Yoga Retreat

“Unexpected travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” – Kurt Vonnegut

Greetings from Bali, Indonesia! 🇮🇩

When I left the United States for Italy last October I had no idea what my plans would be after the 90 days in the EU expired. Australia just seemed to be the right next move to visit my friends. A few days into my stay, I realized I wanted to do another type of Camino…I like being active and feeling productive. A yoga retreat popped into my mind.

In Italy, I was learning Italian. In Australia, I was catching up with friends (and trying to survive Stephen’s near-death adventures) so now it’s time for something physical. One of my goals for 2023 is to have a deeper and more dedicated yoga practice. I brought my mat along and some yoga clothes but honestly, I’ve only touched the mat a few times in the last 4 months. Since I was in this part of the world, I figured I would check out Bali and its famous yoga retreats. I put out the intention to find a place that fit what I was looking for; to learn from well-trained instructors who could help me with alignment and a class that was about four weeks long. I entered “Bali Yoga Retreat” into Google maps. Scrolled the wheel of fortune and ta-da, the first place I landed on was the one I went with – Ashtanga Yoga. I did look up two other places but it seems the universe heard my intention the first time. So really, no need to look any further. It’s popular to get a yoga teaching certification in Bali but I’m not really interested in that at the moment, I want to work on myself first. I feel like even though I’ve been practicing yoga for about 20 years, I’m still at what Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid would call the “wax on, wax off” stage. Until you master yourself, you cannot teach others.

Next, I looked up Airbnb and found a couple of cute places but I settled on a lovely little guesthouse operated by a man named Made (Ma-Day). He has over 300 reviews and a 4.97 rating. Wow! Everyone raved about this guy. Many guests said they extended their stay because of him…and his breakfast. He makes fresh breakfast for the guests every morning! Banana pancakes are his specialty. I was actually looking for a nice host above all else. I didn’t want a place where you use a keypad to check in or a random hotel. I wanted someone local, who if I ran into any trouble could help me. Made is the man.

After conversing the details with both the yoga studio and Made, I booked everything in about 20 minutes. Easy peasy.

I knew I needed to have a plan before I met up with Stephen in Australia otherwise he’d have me working at his hotel for the next six months. Let me tell you, he was quite annoyed with me when I told him how quickly I was leaving…but he understood. I’m not good at bumming around, I really do need a purpose.

Stephen mentioned that he has friends (husband & wife) who own a house in the area of Bali I would be going to, Ubud. He said he hadn’t seen them in about 4 years (because of covid) but he would ring them and maybe we could meet up before I left. Well, on our second morning, Stephen took Grams and me to a little coffee truck outside of Yamba, near a camper (RV) park by a river. He said nobody really goes there but the campers, but it’s a gorgeous view and something a little different. He was right, nobody was there. Not a soul. We sat down at one of the four tables closest to the river. We were enjoying the view and our conversation when out of the blue we heard, “Stephen?!?” Stephen turned around, looked at the people, then looked back at me and said, “Emily, you aren’t going to believe this. This is Andrew and Denise, they own the home in Ubud I was telling you about.” So of course they came over to our table and for an hour and a half told me all about Bali. We exchanged info and Denise sent me a huge email with tons of information and even contacts to connect with while I am here. I think I’m on the right path.

Made picked me up from the airport. It’s about one hour or a little more to his house. On the drive, he asked me where I was from and when I said “Kansas City,” he replied, “oh, good pork ribs, BBQ, and a really good football team.” I was shocked. How does this guy know so much about Kansas City? Well, after about 30 minutes of prodding him, I found out that he lived in the States for eight years and is married to an American woman, Nina, from Milwaukee, WI. What? Seriously? Nina and I are the same age. She is very nice. She did a study abroad in Bali her junior year of college. After she graduated Made came to visit, they got married and they lived in New Orleans for a year, Milwaukee and Seattle. He said his favorite place in the US is New Orleans. Their seven-year-old daughter is even named Nola. I told him I have a friend back home from High School who loves NOLA as much as him and she also has a six (going on seven in April) year-old daughter named Nola. We might set up a penpal connection for the girls. How cute!

Bali is beautiful. I could honestly write for days and days about all the wonderful things it has to offer…and I will over time. Stay tuned.

Here are a few highlights:

• The primary religion practiced on the island is Hindu. There are statues and temples everywhere. It’s beautiful. Every day you see people placing offerings (little baskets with flowers and sweets) all over the city. Outside their homes and stores, in front of the temples and statues. Made places an offering tray with flowers and prays outside the guesthouse I’m staying in. It’s a nice feeling. Given the state of today’s world, I find this to be a lovely tradition and one that reminds you daily of the bigger picture.

• There is a smell of incense wafting in the air all the time. I love it. They burn the incense when they place the daily offering.

• There are flowers everywhere. They also smell divine.

• I’ve made peace with the bugs. I’ve got a couple of fingernail size ants and a hopping spider staying with me in the guesthouse. We made a deal, I leave them alone and they leave me alone. There is also a hummingbird and a yellow butterfly that stop by my window daily to say hello.

• For the kids who grew up in the 80’s – Clackers are back – the toy – you remember those things? Kids are playing with them everywhere. So all day long when you are out walking the streets you hear, clack, clack, clack. Nola has them as well, so sometimes I hear her playing in the garden. Reminds me of much simpler times.

• The money is the Indonesian Rupiah…and it’s in the thousands and millions. 15,000 rupiah is roughly $1 USD. I paid 5 million rupiahs cash for my four-week yoga class this morning – $300. If you want to feel like a millionaire, come to Bali.

• Yesterday I went for a walk through the rice fields. I found a little Warung (like a street food vendor) and ate Braised Pork with all the fixings and a bottle of water. Total = $2.33 USD

• The Americans have invaded Bali. There are several Starbucks, Mcdonald’s, KFC, and even a Ralph Lauren Polo outlet. It’s a bizarre mix of ancient and modern. I’ve only seen tourists in these places.

• Motorbikes/scooters are everywhere. Vespa, Honda, but a particular favorite seems to be the Scoop.

• Ubud is where Elizabeth Gilbert stayed during her Eat, Pray, Love journey. I found that out two days before I arrived.

• It’s the rainy season but so far it’s only rained at night. The rainy season is the low tourist season, which I’m very happy about because I hear it is extremely crowded otherwise. Plus, the weather is actually a little milder. It’s been humid but only in the ’80s so it’s not too bad. My place (and most homes, stores, and indoor restaurants) have A/C. The yoga studio obviously does not so I sweat like a banshee first thing in the morning, as they say.

• I’m staying near Monkey Forest so monkeys are literally everywhere. There was one in the yard this morning when I got back from yoga. I’ve been warned/advised about how to deal with them. They love food and will actually jump on your shoulder if you have any out – so never carry a plastic or paper bag – only cloth. Keep everything inside of it…otherwise, they get curious and will snatch it out of your hands. If you click the link above, you can read all about it in the Guidelines & FAQ section. Oh! And never look them in the eye. It’s a sign of aggression and they will attack. Jeez!

• There are lots of dogs. Sometimes they just lay down wherever they want, and the people and traffic drive around them. Ha! Oh to be a dog.

• My first day of yoga was challenging but went really well. We have about 15-20 students practicing at the moment. The owners are from California.

I think that is about it for now. I have a bunch more to say but this is long enough as is. Sooooo….

Goodnight and much love from Bali! 🇮🇩