Off The Beaten Track

Now we are talking! The easy traveling part is over. I needed that, but now it is time to a real traveling. I had already started to miss the less touristy paths. I have traveled through Flores, Indonesia, by bus and motorcycle and stayed in small villages. I am currently in West Timor, heading to East Timor (Timor Leste).

Rainy season, cold water showers/ buckets, squat toilets, land slides and road blocks, odd food, unreliable transportation, tribal villages, extraordinary views, volcanoes, green islands, hot water springs and waterfalls, friendly and hospitable people...

I have met some very special people on the way. Brian and Ros, young parents with sick babies manage their hard life with a power of love and hope. Jeni, an Indonesian divorced lady at my age decided to travel with me to Kupang in West-Timor, where she has family. With her I have visited many brothers, uncles, aunties and cousins. I have been quite an attraction, because bule (foreigner) is not an everyday sight here in West Timor.

Along the way in Flores, I met few some other nice bules, one couple from Lithuania and two different couples from France. We hired a local guide in Bajawa and visited traditional villages. William Doi is a name of that highly recommended guide.

In Timor I haven't seen any other bule yet. Besides Indonesian language, I have learnt some French. My motto for now is "C'est parti mon Kiki"!

How Many Ice Creams Are Many?

I came back to Bali to catch my flight to Flores. After spending couple of days on a very small island I got crazy when I saw an ice cream bar. You all know that one scoop is not enough, but five...? I just had to try different delicious flavors, avocado chocolate chip, chocolate chilly, cinnamon, lemongrass, blueberry lavender...When not eating ice cream, I enjoyed the beauty of Balinese traditions, music and ceremonies (pictures below).

I arrived today in middle of the heavy monsoon storm in Labuanbajo, Flores. I am planning to take a boat tomorrow to see the Komodo dragons despite of the news 10 days ago: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/06/komodo-dragon-attack

Paradise Island

I think I found it, the paradise island. There's no motorized transportation, just boats, horse carts and bicycles. No street lights, and no streets. Nobody's trying to sell you anything, but if you want, you can buy rambutan and durian fruit, tempeh crackers or fresh coconut. Restaurants serve simple and good Indonesian food, and certainly fresh fish and seafood. This island is Gili Air, located between the islands of Bali and Lombok.

Go Raw and Organic!

Conscious, healthy living is not only yoga and meditation, or any other kind of relaxed body and mind related exercise, but also about recycling, reducing and organic farming. I haven't seen in any third world country so efficiently organized waste management than here. It may have originally been created by the quite big number of expats living here.

I am in a food heaven! There are numerous vegetarian, vegan, raw food, organic restaurants and cafes in town. My favorites are Bali Buda, Kafe, Soma and Down to Earth. I try to assure myself that by eating raw chocolate bars and fresh organic cinnamon rolls I will become healthier...

I will be soon heading towards more remote and less touristy islands, so I am enjoying all these treats here now.

My breakfast favorite is hot oatmeal with side of warm coconut milk, apples, palm sugar & a sprinkle of fresh coconut. Green super food smoothy has papaya, apple, banana, ginseng, spirulina, maca and ginger.

Live porridge with tropical fruit and flax, sesame seeds, oats, cashews, grated coconut, raisins and vanilla coconut cream. Immune booster drink has orange, pineaple, jicama, amaranth, greens, ginger, turmeric and lime.

Bali herb tea for every occasion

Super smoothie is made of fresh coconut water, blended with papaya, cucumber, spinach & a dash of raw honey. Grilled veggie & crumbled feta salad is tossed in herbed olive oil and served with herb vinaigrete

Delicious vegan brownie, made with gluten free purple sweet potato flour and on top cashew based raw ice cream

Super Berry has raspberry, blackberry, cranberry, mulberry, vanilla yoghurt, coconut water and honey

Detox drink includes lemon, honey, aloe vera, ginger and mint

Refeshing lemonvera drink has lemon, aloe vera, honey and ginger

Good Karma For Sale

Would you like to buy an Online Coaching package with 100% enlightenment guarantee? If you want to dissolve your past lives patterns and emotional blocks, understand your future directions or get healed by Tibetan singing bowls, you can do it here, in Ubud.

You can also have Aura reading, Chrystal healing and Chakra Balancing. You can buy Ayurvedic consultation, lifestyle advices, stress management, dietary, detox and cleansing programs. Hypnotherapy, Naturopathy, Colonic Hydrotherapy. Ear and belly candling. Just to name few.

The shops offer Aromatherapy soap, Chakra perfume, Healing bracelets, Praying beads, Incense, Buddha statues, Super Foods, Yoga inspired clothes and Books that can change your life. And how about a Yoga Balm that opens your third eye...?

Now I gotta go... Shopping! :-)

Island of Magic and Beauty

Fifteen years ago my husband and biked around Bali on a small, funny moped. Between the green rice fields and ancient temples. Now I am back here on my own, settled in Ubud, the center of Art and Culture. A small bohemian village has become a lively center of holistic living, yoga, meditation and living foods. Spiritual seekers from all over the world are coming here, some traveling in Indonesia, planning to spend two nights in Ubud and ending up staying for two weeks.

Ubud and it's surroundings are truly fascinating, the greenest green rice fields and coconut groves, ancient temples and spirit houses. The village is so compact that I cycle around easily, to the yoga studio, to the restaurants and cafes, to see a fire dance, monkey forest or a spiritual ceremony.

After a quite intensive time in Thailand I needed my own space and time, so now I have a huge room overlooking to the rain forest and a family temple - and I haven't had the need to talk that much to anybody yet... I have joined different yoga classes, Hatha, Iyengar Inspired, Yin and Restorative with hanging belts. I also tried Vinyasa yoga once, but that was to me like a poor version of Ashtanga, too confusing.

Nidra Meditation was relaxing and refreshing. I haven't tried the flying yoga or partner yoga yet... It is interesting to do something different for a change and get new perspectives. Some teachers emphasize the yoga of the mind, some concentrate on the physical part of the practice. But you can always combine asanas, pranayama, meditation in a same practice, despite of the teacher.

It feels good to be here, without plans or guide books. I will leave to the other islands when I am ready. Experiencing, not performing.