Living in Balinese rice fields for a month
We are finally here! We have landed in Bali for the month and we have just gotten a taxi from the airport straight to our villa in Ubud. The winding roads here in Bali are something else. Getting a taxi from the airport was so easy however it was also quite overwhelming. As soon as you exit the airport itself, there are soo many taxi drivers and company representatives that all kind of walk towards you or yell out to you at the same time. Don't get me wrong, it makes it very easy however it is a little overwhelming when you have just gotten off a flight and have landed in a new country We found a kind taxi driver and we got into his air conditioned taxi and he drove us up into the mountains and into Ubud.
Our villa is off one of the main roads. This means that it was pretty much impossible for the taxi to drive the whole way. This isn't a big deal, we just jumped out off that main road and used our phones to walk to the main villa where we were given our keys and dropped off to our villa on a scooter. I adore Bali already. Josh does too. The villa has this insanely beautiful view of rice fields that are out of the main area of Ubud, which means that it is peaceful and quiet (apart from the sounds of the roosters, who live in a little shelter area on the other side of the rice fields that our balcony overlooks, but hey, you can't have everything...at least we will wake up early every morning!). We are down the path from a yoga studio so hopefully we will get into daily (or even weekly) yoga, but we will see! If not this time, then definitely next time. I have always wanted to get into yoga and Josh has said he's wanted to try it too.
The rice has been planted for a few weeks right now, so it is literally only just starting to sprout up out of the ground. Already it is so vibrantly green, it almost does not look real. Yet here we are! We have put our bags into our room, locked our valuables away in the bedroom cupboard, and we have spent the afternoon hanging out next to our pool, getting some food at a little cafe that overlooks rice fields (and in the distance on a clear day, apparently also Mt Agung!), and we have gotten a scooter organised through the villa management from a nice guy called Blondy who has his own little tourism and scooter hire place literally on the little path between our villa and the main road section into Ubud! And finally, we have gotten a giant refill for the water machine next to our fridge as well as some foods and bug spray to have handy. It has been a big day/night, however the feeling of looking out over the rice fields as the sun goes down to the right of our balcony is a calm and incredible feeling...this is going to be a fun month.
So, here's the thing. We organised a scooter for this month (so cheap, just like everything here in Bali...what is not to love, right?). Tomorrow, we are going to catch a boat over to the Nusa Islands. I have organised the accommodation, but we have not organised transport over (this is when being free flowing with the way we approach travel could backfire). However, Blondy the legend sorted it out for us at the same time that we got the scooter organised! We are being picked up from his stall, so we can keep our scooter safe and sound at our villa while we are away this week, and his colleague/mate is going to literally pick us up from a drop off point Blondy will take us to and take us to the boat strip where we will go over to our first of the three Nusa islands, Nusa Penida.
When we get to Nusa Penida, I am going to organise our boat transfers to Nusa Ceningan so we just have it ready to go, and then from Ceningan back to Bali mainland. I cannot wait for this week! Our jobs obviously mean that we can work from anywhere (which is a straight up blessing) however we do not often take time off without our laptops together. This week, that is what it is all about. We are leaving our valuables locked up at our villa (we have the only key - love that for us) so all we will have in terms of a connection to anything is our phones. It is going to be the perfect break before we get down to business next week from our new home away from home! We have only seen a little bit of Bali so far and already I know this place is going to be incredible for both of us.
We are going to do a little backpack back for this coming week (one of the perks of travelling so much...you learn to pack light!) and then we are going to sleep early. We have an incredible stone wall outdoor shower set into the side of our bathroom, so I cannot wait to use it. Out our bedroom window there is a beautiful view over a koi fish pond and little temple set into the yard among palm trees and beautiful plants. This place has it all. Tomorrow, we are officially on island time for a whole week! I just hope that we can easily grab a scooter on Nusa Penida when the boat docks!
'Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?'
Mary Oliver, That Summer Day
