The Terrific3 travel blog

We hit 2 weeks in Bali yesterday.

Today was a chill day. We had our nanny 7am to 1pm. I ran 3 miles using the 0.05 mile path between villas here. 2 days ago, I ventured out determined to figure out how to get to the rice paddy path I can see from our villa right next door. I asked the front desk staff and the man there couldn’t really help me and kept trying to offer that I pay him to get on his motorbike and drive me to the monkey forest. Then he told me to go to some other hotel and ask them to go back, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. So then I pulled out my Google map app and tried to get him to point out to me how I could access the path but he was unable. Communication difficulties? Many! And whoever suggested Google translate, I’m positive it wouldn’t have helped in this situation at all because it was like we were in 2 universes, talking English but not understanding each other, and on different wavelengths. So I decided, it can’t be that hard—I am going to the building next door and going to find the path. It looked like a coffee plantation sign so I thought, ah ha! This might be it. It was 7am and nobody was around so I went through the lobby to what I thought would be the path. Walked back to what looked like staff living quarters, and I heard multiple dogs growling and barking. I freaked out and turned around, went back to our Villa, resigning myself to the 0.05 mile path being far better than being bit by a rabid dog in Bali (did I mention there is an active rabies outbreak here as of last month?)

Anyways, I did my 3 mile run, took a shower, and walked over to The Yoga Barn for a yoga with weights class that was pretty good. As I said, Bali is full of contradictions, and so is the Yoga Barn. It is this beautiful, peaceful sanctuary in the midst of Ubud chaos and traffic. You step onto the huge grounds and you forget what’s outside. All the teachers seem to be foreigners, many from the US, most white, in a discipline that is culturally appropriated from India, in a place where there are presumably locals looking for work. There are locals who work in the cafe, reception, etc, but it confounds me that there are so many foreign teachers. Why not dig into local talent? I’ve enjoyed taking classes there, but it feels like I’m in a yoga class in the U.S.

After my class, I had a meal at their cafe, got some groceries for our home and got myself a one hour foot massage. This has become a daily habit, worth the $6.62. 🙂

Having been here 2 weeks, I’ve noticed another trend which I’m not fond of. The cultural “nosiness.” Every morning when I leave my villa, one of the staff asks me where we are going. I usually just say, “we are going out” and then they try to probe and ask more questions, which I dodge because I’m annoyed. It feels like an invasion of my privacy to have to tell details of my daily outings, but I realize this is likely a cultural difference. The way in which it is asked is so matter of fact and direct it that it lends itself to that feeling. No matter how i answer, I get the same direct question the next day. Again, not asked in a curious tone, but more in a “we need to know what you are doing” tone.

Today, the head chef (who is lovely and makes us a delicious breakfast daily) stopped me as I was returning from my massage and asked me about my nanny. “Yes I have a nanny,” I said. Then she got really nosy again, asking if I had a contract with her, how many days I was hiring her, what I was paying. I tried to politely dodge all questions but she was insistent, asking a few times how much I paid her. So I finally had to tell her that was private information and I didn’t want to share. She then told me one of her friends used to babysit in the villas (maybe she was inquiring on her behalf; but honestly, they should’ve advertised that—it would’ve been much easier for me). Again, I realize this is cultural—people here live in huge Balinese compounds with their whole extended family, and part of having a “village” is being in everyone’s business. But, I don’t have to like it, and it feels very invasive to my boundaries. It’s a little similar to Indian culture, but very very different than Thailand, where people seemed much more respectful of my personal boundaries. Again, can’t help but compare. There is no real sense of space in a still developing island country with tiny roads and lots of people everywhere—everyone is in your personal space all the time…I was walking down the sidewalk today and a man was riding his motorbike on the sidewalk towards me to avoid road traffic, with a smirky smile on his face as he approached me, and I had to move out of his way. So presumptive and so…male… So as people encroach on your physical space here, and it’s a fact of daily life, they feel they can encroach on your personal space. Again, it’s still a mystery to me why so many Americans decide to love and move to Bali!

I am attaching a video above of a walk I took this morning in Ubud to give you a sense of what the streets are like. I am enjoying myself with the activities we are doing for sure, but Bali continues to not be my favorite place. I realize and accept that it is ok to live with these contradictions until we leave in 10ish days. Recently, someone posted on a Facebook physician moms’ travel page how she wasn’t feeling the Bali vibe here, and lots of others chimed in about how Bali wasn’t their favorite location. It was nice for me to see that and feel a sense of validation. From talking to the locals, it seems there is a lot of corruption in the Indonesian government, which makes it hard to prioritize infrastructure such as decent roads and sidewalks and picking up trash from public places. It’s too bad as it’s a beautiful place with lots of potential.

I watch the sunset outside with Z as I write… one of our favorite traditions here, I’m lucky to have this time with my kids.