from ubud
(from an email to friends who gave me a gift of some amazing accommodations in Ubud)
Hello, Emily, Megan & Beth!
So Steve and I checked into Alam Indah/Alam Shanti this morning, and we have to say, "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU"... the room is *beautiful*. As are the grounds. And views. And staff. Really, it's gorgeous, and spacious enough for an entire family. If you ever make it to Bali...
We have taken some pictures - I'll be sure to send one or two of the best when I can get my hands on a proper USB cord!
The trip so far, by the way, has been lovely. We spent the first handful of days visiting Steve's friends in Japan-- it was less of a sightseeing/cultural tourism visit, more of a faux-family visit, and very fun in a different way. After hanging out with a pile of fat-cheeked Japanese babies for 4 days, we headed down to Jakarta, where we located my old house (for rent! ...hmmmm), visited my old school (they love recruiting Montessori teachers! ...hmmmm!), and ate a lot of delicious fruits that just can't be found fresh in the States. From Jakarta, we headed to Bali, where we had to stay a day in Kuta for logistical reasons, and although it's quite touristy and at time choked with drunk Brits & New Zealanders, and although there's a McDonalds on the beach (! when I lived here, there were 0 McDonalds anywhere in Indonesia!), it was still kind of pretty and we enjoyed combing the shops for fun stuff. From Kuta, we headed to Gili Air off the coast of Lombok, and if you ever do make it to Bali, please consider spending a few days in Gili Air-- it's beautiful and so very, very relaxed! There are no roads, no cars, no police, even. Just clear turquoise water, friendly people, and delicious food (at most places, when you order a coconut milk shake, they climb a tree, cut the nut, scrape the meat and blend it with the juice to order-- you may wait 20 minutes or more for it to reach your table, but it is well worth the wait! So delicious!). Best snorkeling, too!
And now we are in Ubud. Our first day here, we discovered by accident a quiet but colorful little warung with an amazing chef, Yuni, and warm & generous operator, Aja. Steve and I love food, and we showed up hungry-- our intense pleasure in the food we received seemed to please them so much that they just kept bringing out new things for us to try, accompanied by conversations on the cooking and ingredients. We ate there again this afternoon after checking in at Alam Indah, and Steve asked if he could take lessons from the chef tomorrow, it's THAT good. So while he takes cooking lessons tomorrow, I will poke around the shops for little things for the HPMS teachers and classrooms. Please let me know if there is anything you would like me to bring back for any of you -- textiles, masks, toys or clothes for the children, music, etc. Or please allow us to cook for you sometime if you ever want to visit Brooklyn, which is much easier to get to than Bali.
Oh, and between the shopping/eating of central Ubud and the hotel, we take a shady shortcut through the monkey forest-- it's lush and green, and the macacques are funny and very cute (as long as they don't suspect you are carrying food). I think Henrik, Chloe & Joshua would get a *tremendous* kick out of them.
I hope all is well,
and thank you, again, for such a thoughtful gift!
Michele & Steve
Hello, Emily, Megan & Beth!
So Steve and I checked into Alam Indah/Alam Shanti this morning, and we have to say, "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU"... the room is *beautiful*. As are the grounds. And views. And staff. Really, it's gorgeous, and spacious enough for an entire family. If you ever make it to Bali...
We have taken some pictures - I'll be sure to send one or two of the best when I can get my hands on a proper USB cord!
The trip so far, by the way, has been lovely. We spent the first handful of days visiting Steve's friends in Japan-- it was less of a sightseeing/cultural tourism visit, more of a faux-family visit, and very fun in a different way. After hanging out with a pile of fat-cheeked Japanese babies for 4 days, we headed down to Jakarta, where we located my old house (for rent! ...hmmmm), visited my old school (they love recruiting Montessori teachers! ...hmmmm!), and ate a lot of delicious fruits that just can't be found fresh in the States. From Jakarta, we headed to Bali, where we had to stay a day in Kuta for logistical reasons, and although it's quite touristy and at time choked with drunk Brits & New Zealanders, and although there's a McDonalds on the beach (! when I lived here, there were 0 McDonalds anywhere in Indonesia!), it was still kind of pretty and we enjoyed combing the shops for fun stuff. From Kuta, we headed to Gili Air off the coast of Lombok, and if you ever do make it to Bali, please consider spending a few days in Gili Air-- it's beautiful and so very, very relaxed! There are no roads, no cars, no police, even. Just clear turquoise water, friendly people, and delicious food (at most places, when you order a coconut milk shake, they climb a tree, cut the nut, scrape the meat and blend it with the juice to order-- you may wait 20 minutes or more for it to reach your table, but it is well worth the wait! So delicious!). Best snorkeling, too!
And now we are in Ubud. Our first day here, we discovered by accident a quiet but colorful little warung with an amazing chef, Yuni, and warm & generous operator, Aja. Steve and I love food, and we showed up hungry-- our intense pleasure in the food we received seemed to please them so much that they just kept bringing out new things for us to try, accompanied by conversations on the cooking and ingredients. We ate there again this afternoon after checking in at Alam Indah, and Steve asked if he could take lessons from the chef tomorrow, it's THAT good. So while he takes cooking lessons tomorrow, I will poke around the shops for little things for the HPMS teachers and classrooms. Please let me know if there is anything you would like me to bring back for any of you -- textiles, masks, toys or clothes for the children, music, etc. Or please allow us to cook for you sometime if you ever want to visit Brooklyn, which is much easier to get to than Bali.
Oh, and between the shopping/eating of central Ubud and the hotel, we take a shady shortcut through the monkey forest-- it's lush and green, and the macacques are funny and very cute (as long as they don't suspect you are carrying food). I think Henrik, Chloe & Joshua would get a *tremendous* kick out of them.
I hope all is well,
and thank you, again, for such a thoughtful gift!
Michele & Steve
posted by raritan at 3:51 AM
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