Paradise Found: Ubud, Bali

One of my favorit6e things about traveling is meeting people you would not normally meet at home. Here in the tropical, Hindu town of Ubud, Bali, we've met some unforgettable characters. Considered a Hindu spiritual site, Ubud is verdant, jungle-like, and remote, so it attracts those who want an "escape." Just one half mile from our hotel, people are filming the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" with Julia Roberts but you would never guess that from our quiet hotel.
Our first friend here is an aging rock star named Jimmy, from Scotland. His band, "Simple Minds," has performed world wide and cut albums for over 30 years, playing with the "Rolling Stones," "U2," and others. He regales us for hours with stories of his "gigs" and "friends." He has broken all my stereotypes of rock stars with his short, balding hair, articulation, and non-drinking lifestyle. Could I be more decadent than a rock star?!!!
Our second friend at this hotel is Brian, a British Ex-Pat shipping magnate who hob-nobs with the rich and famous, looking like a blonde George Hamilton. Last week, he partied at Elton John's (whom he calls "Reggie") house in London with Bill Clinton for a charity benefit. Living locally, he educates us about Balinese culture here. Last week, Brian's Balinese driver (making $150 per month) refused a high paying job at the movie set (Eat, Pray, Love) because he had promised his mother to move some furniture that day, ensuring "bad Hindu karma" if he refused her and did something else. Faith is real to these folks!
Last night (the 21st), we added new names to our list of Bali friends. Luckily, we were invited to an "Obama Inauguration Party" given by an American Ex Pat down the road. After traveling two weeks with no Americans, we were suddenly surrounded by 100 of them, watching the Big Screen TV, all speaking English and eating hot dogs and baked beans (yuck!). But it was all worth it to see our new president sworn-in amidst millions of cheers all over the world. All of Indonesia partied that night and now this new presidency seems like a worldwide victory to us. "Yes we can" and "we did!"
It will be hard to leave this slice of paradise but we head for the mountains tomorrow. Will write soon! To a new era!!

You Can Never Go Home Again

Chuck and I were excited to fly from Muslim Malaysia to Hindu Bali last week. Malaysia is
a very industrialized, modern Muslim country where most women wear head scarves and alcohol costs twice what it does in the US. Bali, on the other hand, is full of gracious, tolerant people practicing ancient Balinese customs in the midst of visiting tourists.
We were especially excited to stay on the same beach, Legian Beach, where we stayed 30 years
ago after law school for Chuck. At that time, we stayed in a grass shack on the beach for $5 with
electricity for 3 hours each night and happy workers who brought breakfast to our door each morning, bowing as they arrived. Well, as Thomas Wolfe stated in his book, "you can never go home again!" Now our old shack is gone, replaced by a concrete skyscraper in construction. The main street is filled with McDonald's, 7 Elevens, many, many tourist shops and thousands of motorcycles everywhere. Sad, sad.
Amazingly, the women of Bali still practice their customs in this milieu. Every morning, they prepare a homemade offering of banana leaf filled with fresh flowers and trinkets and place it
in front of office or house, to ensure "good karma" for those inside. The Balinese people are so
gracious and spiritual that one can only hope they can preserve this culture in the midst of Western development. This is just a small bit of paradise left. How lucky we are to still see it!

Our Golden Moments

On Day Four of our SE Asia trip, Chuck and I find ourselves in the Muslim Malaysian city of
Kuala Lumpur. After a quick and fun stop in Hong Kong, we flew into the sleek, modern glassy airport in KL and taxied to our luxury skyscraper hotel, a bargain at $70/night. Everywhere we go, we see women covered head to foot in dark headscarves and long skirts in real heat (ugh!). All afternoon we hear male voices on the intercom calling worshippers to prayer in the local mosque. Despite our fears, everyone has been helpful and hospitable to us. However, yesterday at the mosque, we passed an anti-American, Isreali demonstration with big signs stating, "NO STARBUCKS." Gave me the shivers, but still we feel very safe.
Surprises abound in Malaysia, a properous, highly developed global city with no Americans seen anywhere (we DO stand out here!) Perhaps the biggest surprise came when Chuck and I
booked our hotel in KL. We were told that our lower hotel cost resulted from "The Golden Moments Package" for those over 55 yrs. old. Guess we are "golden" already! So, now we enjoy a free breakfast and one free dinner )No, it is not mashed potatoes or applesauce!) Yes,
there IS a benefit to aging and from now on all our moments should be "golden!"
Tomorrow we head to the Malaysian Mountains for a "vacation" from our vacation. How nice to leave snowy PDX for this warm and tropical climate. Each day, news of the Gaza War abound, but what can we do? We can only pray. I'll write again soon!
Gay