the stale air and gentle movement of the plane going through the air with an occasional jolt to remind us all that we are several kilometres above earth. It all comes back quickly like any familiar activity that you have done countless times before.
I’m a lot healthier this time. So much has happened in the past 2 years. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer and beaten it. I’ve become far more disciplined than I have ever been. being in a plane gives me an opportunity to compare what I have been like in the past to what I am like now. That’s a funny comparison but one that speaks to me.
It is time to settle in, listen to a podcast and close my eyes. maybe I will sleep for the next few hours and open my eyes again when we are touching down in Bali.
We have just spent our first night at Villa Tusk. After 24 hours of greeting, driving, fasting and flights we ate an absolutely delicious meal at Zest Vegan Restaurant 5 minutes walk from the our villa. After getting up at 3.30am on Monday morning and taking the 2 hour time difference into account we were exhausted and hit the sack at 9pm after a swim in our tropical pool (11pm Melbourne time) and I slept pretty soundly until 6.30am with a couple of toilet breaks in the middle of the night.
Tuesday April 19th 2022
Waking up in our villa was magical. It is growing on me as the familiarity sets in. In actual fact I absolutely love it and this love will expand as we put our brand on it over the next 5 weeks.
Being back in Bali after more than 2 years doesn’t seem strange at all. In some ways it is as if we haven’t ever left. Penestanan really does feel like home.
We set off for our walk up the Tjampuhan Ridge at about 7am. We walked down our gang (laneway) to Jalan Penestanan, down the hill past Zest and across the bridge at Tjampuhan, down the steps into the school and finally past the magnificent Pura Gunung Lebah, one of Bali’s most important and ancient temples, to the starting point of the ridge walk which takes you several kilometres up a pleasant hill with fast flowing rivers and jungle on both sides. Even my tinnitus was balanced out by the organic ringing buzz of the tropical insects who had recently begun their day.
The first thing that I became aware of was that we were both a lot fitter than we were on our last walk up the ridge in early 2020. It wasn’t as busy as it used to be but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t quite a few people trekking up with us. We stopped for a Bali kopi (strong black Balinese coffee) at a recently finished resort/restaurant that was still being built when we were last here back before covid. The view from here was breathtaking, jungle all the way down to the river in the valley far below.
Now we are back at the villa with a big day of planning, designing, discussions, tweaking, moving furniture ahead of us.
My heart is singing out with happiness and contentment. Finally, after almost 3 years of deliberation, consultation and trepidation we have our own home in Bali and you know what … it feels even better than either of us even imagined.
Wednesday April 20th 2022
Another morning in paradise. I awoke at 5.30 am to the gentle pitter patter of light rain and the distance crowing of Bali roosters. It was still dark but the sun must have woke up at the same time as I did. We shook off our cobwebs together. Georgie made her grand entry into our dining area soon after 6am so we are sitting together drinking coffee and getting ready for our morning walk. The magic hasn’t started wearing off yet, as a matter of fact it is getting stronger.
We organised the framing of our artworks and prints yesterday, went for a long walk, decided on some couches, did a bit of basic supply shopping, got local SIM cards, had a delicious vegan lunch at my personal favourite restaurant Moksa in Sayan, spent time with Purnami, checked out a couple of local gyms with saunas, ice baths and Balinese men with big, well oiled muscles.
Bali feels optimistic. The Balinese seem to know how to make the most out of any opportunity so there are no hang dog faces. It’s more about acceptance, find a new way of operating and getting on with the future.
We’ve struck a deal with Purnami’s husband, Made (pronounced Marday) who has his own driving business to drive us to our destinations for about $30 a day. We could hire a car but not only would we not have anywhere to park it but we would have to pay $30 a day anyway. This way we only use him when we need to go somewhere. part of our plan is to work out ways to help Purnami’s family improve their income and overall quality of life. We have a very symbiotic relationship so what is good for her is good for us. Several of made’s friends have had their cars repossessed by the banks, 3 late payments and the car is gone. Luckily Made got his loan from the Banjar (Village Council) and they have been understanding and supportive.
This morning we walked to Penestanan Kaja through the rice fields to Kedewatan and back, had a coffee at Cafe Vespa and came back via the dentist (Doctor Gigi AKA Tooth Doctor) at The Mansion in Sayan. One of my braces has come loose and as you can imagine, it is driving me slightly insane and even contributing to me feeling like a grossly bear at times. We also had a look around the health spa at The Mansion but were not all that impressed.
Back to the villa for a swim and a bit of communication with family in Australia and then off to Yellow Flower Restaurant for a simple lunch. This is located in a very special place. In 1996 and 97 we stayed at a homestay named Kori Agung. Where Yellow Rose is now situated was Kori Agung’s restaurant. Paul stayed up late with the staff, drinking and talking. First year Allissa, Paul and me on our own and then next year with the three of us plus Georgie. This was the trip when I celebrated my 45th birthday in Ubud just prior to Georgie and I heading off to Java. The funny thing is that I never put 2 and 2 together back then. When you sit in the restaurant the majestic Mount Agung is right before you in the distance always looming and dangerous, it smacks you in the face. The word Kori means “doorway” in Balinese, hence “doorway to Agung”. It’s taken me 26 years to realize this.
What an eventful trip that was back then in 1997, all those long years ago. Oasis had just put out a new album, Allissa was 15, Paul was 17. He would hop on the back of a motor bike with a Balinese guy who was a staff member at Kori Agung and ride up to Klungkung where they would purchase X rated Arak, almost 100% alcohol. Paul would lie in bed at night drunk as a skunk beating his chest as if it were a drum kit while he listened to Oasis’s new music through his headphones. The first time I heard the noise coming from the bedroom that he shared with Allissa I was terrified until I realized what was happening. I have no idea how Allissa got any sleep. This was our first trip with Georgie. It must have been so daunting for her. Oh well, we survived although when I go back to that beautiful nostalgic location I still feel a bit of sadness that Paul is no longer with us.
