August 26, 2025 Our final night in Bali, we gathered for a performance of music and dance from the village of Munduk. Their gamelan orchestra is one of the best on the island. And it was wonderful to experience an intimate show in a small hall where the dancers and musicians were right in front […]
The Final Performance Read More »
In our final writing class, I had people review their time in Bali by having them respond to this series of sentence stems for three minutes each: Since I’ve come to Bali, I did this to enable everyone to review and remember the sensory details of this land and personal peak experiences they’d had over
Since I’ve Come to Bali Read More »
August 24, 2025 One of the things I love most about Puri Lumbung, our final hotel in Munduk, Bali is that it’s not just a hotel for guests. It’s all a place the community uses, too: they grow and harvest rice here, and it’s the where dance classes are held for the local children. I
It’s All About the Dance Read More »
August 21, 2025 I love the morning hikes we take from our home base in Munduk, Bali. Today, we went out exploring rice fields, coffee, and clove plantations and wandered through rural villages. We walked on cement, grass, mud, and dirt. We crossed streams and climbed a few stony, leaf-strewn muddy hillsides. The sounds of
Exploring Munduk on Foot: Rice Fields, A Friendly Dog, and How Coffee Beans Grow Read More »
August 20, 2025 Yesterday, we arrived in Munduk in Western Bali, the third and final stop on our Bali writer’s tour. This hotel is my favorite. Puri Lumbung, Palace of the Rice Barns, is built on rice fields and the sound of running water is everywhere. It is a peaceful haven for writing and heaven
Arriving in the Mountains and Our Final Water Purification Read More »
August 19, 2025 We were invited for a purification ritual at the family compound of the High Priest and High Priestess today. This is just one of the remarkable opportunities for blessing and healing on this trip, available because of the incredible personal relationships our tour guides, Made Surya and Judy Slattum, have throughout Bali.
A Blessing by the High Priest and the Sanctity of Writing Read More »
August 18, 2025 Joanie had quite a shock when she went down for breakfast today at our hotel. As soon as she was served, this fellow swooped over like he owned the place and stole her breakfast, not once but twice: In response to the monkey’s incursions, this Balinese man took up arms to scare
August 18, 2025 Every time I lead a writing retreat or a travel writing trip, I keep a running list of things that could be improved or tweaked the next time I offer it. It might have to do with a problem that occurred, a day that didn’t work as well as it might have,
The Real Truth About Spas in Bali Read More »
August 2, 2025 I landed in Candidasa, Bali last night and am spending my first two nights at The Lotus Bungalows, a place I’m very familiar with. It’s the first hotel my writers will stay in when they fly in nine days from now. I decided to stay here my first two nights to get
First Full Day in Bali Read More »
Before we went to the cremation, Judy, Surya, and staff members who happened by, helped us wrap our sarongs and temple scarves properly, rather than the slap-dash vacation-in-Hawaii-wrap-around style many of us had been sporting. It wasn’t very far to Munduk Village, but the road was narrow with no sidewalks, and we were all constrained
Virtual Vacation: Sending the Spirit Home, Bali Day 26 Read More »
On our way to the waterfall today, our last hike of the trip, Surya pointed out this leaf, kasa, or as it called it, “traditional Balinese toilet paper.” When we stroked the incredibly soft underside of the leaf, we could easily see why. Along the path, we came across this dead green snake. Judy said it’s the
Virtual Vacation: Dancing Our Way Through Bali, Day 25 Read More »
Last night after dinner, Karyn and I got to spend a few special minutes with Putu Metta Sustrawan, the 15-year-old boy whose education we’ve been sponsoring for the past year. When we met him with his father last year, Putu was shy and deferential and spoke very little English. This year, his voice had dropped
Virtual Vacation: Harvest, Day 24 Read More »
We’ve all happily settled into our cottages at Puri Lumbung in Munduk Village in North Bali. The temperature here is at least 20 degrees cooler than it has been during the rest of our trip; the air is cool. Some of us have even pulled out our sweatshirts in the evening. I slept with socks
Virtual Vacation: Munduk: Land of Plenty, Day 23 Read More »
This morning, I had one hour before I had to be back in the lobby of my hotel to get in the vans to head to Munduk, up north in the mountain country, the final stop of our three-part tour of Bali. I set out, walking fast and determined, knowing exactly where I wanted to
Virtual Vacation – Irony in Paradise, Day 22 Read More »
Today was our free day in Ubud. Everyone was free to choose whatever activities they wanted for the day. Choices included: time to write and wander, time to shop, bike trips down from the top of a mountain, white water rafting, cooking classes, visiting a healer (a real one, not one of the Eat, Pray,
Virtual Vacation: A Downhill Ride, Day 21 Read More »
