Pagerwesi - Ubud, Bali

Yesterday the holy holiday of Pagerwesi wrapped up nearly a weeklong celebration in Ubud.

Pagerwesi Morning.

This year Pagerwesi was extra special because it fell on the full moon and the total lunar eclipse. 

All week the temple at Campuhan (Pura Gunung Lebah) was a little hive of activity - processionals left and arrived daily through town and the surrounding villages. 

Families came from all over Bali to leave their offerings at the temple - it was busy.  On somedays the police would hustle us past the temple because we didn't have on a sarong - we have to walk past the temple to come into town from our house - we quickly got smart and timed our trips home so we weren't being overly disrespectful.

Pagerwesi falls every 210 days on the Balinese Holy Calendar.  It can be roughly translated as 'Iron Fence' and symbolizes a battle between good and evil.  Specifically, it's a day when the Balinese strengthen their minds and spiritual selves against evil forces.  

Offerings left at the top of the lane.  Coconut, banana and rice.  

Pagerwesi comes close on the tails of Saraswati which celebrates knowledge - so an extra emphasis is placed on protecting knowledge from evil.​

During the day our little street was silent which is so, so rare.  Normally, there are motorbikes zooming around from fairly early on.​

Basket of Canang Sari for the compound.  Lots of rice balls.

Around my little house a strong emphasis was placed on warding off bad or evil spirits.  Almost like a cleansing ritual.  Water was sprinkled in all corners of the yard - extra incense was burned and extra robust Canang Sari (if you follow me on instagram this is what I've been documenting) were left.

Mama leaving her canang sari.

Once it started to get dark out and we could spot the moon low on the horizon processions started coming up the hill.​

Can you spot the moon?  It's about half way in shadow.

The first group was smaller and just rang a bell at every house along the street but, once it was dark and the moon had completely darkened a large processional came through banging drums and really making some noise.   

Long exposure shot of the festivities down the road - the long red streak on the left had side is a moped tail light that passed me on the lane.  Night photo!

Our host explained to us that this celebration was a time when they prayed not just for themselves and Bali but for the whole world.  It's also a time when everyone is welcome at the Temple to leave offerings (I think this might be in reference to a cast system).

In the west the full moon following the Harvest Moon is called the Hunter Moon.   After the harvest the fields are stubbly and a Hunter can ride over them with ease quickly spotting animals who can no longer hide amongst the plants...or so the story goes. 

I hope you all were able to see the total lunar eclipse wherever you were in the world! 

As always please excuse the awkard photo editing and lack of real information.  I had a really hard time learning who was being prayed to and what the offerings meant.

Campuhan Ridge Trail Lovelies

Everyday I walk the Campuhan Ridge to get into Ubud. I'm slightly up the hill in a much quieter town than the bustling Ubud. I must say, this was a very wise choice. 

Yesterday as I was walking into town I saw a couple headed towards me. ​

I recognized immediately that they were getting their wedding photos taken and then were headed to their reception. They were very, very gracious and allowed me to take their photo. ​

It was such an unexpected sight and they were perfectly situated (I mean, obviously they knew the best place for photos). I felt so, so lucky to be able to snag their photo! 

I didn't want these pics to get lost in my Instagram shuffle and knew these Campuhan Beauties deserved a post of their own!

Congratulations you two!  All the best in your future together!

Ubud Rice Paddies

My daily routine has held fast.  I wake up really early, make a coffee, grab my camera and wander around taking photos of the rice paddies.

This morning I also put on my walking shoes and headed up the road a bit further then usual.  It ended up being a really good idea because well....I saw some rice paddies that I hadn't seen before! 

The rice was blooming.  With the morning sun hitting it just right it felt like autumn in the tropics.

I have a feeling by the time I leave Bali you'll be ready to see something other than rice on the blog but, I must say, it's a total feast for the eyes and is completely irrisitable to my camera! 

Nautie Randomness Bali Edition

These things used to have Roman numerals but honestly, I didn't know what came next so now they get names.  I kinda like it better like this anyways.  This is the Bali Edition - things I meant to tell you before I left for Bali - things I meant to tell you when I got to Bali - things I just want to tell you!

Balinese Man working in the rice paddies in early this morning.

Can someone who reads this blog on a comupter tell me if the above photo (and well, the photos below) are gigantic?  I've been having minor difficulties resizing the photos on my iPad and because Squarespace is right ontop of optimizing posts on mobile devices I can't tell if that photo a) takes forever to load and b) is distorted due to being very, very large!  It's also possible that the flipside is true - are these photos small?  I realize that this makes no sense but the bottom line is:  Do the photos look okay on your viewing platform?!

Morning light in my little yard.

I haven't ventured too far from my nest since I've been here.  There are a couple reasons why but, one major reason is that I was really behind on 'life'.  There were so many long overdue emails to write / reply to.  Organizing data.  Organizing my schedule.  I didn't quite realize how much I had been going, going, going.  Being here, typing on my iPad, looking out the window, journaling and taking photos has been just what the doctor ordered.

Rice Paddies, A Camera, A Coffee.  Bliss.

So far, my morning routine has consisted of waking up really early, finding a mug of something warm, grabbing my camera and strolling along the edges of the rice paddies.  This morning the ravine on the Eastern edge of the ridge was full of mist and thanks to a light rain through the night things were extra dewy.

Rice Paddy and Morning Light.

Just so I don't leave you confused, I wrote some blog posts and set them up as 'scheduled posts'.  I was worried that I wouldn't have enough time to blog on the road and figured thought I'd share some of the photos I took while I was at sea last to keep you company in case of my absence.  I hope this doesn't throw anyone for too much of a loop! 

Here's something random for you.  When I was driving from the airport to Ubud I saw a really, really big lizard cross the road.  Big as in, if we hit it we would have felt it.  When my hosts were showing me through my house I asked them if I should keep the doors closed sometimes.  I mean, I'm down with geckos but that thing was bigger than a rat!  My hosts say, 'nah, you should be okay, we only had a snake in the house once!'.  *Gulp* I might be at one with the tropics but....we don't have snakes in Hawaii!  Then he says, 'that's why the houses are tiled - snakes can't slither on tile!'.  What?!  Good to know?!  Whew?!  Snakes?!

Thanks for tagging along with me! 

Going Nomad :: Bali & Nepal

Via

A few months ago - as in right around the time I made this grand proclamation - I saw the above photo in my instagram feed.  A sweet little bungalow in Ubud, Bali.

In my head I had one thought:  

MAKE.IT.HAPPEN. 

I have been talking about going to Bali for just about my entire life.  My Mom visited Bali a few times when I was just a little girl and brought back tons of stuff.  As I sit here typing and I look around the living room I see a stack of Balinese baskets, a Balinese carving and a Batik throw pillow.

When I knew that I wouldn't have an apartment lined up for myself for the month of October and November I knew it was time.  Time to book some tickets.

My plan was to travel through Bali and Thailand.  Two dreamy, long time put off, destinations.

In July I headed up to BC, where I visited some cousins and drove golf carts.  My Girl Cousin said, 'I'm going to Nepal in October'!  ...and I said, 'ohmygodi'mgoingwithyou'.  

Then, before I knew it, I'd booked myself a ticket to Bali and Nepal.  Mostly because I knew that if I didn't just make it happen, it would never happen.  It's official.  I'll be splitting the month of October in Ubud, Bali and Kathmandu, Nepal. 

I leave next week and should be over the moon excited but, I spend a pretty big part of my day thinking, 'oh boy.  have you bitten off more than you can chew?' and then I think, 'nope, you're gonna be fine...' and then, I wander over to my packed suitcase and paw through things.  For the record, Bali and Nepal require drastically different outfits.

Being without a 'home base' is just as challenging as I expected it to be - it's also just as liberating.  It lends to a fair amount of chaos and upheaval - it also creates a fair amount of opportunity.  It spawns adventure - which was exactly what I was looking for.

Bali!  Nepal!  Nomad!  Adventure!  Yippeeeeee! 

for the record the inspirational photo isn't where I'll be staying....it just got the ball rolling...

Nomad Summer Wrap Up

This summer marked the beginning of my Going Nomad adventure.  My time on the road was brief but lengthy.  I mean, man, I covered some miles.  Between the middle of June and the beginning of August I put 9,000 miles on my little-car-car!

To sum it up I drove from California to Texas with my Mom (who flew in and met me when I got off my ship).  We booked it to Texas as fast as we could - packed up my apartment and loaded it into a u-haul pod - and then picked my Step-Dad up at the airport.  We immediately booked it for New Orleans.  A few nights in New Orleans and then we were off to Arkansas and Oklahoma to visit family.  From Oklahoma we bee lined for Vegas.  I mean, Vegas is always a good idea, right?!  Vegas wore us out and we straggled back in to California where we recouped in a lovely backyard with amazing friends.  My parents flew back to Hawaii and I made a solo trip up the West Coast stopping in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia before making my way back down to California and rejoining my ship.  I mean, whew! 

It almost feels like a cheat to call that one and a half months Going Nomad because it was just so short except, I put so many miles on my car that I decided it has to count.

Spending so much time in a car and hopping from house to house you're bound to learn a few things about yourself.  Here's what I learned....

I will wear the same thing everyday unless the weather prevents it.  I had no desire to switch things up.  I saw new people everyday so they were none the wiser! 

A pint of blueberries fits perfectly in the console between your seats.

More disgustingly, I don't really like to shower.  I get a little self conscious showering at other peoples house.  What is that about?!

I have no will power to eat healthy when someone puts something yummy in front of me.  If I had my cooler and was in the car I was golden.  Faced with a yummy spread - nope.  

Healthy food choices aside, you're allowed to buy yourself a McFlurry after hours on the road.  Judge away interwebz.

Podcasts make my heart sing.

I can drive really, really fast and be none the wiser.

My friends and family are the best ever.  Truly the best.  So helpful!  So supportive!  So loving!

It's not that easy sometimes.  Introverts need to build in some alone time.  

Stop for the good coffee.  Skip the Starbucks.

Buying packing cubes was smart.  Really smart.

Touch the ferret at the rest stop.  You'll be so happy you did later.

I can't wait to tell you about my upcoming adventures!  This fall will be one for the books!