Bali-The Final Wrap Up

   Pictured: The beautiful scenery of Ubud, Bali.

Relaxing in Ubud, Bali

After the New Years Eve celebration, I decided that I needed to relax and start catching up on my writing.  I went out to the artistic haven of Ubud, Bali which is inland a few hours from the beach.  It was good to get some personal time to reflect on the past year and all that has happened.  I also began to outline the last few months of the journey to make sure I met as many of my goals as possible before the money ran out.  I took a day long mountain bike tour of Ubud and the surrounding villages.  It has an incredible landscape.  Also, Bali is in the midst of local elections and the country side is covered with political flags representing the many political parties and their candidates.

 

Joe's Place

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we found a little pub called Joe's Place on our first night in town.  Joe's Place is a small bar the specializes in live music.  It has a laid back attitude and the staff are incredibly friendly.  As you enter the bar, there is a sign that says "Leave Your Ego Outside."  On any given night that we went out, we either had our first drink or last drink at this establishment.  We slowly became regulars at the place and everyone knew each other by first name.  Joe was a great host not only at his pub but for the island.  He drove a small group of us a few hours to Ubud to see the city.  After my stint in Ubud, he drove out there and picked me up.  I was planning on staying in a hostel for my last few days in town but Joe refused to hear of it.  I ended up staying at his place with him and his roommate. It was the only place so far on the trip that I wanted to leave the Spartan Flag.  Unfortunately, I have a little bit of business left with the flag before it is sent to Joe.  We are hoping to host Joe in the US sometime this summer.

Superman is Dead

The manager of Joe's Place was a guy named Ekarock.  He is also in a pretty famous Bali punk band called Superman is Dead.  He is a talented musician and the band can really jam.  The band is having an American tour this summer. If you are reading this from the blog then you can check out their video here.  Facebook friends-videos don't transfer to the facebook site. If anyone is interested in seeing them over the summer let me know!

The New Year Adventure in Bali- Part 2

New Years Eve in Bali

  Pictured: Some of my friends who came out to Bali for New Years Eve.

The New Years Eve Party was one of those nights that just came about in a very natural way.  We didn't have any set plans until we got into town.  I was a little nervous because I didn't know what people expected from the trip. We had dinner at Japanese restaurant that was recommended by the concierge at our hotel.  It was a great meal that would have run $100 a person back in the USA forthe food and drinks but because we were in Bali it was a smooth $16 a person.  After dinner, we went to the Hu'u Bar which was attached to the restaurant that we had dinner the night before.  The DJ played a wide variety of 70's music in the beginning and moved into techno as the night wore on. Shortly after the NYE countdown and a fire show, the DJ spun Fedde le Grand's "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit." It made my night.

        Pictured: A fire show shortly after the New Years Eve Countdown at the Hu'u Bar.

We continued dancing until about 3 am and then made our way to our favorite hangout Joe's Place.  We wanted to wish Joe and his staff a Happy New Years.  The place was still packed and there was a small band performing.  As we were talking to the drummer's sister, Thea, we found out that she was a Michigan State grad and so the MSU flag made its first appearance of 2009!  After the band finished their set, a smaller group of us joined Thea and her brother at the late night club called Double Eight where we danced until the sun came up.  Another successful New Years Eve on the road!

              Pictured: Michigan State Spartans celebrating New Years Eve in Bali!

My Eat, Pray, Love Moment with Ketut Liyer

I had the opportunity to read the book by Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray, Love before I left for my journey.  I had an ex-girlfriend, who suggested that I read the book because she thought my trip reminded her of Gilbert's journey.  I found Gilbert to be a very compelling author and I enjoyed reading the book that has become an anthem for women travelers.  As I travel, it is one of the most common books that I see female travelers reading.  During my kick off party in the Bahamas, there were five copies floating around amongst our twenty guests. 

After reading it, I can understand the appeal it has to women.  It is a book of self discovery and finding the balance in ones life through intentional travel.  Since I didn't leave Michigan because I was unhappy with my life or because I was trying to find meaning in life, I can't say I was moved by the book as others have been.  It was just a good book to me.  In case you were wondering, my order of the book sections from favorite to least favorite are Bali, Italy, India. Also, I think only a female could write the section on Italy because it would sound very different if a guy was gorging himself on food and wine and then fantasizing about sleeping with a set of twins. It would sound very sleazy from a male perspective but somehow through the voice of a woman, it was very romantic.

While I was in Bali, I found myself in the small artistic haven of Ubud. It was a great escape from the hustle and bustle of Kuta.  I was heading over to have lunch with my friend Vikki when she mentioned that two women from her hotel were going to see the medicine man that was written about in the book Eat, Pray, Love.  The Balinese medicine man, Ketut Liyer, was still practicing his ways at the compound that Gilbert wrote about. 

I was reluctant to go at first because it sounded quite hooky.  It had been done before.  It was Gilbert's thing and why should I tread on her ground.  But then I thought of my readers and I was sure that a few of them would love to hear about the experience.  So for one of the first times, I did something on this trip not just for myself but for my readers.  I decided to join the three women on their journey to see Ketut Liyer.

We went to his compound by taxi.  As soon as we mentioned the name to the taxi driver, he perked up and said he knew the place and took us over there.  We approached the gate of a very unassuming house.  There very a very simple sign with Ketut Liyer's name on it and there was no mention about Eat, Pray Love.  It was great to see that fame hasn't changed him.  He has however raised his price for a reading to $25 US, a substantial increase since he pre- "Eat, Pray, Love" days.  Even a traditional Balinese medicine man understands capitalism!

We walked into the very simple compound.  There were three sets of tourists waiting to have their palms read.  The four of us patiently waited and discussed palm reading and astrology and what we thought about it.  I was the last person to get his palm read so I got to watch the others get their readings.  Surprisingly or maybe it wasn't surprising, each of their readings were remarkably similar.  They will find true love soon, they will live to be a 110 and they will be successful and happy.   As they compared their readings, I could get a sense of disappoint from Vikki's two friends that it seemed that they had a cookie cutter reading. 

I went over and met with him and surprisingly my reading was very different.  He took a little longer time with me and we talked about a number of topics.  I won't go into all the details because I don't want to jinx it because who knows if readings are like wishes while blowing candles out.  But I will give you two details because I know a few people who want the scoop.  One- I will live to 110.  Everybody will live to 110 according to Ketut Liyer.  Two- He told me that I would find love soon as he looked at my marriage lines.  But the again he also said that I shouldn't worry about it if it doesn't work out because I had a few more lines there for additional marriages.  I am still laughing about that one.  It was the nicest way of saying during a palm reading, "Hey buddy--you are getting married and then divorced!"

Though at first I thought stopping over to see him would be a little cheesy, I was glad that I went over and experienced Ketut Liyer.  He was charming and humorous. His toothless smile warmed your heart. He was all the things you would think of from reading the book.  I left the compound with the ladies armed with the new knowledge of my future.  Watch out world because here I come.

The New Year Adventure in Bali- Part 1

Pictured: Our waitress, Chef Philip Mimbimi (Okemos High School Class of 1994) and me at dinner at the great restaurant, Nutmegs.

For those waiting for the Bali Blogs, they finally start this week!  At the beginning of my trip in 2008, I decided that it would be perfect to host a little party in Bali for New Years Eve.  We had a successful kick off party for New Years Eve in the Bahamas and Bali a year latter would be a great sequel.  I didn't think we would have the same turnout of 22 people as we did in the Bahama's but knew it would be a special place.  I wasn't wrong. 

We had a total of 12 of us make it out to Bali.  It was a mix of old college friends and new friends that I have met over the past year of travel.  The last person to sign up for the trip was David Aymerich, who I met for the first time in India during my Habitat for Humanity trip in Bangalore this November.  He is a firefighter out in the Bay area.  He didn't know anyone in the group but when I mentioned the trip, he jumped on board.  Not only was it New Years Eve but it was his birthday that week as well.  I told him if he came we would celebrate his birthday the night before New Years Eve. 

I was trying to figure out where to have the birthday dinner because I really don't know Bali that well because I had never been before.  A few friends gave me recommendations and I started researching them.  I put an off handed comment about going to Bali on my Facebook status line and my friend Catherine Mimbimi wrote me and mentioned that her brother was a chef in an upscale restaurant in Bali. What are the odds of that a local mid-Michigan guy would be the head chef at a Bali restaurant?  So I figured the travel gods were telling me something.  I shot her brother, Philip, an e-mail and arranged to have our group dinner for David's birthday at his restaurant, Nutmegs.  It was a great dinner and Philip prepared a special appetizer and dessert for the dinner.  It started a week of great food for our group.  Each meal we had for either lunch or dinner was fabulous and I started thinking that Bali should not only sell itself for its beaches and nightlife but by its food.  The group of my friends meshed well and I knew it would be a great week.

Pictured: Birthday celebrant David Aymerich and me the day before his birthday dinner.
 

Obama-The World's President

Pictured: A proud Obama supporter in South Africa.

It is amazing the change that has occurred over the past year in people's perception of the United States.  When I started the journey most people would cautiously ask me about President George Bush and what I thought about him.  They didn't want to offend me but they wanted to let me know their thoughts.  It was surprising the sheer number of people who had negative opinions about him and our foreign policy.  They were not shy sharing their thoughts about the Iraq War, Guantanamo Bay and our use of torture.  Over time the economy was added to their list of concerns when we talked about America.  I didn't realize until I was on the road what a strong symbol Guantanamo Bay and torture were to the world.  So many people look up to America to be the standard bearer for justice and civil liberties and those two issues were a stark departure of what America had stood for over the years. 

In all of the countries I visited, people wanted to talk about the campaign.  They felt that they had a vested interest in the outcome because of the power the US has in the world.  I was surprised by the number of times people said that the rest of the world should have a vote in our elections because of our influence.  I watched one of the Presidential debates huddled around a small TV with the staff of my hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Another debate was watched with an international group of hikers in a tea house in the Himalayas.  They knew the issues and had strong opinions on what they saw.

Pictured: After watching the inauguration speech in Ficksburg, South Africa, I gave this man my Barack Obama shirt.  He had tears in his eyes as he told me about the hope he had for the US.

With only a handful of exceptions, people thought Barack Obama was best suited to put America back in good standing with the world.  After the election, people in India would thank me as if I had something to do with it.  There was a sense of hope and optimism in their voices. In Indonesia and South Africa, the first thing people say after I tell them I am an American is "Obama" with a smile.  People seek me out and want to talk about him.  My Rwandan cab driver told me he took the evening off to watch the speech and news coverage. You see people in the streets of these countries wearing his shirts and hanging signs in their businesses. 

Last night, I was having drinks with two former national cricket players in Cape Town. One white and one black.  They both said that watching the inauguration speech reminded them of when Nelson Mandela spoke to this country so many years back. I had shivers as they talked about the changes in South Africa and great pride that they felt the same about the election of our President.

I doubt people at home realize know how much this election has meant to the people that I have come across over the past few months.  People from other countries feel that the American voters have validated their concerns. That we voted with the world's interest at heart.  The election of Barack Obama is a symbol for the rest of the world.  It is a symbol of our ideals.  It is a symbol for change.  It is a symbol for tolerance.  It is a symbol for racial reconciliation. There are so many different ways that people people have individually internalized the historic event.

It has been an incredible few months watching the changes in the types of conversations people want to have with me. It has been fun.  Though there is a lot of work to be done by our new President, we are headed in the right direction.  Just ask anyone in the streets of any country. 

Pictured: Our waiter in Indonesia was so excited that we were Americans and told us how much he loved Obama.  We each pitched in two dollars and bought him this Obama shirt which he proudly put on.

Start Planning Your New Years Eve Trip to Bali!

Dear Gentle Reader:

For those of you interested in joining the "Singh Around the World" Tour, you can start making your plans to meet me in Bali for New Years Eve.  I will be in Bail from December 29 until January 3.  I have decided that we will be staying in the Kuta Beach area.  It is in the southern part of the Island not to far from the international airport, Ngurah Rai Airport-Denpasar (Airport Code: DPS.)  It has beautiful beaches, great nightlife and a range of accommodations from bungalows to 5 star hotels.  There are a number of nearby towns that you can stay at as well if you want a more isolated experience.

I will arrange a few activities during the time we are there including the New Years Eve Party.  Later on in the month, I will provide a listing of hotels and other types of accommodations.  Because there will be people with different budget ranges, I will let people  choose their own places to stay instead of recommending one hotel.  When I make my booking for lodging, I will let you know the location in case you want to stay there.

I would recommend booking a flight and hotel within the next month or so because Bali is a popular destination for the holidays.  Bali is a fairly inexpensive place. Food, drink and lodging will be very affordable.  Unfortunately, that cannot be said about airfare over there.

Everyone is welcome.  Make this your New Years Eve by inviting your friends and family.  The more the merrier!  I don't know how many people will be able to make it out to Bali but seven people have committed so far. It is bound to be an exciting time and a memorable New Years Eve!