Benoa and the beach

I was a bit nervous going all that way without reservations, none of the hotels I e-mailed reply, and phone calls is not as easy as back home. Off course you can make calls from your room but its $3 a minute each call. Rather you make a 20 second call or 1 minute, it’s $3. It can add up pretty fast if you call a few hotels. When we arrived in Sanur, I don’t really like it, it is still too close to Kuta, extremely busy and noisy. Dewa tells me that he used to work in Nusa Dua and he could make a phone call to the hotel he used to work. So I told him that I was debating going there too, but on the map it seems far from the airport. Since it’s at the very tip of the island, the most southern part of Bali. He said, no it is much closer to the airport. He also mentioned Benoa. Benoa is the place the lovely couple from Nice had suggested I go there, she had given me the page from her book with photos, but the hotel never replyed to my request. They had spoked highly of Benoa saying it was very quiet and if that’s what I was looking for, I should go. After finding out that the hotel in Nusa Dua was over $100 a night, no breakfast included I said to Dewa, let’s go, I don’t even want to go visits the hotels on my list. They were beautiful hotels, but I can tell Sanur is not for me! As soon as we enter Benoa without knowing we are here, I said to my driver. I like it here, what’s the name? Benoa. All right this is where I am staying. It is close to the airport, we drove by, and the beach is beautiful just from seeing it from the road. We passed a name I recognized, having looked at everything about Bali, I know the name of the two most exclusive hotels in Bali, and rank among the first 10 in the world. If they are located in this area, it means it’s a good place. We stop at a hotel, Dewa says it’s a nice place and ask me if I want to look, of course we kept driving by the five stars, I know I can’t afford them! The place he suggested does not look like much from the parking. They shows me a room that I immediately loved! I don’t need to see any other place this is perfect. I can see the beach from my balcony, it is very private, and each room is a small bungalow, all sitting in an impeccable manicure garden. My balcony is very private surrounding by stunning bird of the paradise! Beautiful pool and the beach a few steps away. The room is also perfect for working; It is the best chair I‘ve had so far! A nice bathroom with a clean comfortable tub, mini bar, air conditioning and a TV! No insects, the place is very clean compare to Ubud and no insects crawling around. The room smells good. A smell not enhance by fragrance. This will be strange to have a tv, I have not miss it, at all, but I feel like I have been cut off from the rest of the world. People are talking Obama and I have no clue what is going on, he is supposed to arrive in Denpasar the day before I leave, but apparently he cancel but no one knows why. Someone else told me the Macchu Pichu has been closed for over a month. Last time this happened to me, Pavoretti had died and I only found out 3 months after. I was in shock I never heard about it, but I was away for a month without tv again.
And today again, I thought I wouldn’t have anything exciting to talk about, but the island of gods, always blesses me with something! I was fortunate enough to see a rare event happening, and one that is even more symbolic than Nyepi. I had heard so many things about their cremation, the equivalent for the Western world is Funeral. Last year in Ubud, some tourists were very fortunate to see the cremation of a member of the Royal family and that is even more grandiose. A heafty bill of billions of rupies, I was told. To transport the tower into the street, 500 mens were needed it. And I will explain furthermore, on the next blog, but the tower is not the only element transported. So, as we are leaving Ubud, we need to take a street that leads to the main road to Kuta area. The street is closed, so we have to find another street, to complicate matters, many of the streets here are one way. I see a beautiful procession and Dewa says, Cremation. Are you serious? Yes, cremation, you want to see? What a question. I get off the car and ran to the next street, it was quite far away, I arrive soak and wet, but I am not the only one, many tourist ran in order to get a few shots and to witness one of the happiness moment of Balinese life. They party even more than the day before Nyepi. As I mention on my blog, I did not see anyone with a drink on that day, and it was pretty low key compare to our New Years eye. A cremation is the only time, everyone drinks and they must have a good time. Nobody must cry. I can see even the women’s must off had a drink as well, they are smiling so much, I should say laughing, not smiling! I had already known the basic of this ceremony, but it is so unique, to actually see it happen, it really gives you a complete understanding of the whole concept. As much as there is flower s everywhere in this country, in every step of restaurants, offerings, statues, there is no flowers for the cremation. The whole thing looks to the eyes of a Westerner like a parade. If you didn’t know you might think it is a celebration of some kind, you would certainly not think it’s a funeral. First of all there is no casket. At the beginning of the procession a few men carry some kind of decoration, much further; a few mens are carrying something that looks like a pedestal, all decorated with gold material and beautiful details, that only Balinese know how to do. Than much further, a man that gives the signal to either stop or move ahead. They alternate, walking to running than to a complete stop. I supposed the rhytm is to allow the carriers to catch up their breath. The next podium is a huge bull, carried by about 20-30 men. The bull is bigger than the one standing on Wall Street in New York. A man on each side of the bull is standing. Further down 30-40 man carry the tower, followed by the bells, the musicians and the guess and curious!
Once settle in Benoa, I went across the street to have lunch it is pass 4pm my breakfast is pretty far. I noticed right away, a gentle breeze is felt! Ah! Some fresh air, less humidity, still very hot but less heavy on the chest! I have a really nice green Papaya soup. I want a light lunch I am dying to swim in the ocean.
And I go put the gear on, hunt for a beach towel and off to the beach! Both my arm drop when I go to the beach. This was a shock, A very old German guy standing by the beach saw my reaction and had a good laugh, he said” arrtomorrow you srwim” . Buy the way this hotel is all retired Germans, and they are nice with me, they all say hi to me in German, all I can say is sorry ni speaking German, I am sure by the end of the three days, I will know how to say hi, it just sound like the noise your about to make when you spit, reahrrr! The old man said tomorrow you swim, it took my little while to understood what he said! It is a good thing I didn’t go see the beach when I visited the room, because I would off said, not here. The beach was gone, at first I was devastated, but when the German guy showed me with his hands I understood that it is the low tide at the moment. So I went back grab my camera and went into this amazing natural phenomena, for exploration. First it was like crossing a marsh, with small soft grass, than it looked like sand dunes, than enough water to puddle. For about 40 minutes you walk and the water is to your ankle, than it the deep ocean with a wave breaker. It was amazing opportunity to see things and capture them on film, sea lettuce, hundreds of star fish, probably four different species of starfish, and I have never encountered any of them before. I saw a few rare things I don’t even know their name. It was fascinating, the water was so warm I had to sit in it and let my legs relax, I would off miss all that if I would off seen the beach, because my first thought would off been, there is no beach here. Apparently the beach is a faitful one and will be back tomorrow morning. Haven seen its bottom, I know it is clean.
The place where I am staying is so beautiful, so private, it almost feels like I am home. I wish my husband was here to see this, to see this beauty and this atmosphere. Three more days...