We’re in the last two days of our Bali trip. settled in at my favorite spot: Munduk. There are many stories and images I have wanted to share with you, the Wi-Fi here does not accommodate uploading very much. I have one post I’ve been trying to upload for two days! For those of you […]
I saw rice grains hanging from a rose apple tree. I asked Surya, “Is it a rice offering?” He said, “No, it means, ‘This is our fruit. Don’t pick it.” Keep out, Balinese style. The protected fruit.
Balinese Boundaries Read More »
So delicious! The pindekan (hand-made chimes) in the rice field scare the birds away.
Harvesting Red Rice By Hand Read More »
Yesterday, before we left Ubud for Munduk, we rearranged our entire day’s schedule because Surya told us that there was going to be a mass cremation ceremony at the Temple in the Monkey Forest—57 people being cremated at once—and that we could walk there to witness it. I’ve done this twice before in Bali and
From the End to the Beginning Read More »
Arrival in Munduk in the cool mountain region of Bali. My favorite stop on our journey. Listening to a sunset talk by Surya on traditional Balinese healing and medicine while looking at this….and drinking a cold beer. Photo by Marsha Morgan. This is just a minute from my new room. Offerings to the Gods…. Sunset
After my ten days of diving while on vacation in Raja Ampat, having a scuba tank on my back 25 times, my lower back began to complain. I pretty much used mind over matter to ignore it while I was diving and with my kids, but by the time I got to Bali, I couldn’t
What I Did On My Free Day In Ubud: The Healer Read More »
One of the favorite assignments I give my writing students requires a bit of sacrifice: waking up at 4:30 in the morning, meeting at 5:00 and walking down Monkey Forest Road, one long city block to the morning market. In the early morning, starting at 4, this market is where the local women come to
Dawn Report: Ubud, Bali Read More »
When we got to Ubud today, I walked everyone into our new hotel, turned right around back out onto the crazy streets of Ubud, and one of our drivers, Budi, was waiting for me. Judy, who arranged our tour, had arranged for Budi to take me to the leather jacket store. I could have walked,
The Leather Jacket Saga Continued Read More »
Pendet Dance – Ubud, Bali Baris Dance – Ubud, Bali
Jegong: Giant Bamboo Gamelan & Dance Read More »
Photo by Marsha Morgan
Goodbye Lotus Bungalows, On to Ubud Read More »
You never know where our guide, Surya, will take us. Today, on a three-mile hike through the rice fields of Bugbug Village, we happened upon a little table covered with a dozen implements with wooden handles, the top part wrapped in newspaper and twine. What were they and why were they here? It ends up
Deep observation is an important part of the writer’s craft. If you can really notice the details and what you are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, listening to, you can make your writing vivid and alive. Today’s exercise is one I repeat on every Write, Travel, Transform workshop: the 12-inch exercise. Each writer goes out to
What Can You See If You Really Look? Read More »
Today we hiked three miles to Tenganan Village, one of the most ancient villages in Bali—dating back to the 7th century—and also one of the wealthiest. Tenganan is a village enclosed by four walls and four gates and its residents are not allowed to intermarry outside the village. Tenganan is primarily know for two things:
Walking to Tenganan, Part 2 Read More »
