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Eating, Praying and Living in Bali (Part 3)

View Part 1 of my Bali series, ‘Pray’ and Part 2, ‘Eat’.

LIFE

It is impossible to speak about Bali in the last few years without a more than passing association with Eat, Pray, Love - the literary phenomenon of lost, self discovery and ultimately, love from American author Elizabeth Gilbert. A tale of Elizabeth’s search for balance and self after a crushing divorce set her on a spiral of depression, her search takes her to Italy, which constitutes the culinary portion of the book title, India, where, holed up in an ashram in meditation, she discovers her inner spirituality, and finally, Bali, where she found love.

The book has been such a hit that ‘Eat Pray Love pilgrims’ have been visiting Bali, people coming from all over the world, drawn by the vivid descriptions painted by Gilbert, seeking their own versions of discovery. Not unlike the ‘Sound of Music tourist’ in Salzburg, skipping about in Mirabell Gardens and the famous gazebo, these Eat Pray Lovers roam about, clutching well-thumbed copies of the book, trying to identify places where the book (and later, film starring Julia Roberts) describes and to experience what Elizabeth Gilbert experienced during her time in Bali (primarily Ubud). And the local tourism infrastructure has cashed in, with drivers eager to point out places where iconic scenes were filmed, and where Julia Roberts stayed whilst in Bali (Four Seasons), and that Ketut the medicine man ‘is not the man he was since success came to him’.

old woman selling baskets ubud market

Old lady selling baskets and other rattan products at Ubud Market

ubud market

Ubud Market

eggs for sale

Eggs for sale

lady making offerings

Lady preparing offerings

hydrangeas in ubud market

Hydrangeas

fish for sale

Fish for sale

The book and film paint a very romanticised picture of Bali, which to be honest, is not too far away from the truth. I worry about falling into the western trap of romanticising poverty and ‘a simpler way of life’ when evidently, those at the ‘unromantic’ end of the equation have understandable desires for a television or a new moped and the other little luxuries development brings. An incredibly laid-back, spiritual and idyllic place (assuming you avoid the mayhem that is Kuta), our week in Ubud, Bali allowed us a glimpse at life in the slow lane, and it is intoxicating.

A bucolic utopia

A rice farmer’s best friend, ducks not only eat the pests that plague their crop, they also fertilise the soil with their droppings.

man on rice paddy

Bucolic paddy fields and fruit trees growing wild, children catching fish with little nets by the stream, chickens scratching on the ground for worms in generations-old traditional family compounds, it certainly makes our addiction to smart phones and tight schedules seem a bit bewildering.

Eating in Italy, Praying in India and Loving in Bali? I think that Elizabeth Gilbert could possibly have saved herself some time (and money on airfares and attendant fuel surcharges) by finding all three in Bali.

checking out the girl

Relaxing

cocoa pods growing on tree

Cocoa pods growing on the tree

cocoa pod and nutmeg

Cocoa pod and nutmeg

View the rest of my Bali Series or check out the rest of my photography on Handcarry Only.

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Eating, Praying and Living in Bali (Part 2)

View Part 1 of my Bali series, ‘Pray’

EAT

Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a glutton (ok, maybe I am, just a little), but food definitely excites me. Especially if it involves copious amounts of meat, preferably cooked over some kind of fire. Which is why the sublime BBQ ribs at Naughty Nuri’s Warung in Ubud is a match made in heaven for me. An open BBQ pit in front of the warung acts as their kitchen as well as a marketing tool for people passing by. The glorious smells and sight of slabs of ribs slow cooking over an open flame proves too much for many of the passers-by, which probably explains the popularity of Naughty Nuri’s. Admittedly, the price of the food is somewhat ‘expat’ and it does attract a sizable tourist/expat crowd, but I spotted a number of more middle class locals there as well. Opened by Isnuri Suryatmi and her American husband, Brian Kenny Aldinger, Nuri’s has a local yet international vibe to the place. I learnt of the mean Martinis being served there only after we left Bali so unfortunately did not try them, but we went back a couple of times for the succulent ribs, which are served in large slabs, and eaten in the dimly lit warung. I could barely make out what I was eating but it sure tasted good.

Nuri's buka

sauces on offer

At Nuri’s in Ubud

We also attended a cooking class conducted by Paon Bali, run by a husband and wife team of Puspa and Wayan, we were introduced to various produce on offer at Ubud market in the morning, before visiting a rice paddy to learn about rice cultivation (very hard work indeed) before adjourning to a traditional Balinese house to learn the basics of Balinese cooking (way fun). Lots of chopping, pounding, slicing, frying and tasting later, we were served the fruits of our labour. All in all, a highly recommended activity should you be in Ubud.

The rest of the trip was a blur of more fantastic food, temples, cycling, sunshine, and I could have sworn there were some monkeys in there somewhere too.

Puspa serving food