BALI PARADISE DELUXE TOURS, LLC.
Travel with us to the romantic, peaceful,
magnificent island of Bali! Your tour leader is famous food writer,
cookbook author, and Bali expert, Dr. Vivienne Kruger, Ph.D. from the United
States. Her top-selling book, released in 2014, is Balinese Food: The
Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali (Tuttle Publishing, 2014).
Dr. Kruger is now beginning work on her next fabulous new book--all about
Bali, of course! She is also leading exciting new, fully escorted tour
groups to Bali throughout the year. Welcome to the morning of the world!
TWO-WEEK TOURS WILL BEGIN ON VARIOUS DATES
THROUGHOUT 2016 AND 2017. TOURS TYPICALLY BEGIN ON THE FIRST AND
FIFTEENTH OF EACH MONTH, ACCORDING TO BOOKINGS AND DEMAND. KINDLY CONTACT
ME REGARDING YOUR PERSONAL TRAVEL NEEDS AND DESIRED DATE OF DEPARTURE IN
ADVANCE.
Join Dr. Vivienne Kruger, Ph.D., a leading
world authority on Bali, for a fabulous new "culture
and cuisine" tour to the idyllic, legendary island of the gods.
If a group of at least 5-10 people would like to begin their tour on a
special date, tour schedules and departure dates can be
adjusted according to client needs. Please contact us as early as
possible in advance.Tour Price: $3,900 USD. Payment in full is required
at least 30 days before the tour begins (via check or Paypal)
For complete information and reservations,
please e-mail me at balinesefood@yahoo.com
Specialized and customized tours can also be
arranged. Yoga retreats, Balinese Cooking Holidays, Diving Holidays,
White Water Rafting, Export Merchandise-Buying Expeditions, etc.
Itinerary
Tour participants from every country in the world will be joining us and all are very welcome. Bali is always blessed with many guests (tamu) from nearby Australia, The Netherlands, Europe, Great Britain, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, Russia, and Japan. This voyage of discovery is perfect for both first-time travelers to Bali, seasoned repeat-visitors, madly-in-love Baliophiles, honeymooners, college students, and wedding parties.
The tour price will include a copy of my book,
all hotel accommodation, transportation around Bali in a private
vehicle with driver, airport transfers, plus daily breakfast and lunch.
Our valued tour members will pay for their own dinners, and are free to
relax at night and choose from a wide range of restaurants and culinary delights and
options. Any fees for cooking classes, museum and tourist site
admissions, yoga classes, massages, spa treatments, elephant safari admission
and rides, dolphin spotting boat rides, traditional Balinese dance
performances, rice field excursions, etc. are extra and are at the
participant’s expense. Participants will pay for and arrange for
their own airfares and flights to Bali, and will be met at
the airport and transferred to our four-star hotel in nearby Kuta.
When each day's tour is over, participants will normally be
at leisure to pursue their own passions and interests in Bali--from dining
to shopping, to attending Balinese dance performances, browsing art studios,
taking yoga classes, enjoying the beaches and rice fields, or visiting the
local balian or massage expert. If we come across a special Balinese
village ceremony, temple anniversary, or procession, we reserve the right to
change course and direction to witness these spectacular and colorful Balinese
rituals. Prices in Bali) are extremely favorable at the
moment. As of February 2016, one American dollar equals the
extraordinarily high international exchange rate of 13, 521 Indonesian
Rupiah. Let’s go shopping!
Everything that we do in Bali, we do under the protection of the gods! We will go on and off the beaten track. We will see and do the best of everything that I have ever done in Bali over the last twenty years! This is a fantastic, fun, and special private tour--not the standard, organized tour company itinerary which rushes people through the major sights. This amazing adventure excursion will be of great use and value to current expatriates, enthusiastic tourists, home and professional chefs, international business people, graduate and undergraduate students, university faculty, and members of the general public interested in cooking, "survivor" adventure foods, exotic foreign travel, and the delights of Southeast Asia. Travel and cookbook enthusiasts, world adventurers, annual vacationers, corporate travelers, spiritual pilgrims, yoga practitioners, and all those who love the beauty and excitement and food of the exotic tropics and Southeast Asia will love this new cultural-culinary experience.
Welcome to Bali--the legendary, fabled, island of the gods, located eight secret, sacred, seductive degrees south of the equator! My book will travel along with us--and serve as a delightful, intriguing, and meticulously researched cultural tool to enhance our understanding of this complex and important region. You will all be invited to attend my booksigning events and culinary cooking classes along the way! We will meet an unforgettable cast of characters as we travel throughout the island. We will drop in on many of the Balinese villagers/cooks who contributed the fabulous, absolutely authentic, beautiful Balinese recipes to my book. Mr. and Mrs. Dolphin in Lovina will take us into their beachfront kitchen (Warung Dolphin) for a cooking demonstration of some of Bali’s most delicious and classic dishes. We will eat the fresh, fragrant, beautiful creations afterwards in their peaceful, delightful, open-air warung restaurant. Mr. Dolphin will greet you as you arrive with the widest and most gorgeous smile on earth!
As an expert on the traditional foods and food culture of Bali, I will invite you to sample the best that the island of the gods has to offer--we will eat as the Balinese eat for our daily lunches. Nasi jenggo packets (wrapped in fresh green banana leaves) are luscious and mysterious--filled with yummy goodies and tidbits of rice, noodles, sambal sauce, and meat. We will stop off at famous large markets like the one in Gianyar for such authentic Balinese foods as roast suckling pig and tipat (specially steamed rice packets ensconced in coconut leaf wrappers). We may sample some of the wares at mobile kaki lima stalls—the Balinese love to frequent these bicycle-driven eateries for a quick snack or lunch. World-class Balinese coffee is available everywhere—it is strong, fragrant, and delicious—and the coffee beans are grown in the mountainous highlands in the north of the island.
We will all enjoy Bali fully, learn about the
island's traditional cuisine and village culture, their ancient Bali-Hindu
religious life, and get to know and love the real Bali and the Balinese
people. We may be able to entice the beautiful Miss Era to invite
us into her home in Seririt to cook her incredibly delicious version of sweet
banana-based kolak biu and soul-satisfying green mung bean porridge (bubur
kacang hijau). With luck, we may also be invited to attend a local
village wedding ceremony, special temple celebrations, spectacular, rare royal
cremations, or three-month baby ceremonies along the way. It is here in
the traditional villages that we can sample Bali’s classic, authentic,
historical cuisine and learn about its ancient, intricate, spiritual
culture. This will be far better than eat, pray, love!
Day 1
Bali is our sanctuary! As
travelers will be coming from a variety of different countries with
different arrival times, we will all meet on day one of the tour in Bali's
newly modernized Ngurah Rai airport. We will then travel in comfort in a
small group (estimated five to ten people) in a spotless,
safe private car under the care of Kasena, the best, smiling local driver
in Bali. I have known and traveled with him since 1995. We may use
a second car and driver depending on the number of tour participants. We
will be driven to our first (four-star) hotel in Kuta beach (the gorgeous
beachfront, Grand Inna Kuta, Bali ) to luxuriate by the large pools, enjoy the
fabulous powder-white sands, go shopping with the beach ladies, have manicures
and nail polishes, and enjoy the best massages in the world. www.grandinnakuta.com You will be seduced and enticed by the
selection of wares being offered for sale on the beach by local vendors—you may
very well bring home a large, expertly carved wooden elephant statue or an
unanticipated bow and arrow set! It simply doesn't get any better
than this! Always bargain with the sellers for the best
prices for everything you buy in Bali!
The adventure begins on day one on gorgeous,
world-famous Kuta beach with its miles of soft golden-white sands.
Fabulous and very inexpensive shopping and eating opportunities are all
within walking distance of the hotel. The highlight of day one is the
beach shopping: I will introduce you to the most friendly beach ladies in the
world. You can luxuriate on the beloved pantai (beach) with a relaxing
massage by Sada 24 under the ketapang trees that line the back of the beach.
My good friend Mandy will sell you everything from multi-colored tropical
sarongs to adorable swimsuits to jeans! And Rita will plait your hair or
sell you delightful, local, beaded souvenir necklaces. We will stroll
along the sand to adjacent Tuban Beach and sit down with smiling, friendly
Kiki. She will paint your nails with a choice of top-quality nail polish
colors--hand-decorated with a delicate, frangipani flower design on top!
My friend Carvil can carve your name on a gorgeous, weighty, Bali-waters
seashell as a permanent memento of your sojourn to the island of the
gods. The men will love sitting at the beachside bars to drink beer or soda
(go to Eddy’s Bar), do some jogging, surf the world-famous Kuta waves, or work
on their tan! The large Bali Discovery Shopping Mall in Tuban is only a
short stroll down the beach for hours of energetic upscale shopping and eating
fun. It has everything from chic fashion shows to Haagen-Dazs ice cream to
a Centro Department store and boutique stores selling local products.
It also boasts a Starbucks and a phenomenal, very busy, Singaporean-chain
cake store (Bread Talk). Stock up on delicious eye-opening desserts,
brightly colored tiger rolls, and work-of-art pastries at very low
prices. The Roti O” store is a mandatory pleasure—the delicious scent
will draw you inside no matter where you are! The “Roti O” is a bun that
is covered with an aromatic coffee-flavored soft crust and has a rich buttery
filling. They serve the warm and creamy buns fresh from the oven all day
long! These wonderful-smelling, piping-hot, coffee-flavored, round-shaped
Indonesian bread cakes are a local Balinese obsession. If you are lucky,
you will see a traditional Balinese ceremony taking place at the nearby beach
temple or a large, gong-playing religious procession in progress along the
beach.
We will spend a few days in Kuta to savor the
warm hospitable tropics, shop, giggle with wonderful, smiling Balinese people,
and revel in paradise. Plan on enjoyment and sunshine all day long, plus
88-90 degree temperatures--a very light jacket may be needed at night.
The dry season begins in May (through mid-November), so we should encounter very
little or no rain at all. Our first lunch will be at a local beachside
warung near the Art Market. You will dine in amazement at one of
the small, makeshift local stalls serving Bali's classic, luscious,
soul-warming fried rice dish--nasi goreng (spicy fried rice with tidbits of
scrambled egg, meat, tofu, vegetables, etc.) It is always served
Balinese-style, in a traditional, green banana leaf cone wrapper. Kuta is
a busy tourist mecca with thousands of stores, and the Hard Rock Café and Hotel
(with nightly free music performances at the Centerstage) is right across the
street. The quintessentially Indonesian, nearby Matahari Department
store is always open late. An entire afternoon can easily be spent
here shopping for Balinese souvenirs, aromatic Balinese coffee, sandals, and
clothing--and ogling the exotic food items and tropical fruits in the
ground-floor supermarket. I will escort you to
the upmarket, irresistible, impeccable Uluwatu Lace boutique to admire the
handmade Balinese lace dresses, skirts, pants, sleep ware, pillow cases,
and tablecloths in pristine white or black linen or cotton. The
workmanship is incredibly beautiful and delicate. Do as the Australians
do--bring empty suitcases with you and come home with bags packed to the
rafters with carved wooden Ganesha statues, Barong masks, colorful sarongs,
Balinese lace kebayas (blouses), sandals, and gorgeous artworks.
We will drive out in the late afternoon to
attend an unforgettable performance of Bali’s famous kecak monkey dance.
It is staged in a round outdoor amphitheatre at Uluwatu from 6 to 7
PM. The drama unfolds against the setting sun with a gorgeous background
view of the famous cliffs at Uluwatu, the descending sun, and the water.
Then we return to Kuta, where the action never stops! Excellent
food is readily available nearby--including Japanese, Mexican, and Indonesian
restaurants (plus a very enthusiastic and fun Bubba Gump Shrimp
establishment!). Homesick tourists can always run into a nearby McDonalds,
KFC, or Wendy's for a fast food fix. I will be happy to recommend the very
best places in all price ranges for your dining pleasure. While we are in
Kuta, you can take a taxi to upscale Seminyak to indulge in absolutely
unforgettable, world-famous (expensive) beachfront restaurants such as Ku De
Ta. The view, service, and sleek upscale architecture are worth the price
alone (diners are invited to recline afterwards on beach-facing,
ultra-comfortable lounge chairs to relax under the stars and listen to
the waves (many snooze in food-satiated satisfaction)! La Lucciola
in Petitenget (near the Petitenget temple ) offers another food adventure and
is right on the beach. This romantic (expensive) restaurant
masquerades as a traditional, thatched, Balinese buré, but serves delicious
Italian food with excellent service. You can watch the waves, play under
the stars, and relax on the sparkling sand after your meal.
Day 2
Day two will be spent feasting on the
pleasures of the equator, basking in the sun, and enjoying the luscious pantai
and expansive hotel pool and grounds. As an expert on the
traditional foods and food culture of Bali, I will invite you to
sample the best that the island of the gods has to offer--we will eat as the
Balinese eat for our lunch. Market-fresh nasi jenggo packets (wrapped in
soft green banana leaves) are luscious and mysterious--filled with yummy
goodies and tidbits of rice, noodles, egg, sambal sauce, and meat.
Now that we have rested from our long flights and relaxed, Kasena will drive us
in the early evening to one of the most spectacular, sensual, and unique dining
experiences in the world at Jimbaran Bay. This quiet, unrushed,
white-sand, fishing village/beach resort suddenly springs to culinary life at 6
pm every night. With luck, we will see a classic, fiery-red-orange,
spectacular Kuta sunset as soon as we arrive! Small local
warungs (restaurants) line the back of the beach and offer
boat-fresh, freshly cooked and grilled seafood dinners--the aquatic
choice is delicious and endless! Portions are very large, prices are very
reasonable, and you can choose among grilled fresh snapper, mahi-mahi,
mackerel, shrimp, crab, tuna, squid, lobster, etc. All seafood is
accompanied by legendary Balinese sauces, potatoes, white Balinese rice, sambal
matah, heavenly kangkung (cooked water spinach), and watermelon for dessert. Our group will sit at
waterfront tables in the comfortable sand and dine beneath the open
stars--with the gentle warm waters of Jimbaran Bay lapping at our
toes! This is one of the most beautiful, unforgettable, and idyllic
seafood-dining hideaways in the world. (In all my world-travels, I have
only experienced something similar to this on a small sandy island off-shore
from Hong Kong!) The smell of the coconut husks used to grill the
seafood-- luscious spirals of smoke circling above each vendor--adds to the
pleasure of this unforgettable food evening.
Day 3
Kuta Beach is more than a beach—it is a
living, breathing microcosm of close-knit Balinese village life. Everyone
knows everyone else—many of the beachsellers have worked here together for
decades. I will introduce you to my Australian friend, Kris Ritchie, a
living dog-rescue legend who has dedicated her life to feeding, protecting,
medicating, and rescuing Bali’s gorgeous stray dogs on the beach. At any
one time, she may be hand-cooking and feeding twenty dogs every day, including
newborn puppies. She has a mental map of every loose dog on every street
for miles around, and worries and grieves over every last one of them.
There is a turtle rescue and turtle hatchery center at the local government
Satgas station on the beach—several times a year, you can watch baby hatchlings
being released into the sea from the shore. Well before sunset, we will
make a pilgrimage down the coast to view one of Bali’s most important, ancient,
and sacred temples, the panoramic seaside complex at Tanah Lot. Full of
beauty, grace, mystery, and the gods, we will join the processions of
beautifully-dressed local Balinese people who visit the magnificent
cliff-perched temple complex bearing elaborate offerings for the gods.
Day 4
We leave Kuta and travel by car to the artistic
center of Bali, the rice-field-ringed village of Ubud—full of museums, art and
woodcarving studios, yoga studios, spellbinding dance performances, magnificent
temples, and traditional healers. Ubud’s opulent royal palaces are still
inhabited by hereditary Balinese kings. We will first make a short detour
enroute to the Ramayana Department store in Denpasar to please the ladies at
the Biokos (Martha Tilaar) cosmetics counter. The Biokos line is a
high-end Indonesian-manufactured range of beauty products (reflecting the
famous heritage and beauty secrets of the very pampered royal princesses in the
Sultan’s palace in Yogyakarta). I have used Biokos products for years—and
stock up on them every time I go to Bali! I can recommend the Vital Nutrition Massage
Cream (with Bio-Aloe Vera Extract), the Pure Balance Oil Control Mask (with
Bio-Hazel Extract), and the Pure Balance 20s Purifying Gel Cleanser (with
Bio-Hazel Extract). There is something utterly magical and very
efficacious about these products—the instant you apply them, you feel pampered,
relaxed, and very refreshed and renewed.
Along the way, we will also stop off at famous
large markets like the one in Gianyar for such authentic Balinese
foods as roast suckling pig and tipat (specially steamed rice packets
ensconced in braided coconut leaf wrappers). On other days we may sample
some of the wares at mobile kaki lima stalls—the Balinese love to frequent
these bicycle-driven eateries for a quick snack or lunch. World-class
Balinese coffee is available for you everywhere—it is strong, fragrant, and
delicious—and the coffee beans are grown in the mountainous highlands in the
north of the island. We will check into our delightful,
characteristically Ubud-style hotel, the Anom Cottages. The building
architecture is delightful, and the hotel overlooks emerald green gorges, rice
fields, and ravines. Artistically arranged flowers abound throughout the
carefully landscaped and tended gardens. A boutique, family-owned
establishment, you will have the luxury of being served a freshly-cooked
breakfast the next morning on your very own outdoor patio surrounded by
hibiscus and frangipani flowers, lush green lawns, Ganesha statues, and
blossom-filled water basins. Take a swim in the stunning, relaxing pool
tomorrow and refresh your soul and spirit. You will be served by
helpful, kind, friendly staff.
Here, in the traditional, supremely creative
village of Ubud, we begin to indulge and leave all of our cares behind
us! Ubud is the cultural, artistic, healing (Obad means medicine), and
gastronomic center of Bali: in the afternoon, we will visit one of the finest
museums on the island, the famous, beautifully designed, highly respected Neka
Museum. Enjoy painting masterpieces by Bali’s favorite and famous
artists—both Balinese masters and renowned Dutch, German, and Australian
overseas artists resident in Bali. We will then stroll along Jl. Raya
(the main street of Ubud), and drop into the very popular cake, pastry shop,
and restaurant Casa Luna for a short refresher. You may wish to take an
early dinner here. The famous Antonio Blanco Museum near the old Dutch
suspension bridge is another option—filled with colorful risqué artworks set in
fanciful 3-D gilded frames. Leave time to explore the beautiful grounds
and free-flying bird species. The day’s tour will end at the Ubud Tourist
Office at the crossroads of Ubud, where everyone can pick up a free schedule of
the magnificent, traditional Balinese dance performances available in and
around Ubud every night of the week. I strongly recommend that you
indulge yourself in these colorful, spellbinding dance and cultural experiences
(Ramayana, Kecak, Barong, Legong, Fire Trance dances, etc.)—usually performed
in the nearby royal palaces. If there is a special religious ceremony
under way in Ubud, there may be excellent, authentic dance presentations open
to the public in Pura Dalem at the Campuhan-edge of Ubud on Jl. Raya. I
like go to a different one every single night while in Ubud! This is the
very heart and soul of ancient Balinese culture and tradition.
Day 5
If you hug Ubud, it will hug you right
back! The magic of yoga, health, and healing-blessed Ubud begins with an
extraordinary, early 9 AM yoga class in the gorgeous village of Penestenan at
Intuitive Flow Yoga Studio (owner Linda Madani). A Canadian expat, Linda
has created one of the most stunning yoga studios in the world with an endless
vista of the lush foliage, rice fields, and flowers of rain-and-sun-blessed
Bali for miles around. I have been taking yoga classes here since
2006. We will continue our relaxation and healing journey with a visit to
the heaven-scented Utama Spice Spa Factory owned by Melanie Templer. Here
you can see, sample, smell, and purchase 100 percent organic hand lotions,
boreh potions, poultices, scrubs, soaps, and cleansers. Many are based on
traditional, handed-down “village Bali” healing recipes and remedies still
widely used by the Balinese. Please visit www.
utamaspicespaluxuries.blogspot.com to see a blog that I created to showcase
Utama Spice’s fine local products. Ubud is also renowned for intricate,
very creative silver jewelry craftsmanship—the quality and design work is
exquisite. We will stop in at a small store on Jl. Hanoman in Ubud
(Studio Perak Silversmithing Classes) where you may design your very own piece of
silver jewelry and finish it to completion. A great souvenir of the
artistic heart of Bali (on Monkey Forest Road). We will also visit the
famous Suarte silver jewelry factory/showroom with top-quality rings,
bracelets, necklaces, etc. in magnificent designs. Balinese men wear
large, heavy, carved silver rings bearing very special stones designed to
offer them protection from evil.
Next we will tour the fantastic, beautifully landscaped, very well-curated Puri Lukisan Museum on Jl. Raya Ubud—filled with impressive Balinese and foreign art masterpieces. We will see the awe-inspiring, massive Saraswati Temple blessed with stupendous, stunning, pink-flowering lotus gardens. It is behind the famous Café Lotus restaurant—Mick Jagger ate here! We will visit the Ganesha Bookshop--Ubud’s best boutique book store—a favorite hangout of all the local expatriates. I will show you a traditional healing store near the Post office where you can buy ancient herbal remedies for a variety of ailments—or just for additional power. The evening is free for dance performances, shopping, eating, a sublime massage, or a local healer. For those in need of a luxurious indulgence, you can also visit the venerable Tjampuhan Hotel on Jl. Raya Campuhan. There you will revel in their open-air, cliffside massage rooms above the banks of the Oos river, and their highly decorative, Grecian-motif heated spa pools. If they are open, a meal at the famous Ibu Oka restaurant near the royal palace is a must—their babi guling (roast suckling pig) is considered to be the finest on the entire island.
Day 6
The best is yet to come—an unforgettable
guided walk through the nearby, emerald green, gloriously lush rice fields of
Ubud with world-famous British ornithologist, Victor Mason. A dashing
raconteur, famous birding expert, and author of Bali Bird Walks, he will take
you on a journey of bird, wildlife, and rice field discovery that you will
remember forever! I have been on this tour with the venerable Victor
Mason—and it was one of the most memorable, rare, and enjoyable experiences I
have ever had on Bali. A knowledgeable naturalist and experienced guide,
British expatriate Victor Mason takes you on a congenial, witty, horticultural
walkabout off the beaten track on Bali. Starting out at the Beggar’s Bush
Restaurant above Campuhan Bridge (former home of Mason’s Bali Bird Club), he
hikes with you through the cultivated rice fields to see otters, civets,
macaques, egrets, kingfishers, lychee and tamarind trees, white Brahmin cattle
in Taro, giant banyan trees, butterflies, and clove and vanilla
plantations. Mason gives you a friendly, conversational, step-by-step
tour—from ravine to ridge to individual hibiscus blossom—complete with
historical and cultural commentary on the terrain, temples, monuments, and
countryside that he knows so well and loves so much.
The four-hour tours begin in the morning and
include a fresh coconut break and a delicious lunch: intrepid trail
guests/budding ornithologists will also be provided with a bird-spotting list
and binoculars. Having spent
the last twenty-six years on Bali, Victor Mason meticulously covers every cart
and goat track within an eight-kilometer radius of foliage-rich Ubud. He
will lead you down rocky steps to spring-fed watering places, secret gardens,
Gunung Agung(“soaring to the ether and wreathed in vaporous wisps”), groves of
sago palms, swimming in the Ayung River, and into the sacred simian stronghold
of the Sangeh monkey forest. He lays out a variety of itineraries, graded
according to difficulty, and offers timely tips (travel light, bring a sarong
and a sash for entering temples--plus bathers for your swim—and beware the
armies of stinging red tree ants!).
Victor Mason conducts unforgettable,
Monty-Pythonesque “Bali Bird Walks” through the untouched flora and fauna of
Ubud’s unspoiled countryside. It is not easy to find the delightfully
scandalous Mr. Mason in residence on the island and available to personally
lead you on one of his off-the-beaten-track treks through the river gorges,
farmers’ trails, and cultivated rice fields surrounding Bali’s cultural
capital. It took me six years and six separate vacations to finally
bungle through the jungle with the redoubtable Victor Mason and the magnificent
birds of Bali! In 1998, Victor was in Ubud, but I was already far
away and firmly ensconced poolside in party-mad Kuta. In 2001, I was
ready, willing, and able, but Victor was away in England for several
months. My quest for the perfect bird walk continued in 2004: Victor was
in town, but my hopes were once again dashed: he was incapacitated for two
weeks with a variegated, fluctuating case of Bali belly! The
gods intervened and answered my prayers: one week later, Victor was once again
ambulatory after taking the local cure (the Balinese drink young coconut water
to neutralize upset stomachs and food poisoning) and was collecting a group of
waitlisted stalwarts for a Tuesday takeoff! A six-year fantasy finally
comes true!
Starstruck tour members gathered at the
venerable, landmark Bali Bird Walks sign at the haunted house skeleton of the
strangely deserted, defunct, multiply bankrupted, derelict Beggar’s Bush
Restaurant by the Bridge in Tjampuhan. Victor Mason is one of the last
remaining “great characters” of Ubud: he is everything you would expect
of a nineteenth century British gentleman to the manor (now balé)
born. Benign, breezy, boozy and fit as a fiddle at age sixty-five, Victor
is a charming, gallant, hands-on host to his bright-eyed, bushy-tailed band of
early morning bird warriors. I joined an unwieldy, undisciplined,
multi-national party of bird fanatics consisting of Victor, his loyal,
long-time, English-speaking, Balinese assistant, Sue, and two Australian ladies
in outback gear and bush hats for the madcap outing/adventure of a
lifetime. Victor set off footloose, barefoot, and fancy free through the
main streets of Ubud: we walked under the Aqueduct, stepped off Jl. Raya
Ubud—and passed right through the looking glass into age-old, pastoral, rural,
agricultural Ubud. Victor cut a dashing, romantic figure from the days of
the British colonial empire/raj as he trod barefoot and reckless through the
vast flat expanses of rich cultivated sawah just behind the modern, built up
tourist façade/crossroads of Ubud village. An insouciant cultural
throwback of Raffles’ Singapore, Victor nevertheless firmly belongs in and
to his adopted island home of Bali. Erudite, learned, and
world-travelled, Victor spices up the excursion with references to Greek literature
and mythology as he spots butterflies, cempaka flowers, rice barns, and fig
trees (favored by swiftlets). We followed him along the rice paddy ridges
as Victor pointed out Ubud’s natural diversity of bird life and bird song,
replete with comparative, cross-continental commentary on neighboring
Australian species. Ever the entertainer as well as professor, Victor is
prepared to digress on such biologically related topics as bird courtship
behavior: “Most birds mate for life, but your wrens can be a bit
naughty!” Sue, his knowledgeable assistant tour guide, also excitedly
looks for and enthusiastically points out birds on the wing and on the branch,
active binoculars ahoist. Sue also caters to all the needs of the group:
she serves as a supply bearer, good-natured packhorse, tour organizer and
booker, money collector, and dedicated personal nursemaid to Victor (she had to
pick the thorns out of his feet as he winced in pain).
We passed many smiling-faced, machete-wielding
farmers out in the fields transplanting green tufts of incubated rice plants
into wet paddy plots in straight, neat, parallel rows. Much
of Bali still looks like this: open wetland rice cultivation bordered
by primary, original untouched rainforest rising in natural terraces above
flowing rivers. Unclouded by tourism or the hand of developers, the
stunning, natural green countryside/scenery is still alive with birds, insects,
and wild monkeys. There are human-wary snakes (who will usually just jump
out of your way) in the sea of tall elephant grasses on overhanging ravine
cliffs—heads up as you wade through the soft, green, knee-high shoots on the
hunt for an unobstructed view of Streaked Weavers on the wing. We perked
up for al fresco, happy hour cocktails at a bamboo hide in the fields: Sue
hacked open a young green coconut, carved out a little spout, and we all passed
“the bottle” around for a tasty, fresh coconut water pick-me-up. Our
final rest stop was the local subak headquarters for an illuminating lecture
explaining the importance and role of the village rice cooperative in
allocating fair shares of irrigation water to member farmers. Intrepid
trail guests/budding ornithologists are equipped with a “likely sightings,”
bird spotting checklist of fifty birds to keep track of. Sighting
successes are shared and recapped later over a delicious, post-walk group lunch
at Murni’s Warung (where further bird observations are still possible out the
open-air, river gorge-side railing). Thanks to Victor Mason, I am aware
of something new and beautiful (and all too often unnoticed)—the omnipresent,
winged streaks of white wheeling and buzzing across Bali’s clear blue
skies. Gaze up towards the abode of the gods and you will be richly
rewarded—a whole new wildlife world will open up for you forever. Now,
wherever I am, I notice and appreciate what’s flying above me—the ethereal,
stupendous aerial ballet in constant progress overhead.
Back in Ubud, you can choose to spoil yourself
with a full complement of luxurious treatments at the Tamarind Spa at Murni’s
Houses in Ubud The pleasures range from reflexology to Balinese massage,
a green tea scrub and shower, a facial, and the most romantic and exotic
experience in the world—the famous, colorful, flower-filled, mandi lulur bathtub
extravaganza. The
Tamarind Spa at Murni's Houses lives up to its beautiful, fruity, spice-driven
name--a place for magical pampering, delicious scents, and the ultimate in body
relaxation and rejuvenation. Most spa products in Bali are natural and contain
local Balinese herbs, plants, flowers, and spices grown in this equatorial,
tropical highland Garden of Eden. The native plants used in the Tamarind Spa’s
magnificent, healing herbal products all grow in the rich volcanic soil of the
island of the gods. The village of Ubud (which means "medicine" in
Balinese) is the source of many of the Tamarind Spa’s superior concoctions—a
naturally fertile area lush with emerald green leaves, roots, barks, and herbs.
Spiritual income is as important as physical income in Bali: the use of raw spa
ingredients benefits the local farmers. Honeycomb may come from area bee
keepers, and seaweed is brought over from Bali's pristine sister island, Nusa
Lembongan.
The high quality of the fragrant ingredients
enhances the Spa’s body and bath treatments, scrubs, facials, massages, and
exfoliants. You will stare—with love and longing, and anticipation—at
your beautiful, fragrant bar of soap sitting on the treatment room ledge. It
awaits your every pleasure. This is the type of soap that you bond with—that
you build an intimate relationship with. No matter how hard your day was, this
is an indulgent delight to come home to. You may find yourself spending an
entire hour in a gorgeous hot shower in order to linger over and enjoy your provocative
soap experience. You will not want to leave your handmade soap alone.
Your skin feels soft, sexy, silky, smooth, and relaxed—like everyone and
everything in Bali. For the ultimate Balinese spa experience, try the
mandi lulur flower bath—which originated in the sumptuous royal palaces of Java
to preserve the beauty of the elegant, young royal princesses. Luxuriate in a
gleaming tub filled with fresh red and marigold flowers and sip hot ginger tea
from small, elegant, celedon cups.
In the late afternoon, it would be perfect for
you to continue this sacred healing journey at Murni'sWarung in Campuhan for
dinner. Here you will relax in Balinese splendor and sample some of the
most delicious, mysterious, and exotic dishes on earth! Murni is a living
legend in Ubud—and contributed eleven superb recipes to my book. Murni’s
menu is extensive—offering everything from Balinese to Indonesian to western
foods. Bali is famous for its leaf-blessed, leaf-ridden, subtly-scented
breakfast porridges. Murni makes a fabulous, spellbinding version of
bubur mebasa; she uses mysterious, semi-secret bulan baon tree leaves from her
own garden to create this Balinese culinary miracle. The Warung is
near the old Dutch suspension bridge in Campuan-Ubud--an easy ten-minute
stroll from the heart of Ubud. This stunning, four-level, gorge-side restaurant
founded in 1974 is beautifully decorated with Murni’s exquisite antiques,
Balinese statuary, spiritual Buddha figures, and local Balinese paintings.
A visually intricate and spiritually stunning
five-foot-high bronze statue of Ganesha the Elephant God symbolically creates
prosperity and removes all obstacles in the Lounge Bar of Murni’sWarung.
Ordered by Murni as a specially designed commissioned piece in 1997, it took
highly esteemed, respected, experienced Balinese artisans/craftsmen five years
to complete! As part of Murni’s birthright, she inherited a tremendously gifted
physical and human environment: the Balinese have always fashioned spectacular,
towering works of art to please and honor their deities. The village of Ubud,
Bali’s official cultural capital, oozes creativity and has long celebrated
beauty and artistic achievement.
Food is true art at Murni'sWarung: saté and
saté lilit (the saucy saté sisters) are both served and presented to delicious
perfection (world-famous, signature dishes of the house). Bebek Betutu
(Balinese duck), grilled fish steak with delicious sambal matah, gado-gado,
vegetarian nasi goreng, and nasi campur are incomparable local specialties. The
black rice pudding with coconut milk and palm sugar and Balinese banana
fritters are impossible to resist. The ideal accompaniment to an exquisite meal
is rich, aromatic, strong Kopi Bali (local Balinese coffee). You will now be in the right
trance-like frame of mind for a spiritual excursion down the gorge across the
road to explore Pura Gunung Lebah (Temple of the Low Mountain, Mount Batur).
Founded in the eight century as a large, powerful, agricultural and fertility
temple, Pura Gunung Lebah is a cloistered, cliff side treasure dramatically
balanced on forest rocks high above the sacred confluence of two rivers. The
Balinese come here to bathe, collect holy water for ceremonies, deposit ashes
of cremated corpses (for the river to carry to the sea), and purify golden
effigies of the gods in the auspicious, fast-flowing river.
Day 7
Elephant Back Riding at the Elephant Safari
Park in Taro. Day trip excursion to enjoy this magnificent, western-owned
elephant sanctuary approximately one hour from Ubud. All of the resident
elephants were rescued by owner Nigel Mason from the island of Sumatra and then
imported into Bali. They are now very well-fed and cared for by the
friendly, attentive staff. You can go elephant back riding, feed them
pieces of bamboo (which they love), pet them, and pose for photos with
them. There is an elephant museum on the premises, an excellent
elephant-theme gift ship, and a large restaurant overlooking the pachyderm
pasture areas. As an elephant lover, I spent my birthday here last
year—and had the best time ever—all day long!
Back in Ubud, we will go to the Yoga Barn—one
of the most special, spiritual, and beautiful yoga spaces in the world.
Many classes are offered per day on the multi-level, stunning premises and a
cafe area serves vegetarian food. International top-notch teachers lead
you to a new level of flexibility, awareness and personal freedom.
Namaste! You can learn a lot here—even in one peaceful, soul-stretching afternoon!
Excellent vegetarian food is available. Evening is free to browse the
many delightful boutiques on Jl. Hanuman and enjoy Ubud’s famous eating
opportunities. The incomparable Bebek Bengil restaurant is a five minute
walk away—do not leave Ubud without trying the crispy duck in this magnificent,
open-air pavilion structure backed by rice fields. The gorgeous
Pundi-Pundi restaurant also rests right next to rice fields across the
street. They contributed delicious recipes to my book! Time permitting,
we will visit Bali’s two main, expat-run dog rescue groups, BAWA and BARC, and
give love to these beautiful, black and white, classic Balinese border collies!
Day 8
We will try to visit the local, early-morning
market in Ubud during our residency here. No matter what, we must find
and sample the very best village drink in Bali, called daluman. Legend
has it that a particular “daluman lady” in these crowded market stalls prepares
a sweet, delicious version of this classic "village Bali” drink. It
is made with very rare vine-like leaves that coagulate into a dark green
gelatinous mass set in a tri-colored concoction of coconut milk and liquid palm
sugar. Today we leave Ubud on a pilgrimage towards the sublime
northern coast of Bali. We stay at the Puri Lumbung Cottages in the
stunning mountain village of Munduk. We will spend three nights here in
the most unusual and beautiful accommodation in Bali—luxurious reconverted
Balinese rice barns (lumbung)! The Puri Lumbung specializes in delicious,
high-quality authentic Balinese food: their very kind and expert chef
contributed two amazing recipes to my book! The management has a
long-standing commitment to preserve and promote the traditional culture,
cuisine and culinary arts of Bali. We will eat dinner here—surrounded by
rice fields, pagoda flowers, bunga lilin wax candle flowers, water lily ponds,
croaking frogs, and clear clean mountain air! One of the most magnificent
places on earth !
“The ‘lumbung’ or rice granary is part of Bali’s unique cultural heritage. Traditionally used to store rice under the protection of the goddess Dewi Sri, lumbungs are now seldom used because farming techniques have changed. We discovered several disused lumbungs averaging 80 years old, and with minor adjustments adapted them into simple but charming accommodation. Of course we held a special ritual to transfer Dewi Sri back to the rice fields, but her gentle energy remains.
Puri Lumbung Cottages set in the cool mountain
air where fans /aircon are unnecessary. Our compound is designed in the
traditional Balinese manner modeled on the sacred human form with shrines at
the head, guest accommodation at the heart and other facilities at the
foot. Guests enjoy spectacular sunsets and stunning panoramas of the rice
fields and coast line in the distance.
The first of its kind in Bali, Puri Lumbung
Cottages is more than a hotel-it is an eco-tourism project dedicated to the
discovery, conservation and enhancement of the unspoiled area around Munduk.
The people of Munduk village are involved as much as possible in caring for our
guests. We not use tropical rainforest and preserve water. We also encourage
the young villagers to keep their cultural heritage alive with traditional
dance, music and crafts.” info@purilumbung.com
Day 9
Breakfast in paradise! If we are lucky,
today we will enjoy cooking classes from the esteemed Puri Lumbung culinary
staff! We will use today to savor the mountain environment, unusual
flowers, and gorgeous lumbung architecture—including an unobstructed view all
the way to Java. We will walk down to the village of Munduk to see a
typical rural Balinese village, and visit nearby coffee and clove plantations.
Munduk is one of Bali’s very famous coffee-growing centers and
regions. We will visit a coffee-manufacturing demonstration. You
may purchase one of the world’s best coffees here to take home. Dinner
will be at the Puri Lumbung—and an excellent opportunity for all of us to taste
classic Balinese foods. This is a part of Bali that very few tourists get
to see. And very few people get to live in a two-story, delicious
wood-scented, reconverted rice barn!
Day 10
We continue our residence in this pristine mountain paradise, secure in our rice barns. If the season is ready and the rice fields are cooperative, we will source our food the traditional Balinese way. We will use capung (dragonfly) catching sticks to hunt for dragonflies on the wing and scour the sawah (rice fields) for edible eels. Catching (and then frying or grilling) dragonflies are cherished boyhood memories for many Balinese men. It is time for us to experience life like the real Balinese—at least for the day! We will hopefully locate a kopi luwak farm to drink the world's most expensive coffee. The coffee beans are passed through the digestive tract of the luwak animal (a civet cat), giving the coffee a very strong, rich taste.
Day 11
All of my personal paradises in Bali will soon be your private and unforgettable paradises as well! We reluctantly leave our precious rice barns behind to head over the mountains to Lovina on the north coast. If the route permits, on the way to Lovina, we will visit the massive Brahma Vihara Arama Buddhist Monastery in Buleleng Regency--—a stunning, spiritual monolith rising up out of the greenery below. Beautiful, tranquil and serene, the architecture and quietude lends itself to meditation and contemplative pursuits. A miniature recreation of the famous Borobudor temple in Yogyakarta, it is an artistic work of art and wonder. It is near the Banjar Hot Springs.
The northern coast of the island is cut off from the rest of Bali by mountain ranges—and is more reminiscent of Tahiti or Polynesia than it is of Bali. Life is slow and friendly and relaxed—traditional village life reigns supreme—and the water is flat like a glass mirror (no waves or surfing here!) Here the beach sand is black due to previous volcanic eruptions. We check into our hotel, the beachfront Adirama (www.adiramabeachhotel.com), shower and unpack, and head for culinary paradise on Jl. Laviana-Banyualit. First we will say hello to the local beach ladies and shop for souvenirs or necklaces. We can also arrange for my favorite massage lady, Yoni, to come and give us expert massages on the soft sandy beach to heal from our long journeys.
We will hide ourselves away inside the Warung
Dolphin kitchen for the rest of the afternoon for superb Balinese cooking
lessons. Mr. and Mrs. Dolphin contributed some of the best and most
spectacular—and authentic--recipes to my book. We will learn some new
recipes not in my book. After the demonstration, we will eat the
freshly-cooked treasures! The Warung Dolphin is one of the best and most
delightful restaurants in the world! Situated right across from Banyualit
beach, it specializes in boat-fresh seafood (Mr. Dolphin has his own prahu in
the waters daily). Mr. Dolphin (Gede Masda) personally leaps to attention
to serve the guests and takes their orders with a huge happy smile. There
is a particularly joyous welcome for returning customers from previous years:
everyone is taken good care of, pampered, protected, and treated as family
members. The food is among the best in the world—from Balinese
specialties like gado-gado to luscious tuna, shrimp, and squid. I have
eaten here at least a hundred times on many trips to Bali--and always run back
here for the exquisite seafood special platter. It contains a very fresh and
delicious seafood assortment of moist broiled tuna, fresh shrimps, squid, and steamed
vegetables. It is served with delicious nasi putih (Balinese white rice) and
magnificent sambal matah as an accompaniment. Warung Dolphin is a very
special, quiet, and peaceful part of the paradise that is Bali. Love all,
cook for all, feed all, and serve all! Mr. Dolphin and the local boys also
have an open guitar and music session every night after 9 PM in this relaxed,
intimate, comfortable café. If the band is playing tonight, we can stroll
along the beach and come back for some local musical entertainment,
Lovina-style. Lovina is not a late night town, but we may still be able
to go to Jl. Binaria and browse the local boutiques and see the famous Lumba
Lumba statue before going back to the hotel.
The ever-smiling, beautiful Mrs. Dolphin is the chef-extraordinaire in the rear kitchen, and allowed me into her spotlessly clean, well-organized cooking stronghold (2008) to watch a magical preparation of traditional Balinese tum. Tum is usually made from either chicken or boneless fish like tuna, marlin, or mahi-mahi—as these forms of protein are “easier to get” (expensive pork tum is only for ceremonies). A Balinese wife will prepare tum at home once every one or two weeks for her family for lunch or dinner—whenever she can afford to buy the chicken (a costly ingredient). Eel tum is a traditional village dish—availability of eel is sporadic, seasonal, and geographical, as it is sourced from nearby rice fields. Tum requires considerable time, an almost obsessive sense of devotion, craftsmanship-like art work, and manual dexterity, but this delicious, visually adorable dish is well worth it!
Day 12
We will visit Lovina's main holy temple, Pura Jaganatha. Throughout our journey, we endeavor to go to ceremonies and temples to drink holy water--the most popular drink on Bali! We will then head to Miss Era’s house in Seririt for authentic Balinese village cooking lessons. We will purchase the ingredients, bring them to her home, and sample the finished dishes. Time permitting, we will visit the local tofu factory in Seririt—which also rears goats in the adjacent room! We will then drive to Singaraja to see the beautiful, very spiritual Chinese temple near the waterfront. Then we will spend time shopping in Hardy’s Department store for great bargains at very reasonable local Balinese prices. Dinner can be taken at the small, delicious Javanese warung stall in the food court.
Day 13
Dolphin Spotting in a small local boat at 6 A.M. We will be up very early for the best adventure and sunrise of our lives! The captains of the small boats chase the wild dolphin pods jumping in the calm waters of Lovina. When one captain spots the dolphins, he races towards them at top notch--the other boats change course and follow in an unforgettable, Indie-500-like speed-challenge! We are very likely to see these wild dolphins playing and cavorting in unself-conscious freedom and peace. Then we drop in on Janur at the Janur Dive Inn for more recipe demonstrations and lunch, including the best nasi goreng on the entire island! We will browse the local shops, including the wonderful German-owned Lovina Bakery, Indra’s clothing shop, and the Angsoka Department store. This gives everyone a true taste of small village Lovina life far from the maddening tourist crowds. The prices here are pegged to the local economy for the Balinese people. We will spend time on the black sand beach for relaxation, and stand under the landmark of Lovina—the Lumba Lumba (dolphin) statue. We then go to the Akar Cafe at night for fun, excellent Western food, and conversation. There is also a beautiful Thai restaurant around the corner—the food is very authentic. Lovina is quiet and peaceful—it is a place to relax and regroup. Party-goers, however, can always go to the popular Kantin bar across the main road for music and drinks: on the weekends it is packed with both locals and expats.
Day 14
Drive back to Kuta approximately three hours. We will take much longer in order to enjoy the sites en-route. GitGit Waterfalls excursion. We will also stop to see the Ulun Danau Temple on Lake Bratan, rice fields, the Pacung Mountain Resort and the monkey forest at Sangeh. Transfer to the airport.
Paradise Products International, LLC.
Tour participants are advised to consult with their physician and the Center for Disease Control website (wwwnc.cdc.gov) to seek advice about any recommended or necessary pre-vacation vaccinations, precautions, or medications to bring along! When eating, always follow the wise traveler's food maxim: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it! It is always highly recommended for tour members to take out full international sickness and accident insurance to cover their stay in Indonesia. Make sure that your hospital/insurance policy also covers airlift medical evacuation provisions. The medical care is excellent in nearby modern Singapore or Darwin, Australia. Vivienne Kruger and Paradise Products International, LLC. are not liable or responsible for sickness, accidents, car accidents, injuries, theft, loss of possessions, loss of limbs, natural disasters, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, acts of God, flight delays or cancellations, airplane crashes, loss of life, etc. during the course of the tour. Everyone must have a valid passport from their country of origin with at least six more months of remaining validity on it before the passport’s expiration date. Visitors from most countries can easily enter Bali with a 30-day visa-on-arrival issued at the airport for $25 USD. Cash is necessary. Please check for any new visa regulations with your local Indonesian Consulate. Thank you very much.
Tour participants are advised to consult with their physician and the Center for Disease Control website (wwwnc.cdc.gov) to seek advice about any recommended or necessary pre-vacation vaccinations, precautions, or medications to bring along! When eating, always follow the wise traveler's food maxim: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it! It is always highly recommended for tour members to take out full international sickness and accident insurance to cover their stay in Indonesia. Make sure that your hospital/insurance policy also covers airlift medical evacuation provisions. The medical care is excellent in nearby modern Singapore or Darwin, Australia. Vivienne Kruger and Paradise Products International, LLC. are not liable or responsible for sickness, accidents, car accidents, injuries, theft, loss of possessions, loss of limbs, natural disasters, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, acts of God, flight delays or cancellations, airplane crashes, loss of life, etc. during the course of the tour. Everyone must have a valid passport from their country of origin with at least six more months of remaining validity on it before the passport’s expiration date. Visitors from most countries can easily enter Bali with a 30-day visa-on-arrival issued at the airport for $25 USD. Cash is necessary. Please check for any new visa regulations with your local Indonesian Consulate. Thank you very much.
Please contact me by e-mail for further tour
information and reservations at balinesefood@yahoo.com
Join the Vivienne Kruger travel escapade--the
ultimate escape to the very last paradise on earth!
Fly Smart: Seven Things You Can Do To Reduce
Travel Stress on Your Body
Heavy luggage, complex boarding procedures, delayed flights, excess baggage fees, cramped airline seats, dehydration, jet lag, airline food. No matter how luxurious your final destination is, all of these body stressors come with the privilege of circumnavigating and trotting the globe. Here’s how to minimize the effects of “airplane body” before and after your dream trip to Bali.
Limit your carry-on to what you can carry or pull comfortably. Carrying cumbersome or heavy carry-ons when you are not conditioned for it can lead to muscle or joint pain. A good rule is if you can’t lift a certain weight comfortably at the gym, you can’t safely lug a bag of the same weight around an airport!
Walk the airport! It is likely that your time away will disrupt your usual workout/yoga/Pilates/exercise routine, so (unless you are late), skip the moving sidewalks and courtesy trams and feel the burn!
Do not sit while waiting to board. You are about to be stuck in a metal tube for an unnatural amount of time, so keep your body moving while you can! Walk around and visit shops and eateries in the gate area until boarding time.
Book an aisle seat in advance and get up often. Move about the plane to minimize the chance of thrombosis (blood clot formation). While thrombosis is very rare, sitting for long periods of time in a cramped space is an unhealthy state for the human body, decreasing circulation and stressing joints. Sleep is the foundation of good health, so try to get in as much dream time as possible en route! Ask for an extra pillow.
Find a convenient stretching space onboard. A small space can sometimes be found near the restrooms and exit doors. Use this space to stretch your calves. Raise your arms over your head, bend from side to side, and do some lunges or gentle spinal twists.
Heavy luggage, complex boarding procedures, delayed flights, excess baggage fees, cramped airline seats, dehydration, jet lag, airline food. No matter how luxurious your final destination is, all of these body stressors come with the privilege of circumnavigating and trotting the globe. Here’s how to minimize the effects of “airplane body” before and after your dream trip to Bali.
Limit your carry-on to what you can carry or pull comfortably. Carrying cumbersome or heavy carry-ons when you are not conditioned for it can lead to muscle or joint pain. A good rule is if you can’t lift a certain weight comfortably at the gym, you can’t safely lug a bag of the same weight around an airport!
Walk the airport! It is likely that your time away will disrupt your usual workout/yoga/Pilates/exercise routine, so (unless you are late), skip the moving sidewalks and courtesy trams and feel the burn!
Do not sit while waiting to board. You are about to be stuck in a metal tube for an unnatural amount of time, so keep your body moving while you can! Walk around and visit shops and eateries in the gate area until boarding time.
Book an aisle seat in advance and get up often. Move about the plane to minimize the chance of thrombosis (blood clot formation). While thrombosis is very rare, sitting for long periods of time in a cramped space is an unhealthy state for the human body, decreasing circulation and stressing joints. Sleep is the foundation of good health, so try to get in as much dream time as possible en route! Ask for an extra pillow.
Find a convenient stretching space onboard. A small space can sometimes be found near the restrooms and exit doors. Use this space to stretch your calves. Raise your arms over your head, bend from side to side, and do some lunges or gentle spinal twists.
Remove your shoes while sitting and keep your
ankles and feet moving. Taking off constraining shoes will help keep your
calves from tightening up. Do ankle circles and wiggle your toes to help
keep your blood circulating while seated.
Come hydrated and stay hydrated! Plane
travel is dehydrating, and even mild dehydration can affect mood, energy level,
performance, and feeling of well-being. Maintaining optimal hydration is
important, especially if you are on an active, high-altitude vacation (such as
a side excursion hiking up Mount Agung in Bali!). Bring lots of water
onboard, and sip throughout your flight. Avoid alcohol and caffeine both
on the plane and on the day before your trip to stay hydrated--and make it easier
to acclimate to new altitudes and time zones. Water is your new best
friend!
Keep healthy habits when you get there!
Upon arrival, do some restorative exercises to unwind after sitting on a plane
for so many hours (light swimming, yoga, a beach massage). This will help
undo any tightness you feel from your travels and prepare you for your vacation
activities in gorgeous, relaxed, friendly Bali!
______________________________________________
Villa De Coops in Legian is a highly
recommended, luxury villa accommodation for tour participants who arrive early
in Bali prior to the start of our tour, or who wish to remain longer in Bali
after the tour ends (often a very fortuitous sudden decision!). This can
be a sweet, dangerous seduction, however--many (including myself!) decide to
jump ship and run away forever to the island of the gods!
Please book directly with the owner
at: villadecoops@hotmail.com
Western-owned Villa De Coops offers a
wonderful vacation experience on a legendary island that is often referred to
as the morning of the world. The villa is luxurious, spacious, beautiful, and
very attractively furnished. Beautiful tropical plants decorate the
garden area. The pool is gorgeous, and you can sit in it or swim 24 hours
a day in complete peace and privacy. It is very rare to be able to have such a
pampering and indulgent experience--and delicious retreat--anywhere else in the
world. Modern, sleek, high-tech kitchen to cook in, cooking utensils,
gorgeous large refrigerator, ultra-modern technology (large flat screen TV, all
cable and DVD accessories, etc.). Great air conditioning, excellent beds,
spotless, 5-star quality bathrooms, well-decorated bedrooms. Best of all
is the beautiful view of the sunny lawns and plants and flowers outside the
large living room doors and windows. This is the ideal villa to relax, be
peaceful, and enjoy a luxury accommodation (staffed and cleaned by friendly Balinese
people). Delightful restaurants and stores are a very short walk away.
The pleasures of world-famous Kuta/Legian Beach with its beckoning sands and
glorious sunsets--are within walking distance. Villa De Coops will be one of
your most special and memorable experiences on the island of the gods.
You can pretend that you are already an expat living on Bali--enjoying the good
life! The villa is perfect for groups, solo travelers, a getaway with
friends, families with children, and people with pets. It is
extraordinary value for the price! Villa De Coops accommodates a maximum
of four people. Please see the reviews on Trip Advisor.
Many of you will fall in love with the mystery
and energy and kindness of Bali—not to mention the tropical climate and
royal-palace-inspired village architecture. You can now have a piece of
Bali at home—and live like the Balinese do! I can recommend Mandala Eco
Homes, located in Maui, Hawaii, USA. This business imports and then
constructs exotic, hand-crafted custom homes, cottages, yurts, and deluxe
gazebos on land anywhere. Shipped worldwide. The pre-built panelized kits
are made of sustainable, coconut palm hardwood and are handcrafted in Bali,
with easy on-site assembly. You can contact Bruce and Satya Douglas
at www.mandalaecohomes.com. E-mail: info@mandalaecohomes.com or call 1-808-579-9099.
Tour Leader Credentials and Qualifications:
Dr. Vivienne Kruger hails from New York City,
and is a social and cultural historian with an M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in
American history from Columbia University. I took a one-week overland
tour from Jakarta across Java in 1993, including a freezing cold, pre-sunrise
jaunt by donkey up smoldering, fuming Mt. Bromo. The trip later deposited me by
sheer serendipity on the unknown sanctuary of Bali: I fell in love with the
exotic island of the gods at first sight! I have since enjoyed a
twenty-year-long literary, spiritual, and cultural love affair with the
gorgeous volcanic island where the gods live and the people smile and cook! I
served as a special research consultant for E- Entertainment television’s “Wild
on Bali” television program (1998-1999). I developed story ideas,
interpreted local Balinese culture, and provided background information on
religious rites, traditions, and travel attractions. I also supplied valuable
interview contacts in Bali and recommended specific filming locations and
themes. I was referred to the E channel’s producer by the Indonesian Consulate in
New York. I later researched and wrote a series of travel articles for Bali and
Beyond magazine (including several cover stories) from 1999-2004. I also
reviewed a large number of books written about the island of Bali for Amazon
at www.amazon.com. As a food writer, I wrote, edited, and
produced a monthly newspaper food column for the Bali Advertiser for two years
(2006-2008) on Balinese culture and cuisine (“Food of the Gods). I lived in
Bali for two amazing years (2007-2008), and launched an international export
business buying and selling luxury goods produced in the villages of Bali. All
of my passions stem from this precious sacred island: yoga, spirituality,
travel, and rescuing beautiful stray dogs from Bali’s beaches. I
currently write a popular monthly column for Indogo Magazine (based in Los
Angeles, California) about my beloved island of Bali.
As an investigator cum culinary columnist, I repeatedly engaged in first-hand, high-risk, “extreme eating” (worthy of a “Survivor” episode) to research the mysterious, inscrutable, sacred cuisine of Bali. I personally sampled such adventure nourishment as fern tips, nasi bungkus packets with the beach ladies, home-made village-grilled pindang, sambal matah, rock hard taop nuts, yeast-infested and flecked tape and tempe, beachside jagung bakar, rice ketupat (in Singapore), endless rows of sate ayam and sate lilit, black rice pudding, and countless colorful local fruits and palm sugar and coconut-based desserts (kue mangkok, sumping, dadar gulung, jaja laklak, onde-onde). I swallowed a slippery, rubbery ritual meat (or dare i say organ meat) object at a high-caste purification ceremony in Ubud in order not to offend the officiating priest! I amassed almost 2,000 photos of the traditional foods of Bali—from the barnyard to the temple to the “final resting plate.” I crawled and slipped through wet, muddy rice fields photographing dragonflies and ducks, pursued live chicken delivery trucks down the side roads of Ubud, and invaded a dark, dank, Dickensian tofu factory in Seririt. I snapped saté stick offerings at a cremation ceremony on Kuta beach, goat saté sellers in Lovina (trophy display leg, hoof, and skin waving in the breeze), and jukung fishermen bringing in the morning mackerel catch at the break of dawn in Bali’s sister island, Nusa Lembongan.
As an investigator cum culinary columnist, I repeatedly engaged in first-hand, high-risk, “extreme eating” (worthy of a “Survivor” episode) to research the mysterious, inscrutable, sacred cuisine of Bali. I personally sampled such adventure nourishment as fern tips, nasi bungkus packets with the beach ladies, home-made village-grilled pindang, sambal matah, rock hard taop nuts, yeast-infested and flecked tape and tempe, beachside jagung bakar, rice ketupat (in Singapore), endless rows of sate ayam and sate lilit, black rice pudding, and countless colorful local fruits and palm sugar and coconut-based desserts (kue mangkok, sumping, dadar gulung, jaja laklak, onde-onde). I swallowed a slippery, rubbery ritual meat (or dare i say organ meat) object at a high-caste purification ceremony in Ubud in order not to offend the officiating priest! I amassed almost 2,000 photos of the traditional foods of Bali—from the barnyard to the temple to the “final resting plate.” I crawled and slipped through wet, muddy rice fields photographing dragonflies and ducks, pursued live chicken delivery trucks down the side roads of Ubud, and invaded a dark, dank, Dickensian tofu factory in Seririt. I snapped saté stick offerings at a cremation ceremony on Kuta beach, goat saté sellers in Lovina (trophy display leg, hoof, and skin waving in the breeze), and jukung fishermen bringing in the morning mackerel catch at the break of dawn in Bali’s sister island, Nusa Lembongan.
Professional Reviews of Balinese Food: The
Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali
"Books about food and spirit. Bali's food
culture"
To an outsider, the cuisine of Bali is perhaps one of its least visible cultural features. Just about every visitor to the ‘island of the gods’ will have witnessed the spell-binding beauty of Bali’s brightly festooned temples and colourful ceremonies. Many of us have had the experience of being stopped in traffic while a long procession of Balinese in traditional dress pass by. However, how many of us have witnessed first-hand the intrinsic cultural links between Bali’s cuisine and its culture and religion? How many of us have witnessed the pains-taking predawn rituals of preparing the many and varied dishes that accompany a traditional celebration, such as lawar or babiguling in Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine & Food Culture of Bali, social and cultural historian Dr. Vivienne Kruger has compiled a meticulously researched record of the many aspects of Balinese cuisine—from the secular to the spiritual—with an eye for detail that evades most observers. In the book Dr Kruger chronicles in careful detail the ceremonies, rituals and practices that accompany virtually all of Bali’s unique culinary arts—from satay to sambal. All the classic Balinese dishes are represented such as a babiguling, the popular spit-roast pork to bebekbetutu, whole smoked duck—each accompanied with a detailed recipe for those who would like to have a go at preparing the dish themselves. Lesser known aspects of Bali’s intriguing eating habits are also presented here. You may not know that the Balinese enjoy catching and eating such delicacies as dragon flies and rice paddy eels. Dog is also widely eaten around the island, and regretfully, endangered species of turtle are still consumed on some occasions. In all, Dr. Kruger has prepared a spicy and multi-layered dish as delicious and painstakingly prepared as the dishes described within to create an impressive work of scholarship jam-packed with information and insight into the rarely seen world of Bali’s cultural cuisine.
Bali Style magazine.Vol.10 no.2. May 2014. Reviewer: Adam Fenton. (Former editor of Garuda Airlines Magazine}
To an outsider, the cuisine of Bali is perhaps one of its least visible cultural features. Just about every visitor to the ‘island of the gods’ will have witnessed the spell-binding beauty of Bali’s brightly festooned temples and colourful ceremonies. Many of us have had the experience of being stopped in traffic while a long procession of Balinese in traditional dress pass by. However, how many of us have witnessed first-hand the intrinsic cultural links between Bali’s cuisine and its culture and religion? How many of us have witnessed the pains-taking predawn rituals of preparing the many and varied dishes that accompany a traditional celebration, such as lawar or babiguling in Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine & Food Culture of Bali, social and cultural historian Dr. Vivienne Kruger has compiled a meticulously researched record of the many aspects of Balinese cuisine—from the secular to the spiritual—with an eye for detail that evades most observers. In the book Dr Kruger chronicles in careful detail the ceremonies, rituals and practices that accompany virtually all of Bali’s unique culinary arts—from satay to sambal. All the classic Balinese dishes are represented such as a babiguling, the popular spit-roast pork to bebekbetutu, whole smoked duck—each accompanied with a detailed recipe for those who would like to have a go at preparing the dish themselves. Lesser known aspects of Bali’s intriguing eating habits are also presented here. You may not know that the Balinese enjoy catching and eating such delicacies as dragon flies and rice paddy eels. Dog is also widely eaten around the island, and regretfully, endangered species of turtle are still consumed on some occasions. In all, Dr. Kruger has prepared a spicy and multi-layered dish as delicious and painstakingly prepared as the dishes described within to create an impressive work of scholarship jam-packed with information and insight into the rarely seen world of Bali’s cultural cuisine.
Bali Style magazine.Vol.10 no.2. May 2014. Reviewer: Adam Fenton. (Former editor of Garuda Airlines Magazine}
Toko Buku column, the Bali Advertiser
newspaper, Bali, Indonesia. Book reviewer Bill Dalton. Published in
the November 26, 2014 edition
Balinese Food by Dr. Vivienne Kruger
Balinese Food by Dr. Vivienne Kruger
Balinese Food is a different kind of cookbook,
a combined “sociological cookbook” and “cultural travelogue” that has been
written from the world-view of the Balinese themselves. The book is actually an
extended essay that explores the exotic world of Balinese cooking, a cuisine
that is an inextricable part of the island’s culture and community life.
In 20 detailed chapters, Vivienne Kruger explains Bali’s foods and food history in the broad contexts of traditional village customs, society and religious ceremonies with chapters on the Balinese kitchen, the joy of snacking at a roadside food stall (warung), visiting a traditional Balinese market, preparing delicious satay with a Balinese twist, brewing potent Balinese coffee, as well as sections devoted to ingredients, equipment and resources.
In her 10 years (2003-2013) of meticulous hands-on research, Kruger doggedly sought out Bali’s traditional kampung food, the best roasted duck (bebek betutu) and the ultimate nasi goreng in back alley warung. She waded through village rice fields to photograph dragonflies on the wing and water buffaloes tethered to plows. She ate spicy grasshoppers (balang), banana tree trunk soup and endless variations of sambal matah (delicious, fresh red shallots, slivers of red peppers, and coconut oil). She investigated sweet green jaja cakes and mysteriously scented breakfast porridges decorated with who-knows-what frilly tree leaves.
In order to present the full range of food experiences, kruger conducted face-to-face interviews with scores of cultural experts, master cooks and long-time Balinese friends. Contacted by email, the author informed me that the most difficult aspect of writing the book was obtaining authentic local recipes. Her village informants, worried that they would accidentally give her the wrong information, were reluctant to participate in a western book project. They come from an oral tradition and were unfamiliar with the standard recipe format, preferring to cook by instinct and inherited food memories from trusted grandparents.
During her research, Kruger casts light on Bali’s culinary-religious mindset and at the same time reveals a number of in-depth insights into little known aspects of the island’s cuisine.
The Balinese practice a unique solitary eating custom. Unlike in the west, the notoriously sociable and gregarious Balinese eat all of their meals by themselves - quickly, privately, alone and undisturbed. Family members carry their food-laden plates to a corner, turn their back to the others and eat in very happy silence. Some believe that talking will kill the spirit of the food.
Consisting of white rice, fried noodles, tempe slivers, tidbits of chicken, grated fried sweet coconut (serunding) and vegetables, Bali’s legendary nasi jenggo is served with scorching-hot, blood-red sambal sauce on the side. Wrapped in triangular, green banana leaf packets, the dish is available at convenience stores and local stalls in traditional markets for only RP4000 to RP6000. Another popular dish she recommends, seldom tried by westerners, is fruit-based rujak, which packs a delightful load of local fruit, chilies and spices.
Excellent commercial dessert packets of jaja (snacks) in plastic wrappings, along with petite portions of spicy, savory pre-wrapped foods, are sold at the Matahari department store on Kuta square. The large supermarket on the ground floor stocks all kinds of fruits (rambutan, mangosteen, salak, etc.), as well as drinks, coffees and foods at quite wallet-friendly local prices.
To make the classic, mandatory ceremonial dish, lawar merah, the religiously required red color, raw uncooked pig’s blood (darahbabi) is added to sliced coconut pieces. The fresh blood becomes hard after 10 minutes, so it must be blended with lemongrass to make it soft again with the consistency of red water. Hot coconut oil is then mixed with the meat, sauce and coconut. The Balinese don’t get sick from the raw blood because the vast potpourri of spices kills the bacteria. Green daun jangu leaf from a grass-like tree and kaffir lime juice adds a delicious fragrance, inoculates users against any contamination and completely eradicates the smell of pig’s blood.
To find truly authentic Balinese village food, Kruger suggests relying on your Balinese driver. Professional drivers have traveled all over the island and know the best places to enjoy the finest Balinese cuisine. Kruger suggests that a guest invited to a home ceremony in a village should always bring the traditional Balinese gift of rice, sugar and coffee.
Heinz von Holzen’sBumbu Bali restaurant in TanjungBenoa in the Nusa Dua area presents huge scrumptious portions of genuine Balinese food. Served in an artful manner in elegant and authentic Balinese-style surroundings. She recommends the large portion board sampler as the best representative of upscale Balinese food on the island.
One of the author’s most valuable informants was Kasena, her faithful friend and driver since 1995, who not only served as a walking Balinese dictionary, but drove her all over Bali’s rural areas in her quest for culinary accuracy, taking her to unique villages and local eateries, which would otherwise never have been visited. The book’s 48 selected recipes are the same ones found steamed and fried in village temples and family compounds in Bali’s pre-dawn mornings. All recipes were demonstrated and tested in small warung kitchens and private Balinese homes, with the author carefully observing, measuring, cataloging and photographing each step in an often complicated and laborious process, guaranteeing that the flavors will be authentic. Recipe sequences were carefully recorded, as were the ingredients and their amounts.
Bringing to life time-honored village cooking traditions, Balinese food is a delightful social and cultural guide, lively travel journalism as well as a valuable resource for expatriate residents, home chefs, culinary historians and the general public who have an interest in food preparation, food culture, Balinese food and Asian cooking.
More than just another recipe book, it is a distillation of the writer’s deep experience and knowledge of Bali’s extravagant, multi-layered and spiritual culinary practices. This book represents a lifetime of study and observation and will greatly enhance our understanding of this complex and important island.
Reviews:
"A spiritual journey into the culinary world of Bali" by Jonathan Copeland, an author and photographer based in Bali.
www.thejakartaglobe.com/features/spiritual-journey-culinary-world-Bali
Review published in the Jakarta Globe, April 17, 2014.
“What a joy this book is! I love recipe books, but it’s short-lived; i enjoy the pictures for several minutes, read a few pages, and then my eyes glaze over. They are basically books to be used in the kitchen for one recipe at a time. This book, however, is in a different class altogether and designed to be read in its entirety. It’s in its own sui generis category; it has recipes at the end of most of the twenty-one chapters, but it’s a book to be read from cover to cover, yet it could easily be read chapter by chapter, in any order, as they are all self-contained. Every bite-sized chapter is a flowing narrative from a well-stocked brain encompassing Balinese culture, geography and history, while not losing its main focus: food.
As you would expect from a scholar with a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, the subject matter has been meticulously researched, not from books and articles and other people’s work, but from actually being on the ground and in the markets and in the kitchens of Balinese families, where the Balinese themselves learn their culinary skills, hands on, passed down orally, manually and practically from generation to generation. Vivienne Kruger has lived in Bali long enough to get it right. That’s no mean feat, as the subject has not been fully studied before. Yes, there are so-called Balinese recipe books, most, if I’m not mistaken, written by foreigners, and heavily adapted. The dishes have not, until now, been systematically placed in their proper cultural context, which is extremely important for the Balinese, nor has there been any examination of the numerous varieties of each type of recipe, nor have they been given their true Balinese names.
This groundbreaking book is a pleasure to read, not just for its fascinating content, which I learnt a lot from, but for the exuberance, enthusiasm and originality of the language. There’s not a dull sentence in the book. You just can’t wait to read the next phrase. There are eye-opening and jaw-dropping passages for the general reader as Kruger describes delicacies from the village of Tengkudak in Tabanan district--grasshoppers, dragonflies, eels and live baby bees — and explains how they are caught and cooked. She does not shy away from controversial subjects, such as eating dog and turtle. Parts of it are not for the faint-hearted, but other parts make you want to go out and join the participants, such as the Nusa Lembongan fishermen, who sail their outriggers at 5.30 a.m.
The author quotes Miguel Covarrubias, the great Mexican observer of the 1930s, who wrote “the island of Bali.” It has inspired all writers since, including myself and my co-author, Ni Wayan Murni, in our book “Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World.” There is, however, no bibliography, which I found strange at first. I can only imagine it’s a reflection of how original the subject matter is; there simply are no other sources.
Throughout the book Kruger mentions Balinese and Indonesian words and sometimes discusses their derivations. It’s a herculean task. I was intrigued to read that “satay” comes from the Tamil word for flesh ( sathai ) and that south Indians brought satay to Southeast Asia before Indonesia developed its own tradition. The book is full of interesting tidbits like this. I was hoping that there would be a glossary of all these words for future reference, but I can quite understand the publishers’ reluctance, as it would have doubled the length of the book. Perhaps an accompanying glossary for future publication would be worth considering. The book contains 47 recipes in all, 11 of which came from Murni’s own restaurant, Murni’s Warung, in Ubud. Mr. Dolphin of Warung Dolphin in Lovina also contributed a number of recipes. Kruger adds an introduction to each recipe, with a detailed and usually very personal commentary. I think my favorite, though, is from a village priest (pemangku), I Made Arnila of the Ganesha (Siwa) temple in Lovina:
Holy water from a sacred spring or river, or regular purified drinking water.
Pour the water into a metal container that holds holy water (sangku).
Take small, bright pink bougainvillea flower petals from the offering trays around the central lingga shrine (at a Siwa temple) and drop them into the sangku. This means that Siwa gives power. Fragrant, greenish-yellow blossoms from the ylang-ylang, an East Indian tree (canangaodorata) can be used instead of bougainvillea.
Light an incense stick and place it in the offering tray beneath the lingga. The pemangku sits on the floor to pray or stands and recites three holy mantras for holy water:
mantra Ganesha mantra
guru Gayatri mantra
mantra Durga
The pemangku distributes the fresh holy water to worshippers at temple ceremonies.
I don’t think many readers will be qualified to use the recipe for holy water, but i am sure most will enjoy this book enormously; I certainly did.”
"A veritable feast of information."—Ni Wayan Murni, owner of Murni's Warung, Ubud, Bali
"Dr Vivienne Kruger has written a book that is as satisfying as the food that she describes."—Jonathan Copeland, author of Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World.
"Vivienne is a wonderful and happy person who is full of love for life and delicious cuisine, which she has so beautifully presented in her book, Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine of Bali. I have known her for a long period of time, and found her to have a very kind, loving, and generous soul."—Sanjit Das, Om Yoga
"Thanks so much. I'm really enjoying the book. I've known a lot about Bali over my 37 years of going there ... But i didn't always know why those things were that way culturally, so it's been a fun read!!" Danielle Surkatty, member of the organizing
committee. Living in Indonesia, a site for expatriates.
www.expat.or.id March 2014
"Such a handsome book! Tuttle did a great job on the design, both inside and out. I've only had a chance to skim the contents but look forward to reading it all. Of course, I'm no authority on food, Balinese or otherwise, but I think I'm a good judge of books. Yours is first rate." Cordially, Dr. Alden Vaughan, professor of American history, Columbia University, New York. March 2014
“Take a trip to Bali through food! Enter Bali through the food, spices and cooking culture of the island. An array of favorite dishes drinks, and desserts for those whose passion is food. Interesting and enjoyable reading and cooking!”
Margery Hamai. Bodhi tree Dharma Center. Honolulu, Hawaii
“I am very happy that the book is ready to enjoy. We are very proud that some Puri Lumbung cuisine (authentic recipe) is in your book. I hope this can enrich the knowledge and creation of people in the cooking world.”
Yudhi Ishwari, Puri Lumbung Cottages, Munduk, northern Bali. April 2014
"Dr. Vivienne Kruger Ph.D has emerged on a growing list of champions of Balinese cuisine with the publication of Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali (Tuttle Publishing, 2014). Vivienne Kruger’s long connection to Bali, her love of Balinese food and academic eye for detail has resulted in a book that breaks new ground in its study of Balinese culture, the island's delicious food and the accompanying ancient traditional cooking methods." A Taste of Bali. From the Bookshelf - Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali (2/22/2014) Bali Update, Feb. 24, 2014. Edition 912.
www.balidiscovery.com
In 20 detailed chapters, Vivienne Kruger explains Bali’s foods and food history in the broad contexts of traditional village customs, society and religious ceremonies with chapters on the Balinese kitchen, the joy of snacking at a roadside food stall (warung), visiting a traditional Balinese market, preparing delicious satay with a Balinese twist, brewing potent Balinese coffee, as well as sections devoted to ingredients, equipment and resources.
In her 10 years (2003-2013) of meticulous hands-on research, Kruger doggedly sought out Bali’s traditional kampung food, the best roasted duck (bebek betutu) and the ultimate nasi goreng in back alley warung. She waded through village rice fields to photograph dragonflies on the wing and water buffaloes tethered to plows. She ate spicy grasshoppers (balang), banana tree trunk soup and endless variations of sambal matah (delicious, fresh red shallots, slivers of red peppers, and coconut oil). She investigated sweet green jaja cakes and mysteriously scented breakfast porridges decorated with who-knows-what frilly tree leaves.
In order to present the full range of food experiences, kruger conducted face-to-face interviews with scores of cultural experts, master cooks and long-time Balinese friends. Contacted by email, the author informed me that the most difficult aspect of writing the book was obtaining authentic local recipes. Her village informants, worried that they would accidentally give her the wrong information, were reluctant to participate in a western book project. They come from an oral tradition and were unfamiliar with the standard recipe format, preferring to cook by instinct and inherited food memories from trusted grandparents.
During her research, Kruger casts light on Bali’s culinary-religious mindset and at the same time reveals a number of in-depth insights into little known aspects of the island’s cuisine.
The Balinese practice a unique solitary eating custom. Unlike in the west, the notoriously sociable and gregarious Balinese eat all of their meals by themselves - quickly, privately, alone and undisturbed. Family members carry their food-laden plates to a corner, turn their back to the others and eat in very happy silence. Some believe that talking will kill the spirit of the food.
Consisting of white rice, fried noodles, tempe slivers, tidbits of chicken, grated fried sweet coconut (serunding) and vegetables, Bali’s legendary nasi jenggo is served with scorching-hot, blood-red sambal sauce on the side. Wrapped in triangular, green banana leaf packets, the dish is available at convenience stores and local stalls in traditional markets for only RP4000 to RP6000. Another popular dish she recommends, seldom tried by westerners, is fruit-based rujak, which packs a delightful load of local fruit, chilies and spices.
Excellent commercial dessert packets of jaja (snacks) in plastic wrappings, along with petite portions of spicy, savory pre-wrapped foods, are sold at the Matahari department store on Kuta square. The large supermarket on the ground floor stocks all kinds of fruits (rambutan, mangosteen, salak, etc.), as well as drinks, coffees and foods at quite wallet-friendly local prices.
To make the classic, mandatory ceremonial dish, lawar merah, the religiously required red color, raw uncooked pig’s blood (darahbabi) is added to sliced coconut pieces. The fresh blood becomes hard after 10 minutes, so it must be blended with lemongrass to make it soft again with the consistency of red water. Hot coconut oil is then mixed with the meat, sauce and coconut. The Balinese don’t get sick from the raw blood because the vast potpourri of spices kills the bacteria. Green daun jangu leaf from a grass-like tree and kaffir lime juice adds a delicious fragrance, inoculates users against any contamination and completely eradicates the smell of pig’s blood.
To find truly authentic Balinese village food, Kruger suggests relying on your Balinese driver. Professional drivers have traveled all over the island and know the best places to enjoy the finest Balinese cuisine. Kruger suggests that a guest invited to a home ceremony in a village should always bring the traditional Balinese gift of rice, sugar and coffee.
Heinz von Holzen’sBumbu Bali restaurant in TanjungBenoa in the Nusa Dua area presents huge scrumptious portions of genuine Balinese food. Served in an artful manner in elegant and authentic Balinese-style surroundings. She recommends the large portion board sampler as the best representative of upscale Balinese food on the island.
One of the author’s most valuable informants was Kasena, her faithful friend and driver since 1995, who not only served as a walking Balinese dictionary, but drove her all over Bali’s rural areas in her quest for culinary accuracy, taking her to unique villages and local eateries, which would otherwise never have been visited. The book’s 48 selected recipes are the same ones found steamed and fried in village temples and family compounds in Bali’s pre-dawn mornings. All recipes were demonstrated and tested in small warung kitchens and private Balinese homes, with the author carefully observing, measuring, cataloging and photographing each step in an often complicated and laborious process, guaranteeing that the flavors will be authentic. Recipe sequences were carefully recorded, as were the ingredients and their amounts.
Bringing to life time-honored village cooking traditions, Balinese food is a delightful social and cultural guide, lively travel journalism as well as a valuable resource for expatriate residents, home chefs, culinary historians and the general public who have an interest in food preparation, food culture, Balinese food and Asian cooking.
More than just another recipe book, it is a distillation of the writer’s deep experience and knowledge of Bali’s extravagant, multi-layered and spiritual culinary practices. This book represents a lifetime of study and observation and will greatly enhance our understanding of this complex and important island.
Reviews:
"A spiritual journey into the culinary world of Bali" by Jonathan Copeland, an author and photographer based in Bali.
www.thejakartaglobe.com/features/spiritual-journey-culinary-world-Bali
Review published in the Jakarta Globe, April 17, 2014.
“What a joy this book is! I love recipe books, but it’s short-lived; i enjoy the pictures for several minutes, read a few pages, and then my eyes glaze over. They are basically books to be used in the kitchen for one recipe at a time. This book, however, is in a different class altogether and designed to be read in its entirety. It’s in its own sui generis category; it has recipes at the end of most of the twenty-one chapters, but it’s a book to be read from cover to cover, yet it could easily be read chapter by chapter, in any order, as they are all self-contained. Every bite-sized chapter is a flowing narrative from a well-stocked brain encompassing Balinese culture, geography and history, while not losing its main focus: food.
As you would expect from a scholar with a Ph.D. in history from Columbia University, the subject matter has been meticulously researched, not from books and articles and other people’s work, but from actually being on the ground and in the markets and in the kitchens of Balinese families, where the Balinese themselves learn their culinary skills, hands on, passed down orally, manually and practically from generation to generation. Vivienne Kruger has lived in Bali long enough to get it right. That’s no mean feat, as the subject has not been fully studied before. Yes, there are so-called Balinese recipe books, most, if I’m not mistaken, written by foreigners, and heavily adapted. The dishes have not, until now, been systematically placed in their proper cultural context, which is extremely important for the Balinese, nor has there been any examination of the numerous varieties of each type of recipe, nor have they been given their true Balinese names.
This groundbreaking book is a pleasure to read, not just for its fascinating content, which I learnt a lot from, but for the exuberance, enthusiasm and originality of the language. There’s not a dull sentence in the book. You just can’t wait to read the next phrase. There are eye-opening and jaw-dropping passages for the general reader as Kruger describes delicacies from the village of Tengkudak in Tabanan district--grasshoppers, dragonflies, eels and live baby bees — and explains how they are caught and cooked. She does not shy away from controversial subjects, such as eating dog and turtle. Parts of it are not for the faint-hearted, but other parts make you want to go out and join the participants, such as the Nusa Lembongan fishermen, who sail their outriggers at 5.30 a.m.
The author quotes Miguel Covarrubias, the great Mexican observer of the 1930s, who wrote “the island of Bali.” It has inspired all writers since, including myself and my co-author, Ni Wayan Murni, in our book “Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World.” There is, however, no bibliography, which I found strange at first. I can only imagine it’s a reflection of how original the subject matter is; there simply are no other sources.
Throughout the book Kruger mentions Balinese and Indonesian words and sometimes discusses their derivations. It’s a herculean task. I was intrigued to read that “satay” comes from the Tamil word for flesh ( sathai ) and that south Indians brought satay to Southeast Asia before Indonesia developed its own tradition. The book is full of interesting tidbits like this. I was hoping that there would be a glossary of all these words for future reference, but I can quite understand the publishers’ reluctance, as it would have doubled the length of the book. Perhaps an accompanying glossary for future publication would be worth considering. The book contains 47 recipes in all, 11 of which came from Murni’s own restaurant, Murni’s Warung, in Ubud. Mr. Dolphin of Warung Dolphin in Lovina also contributed a number of recipes. Kruger adds an introduction to each recipe, with a detailed and usually very personal commentary. I think my favorite, though, is from a village priest (pemangku), I Made Arnila of the Ganesha (Siwa) temple in Lovina:
Holy water from a sacred spring or river, or regular purified drinking water.
Pour the water into a metal container that holds holy water (sangku).
Take small, bright pink bougainvillea flower petals from the offering trays around the central lingga shrine (at a Siwa temple) and drop them into the sangku. This means that Siwa gives power. Fragrant, greenish-yellow blossoms from the ylang-ylang, an East Indian tree (canangaodorata) can be used instead of bougainvillea.
Light an incense stick and place it in the offering tray beneath the lingga. The pemangku sits on the floor to pray or stands and recites three holy mantras for holy water:
mantra Ganesha mantra
guru Gayatri mantra
mantra Durga
The pemangku distributes the fresh holy water to worshippers at temple ceremonies.
I don’t think many readers will be qualified to use the recipe for holy water, but i am sure most will enjoy this book enormously; I certainly did.”
"A veritable feast of information."—Ni Wayan Murni, owner of Murni's Warung, Ubud, Bali
"Dr Vivienne Kruger has written a book that is as satisfying as the food that she describes."—Jonathan Copeland, author of Secrets of Bali, Fresh Light on the Morning of the World.
"Vivienne is a wonderful and happy person who is full of love for life and delicious cuisine, which she has so beautifully presented in her book, Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine of Bali. I have known her for a long period of time, and found her to have a very kind, loving, and generous soul."—Sanjit Das, Om Yoga
"Thanks so much. I'm really enjoying the book. I've known a lot about Bali over my 37 years of going there ... But i didn't always know why those things were that way culturally, so it's been a fun read!!" Danielle Surkatty, member of the organizing
committee. Living in Indonesia, a site for expatriates.
www.expat.or.id March 2014
"Such a handsome book! Tuttle did a great job on the design, both inside and out. I've only had a chance to skim the contents but look forward to reading it all. Of course, I'm no authority on food, Balinese or otherwise, but I think I'm a good judge of books. Yours is first rate." Cordially, Dr. Alden Vaughan, professor of American history, Columbia University, New York. March 2014
“Take a trip to Bali through food! Enter Bali through the food, spices and cooking culture of the island. An array of favorite dishes drinks, and desserts for those whose passion is food. Interesting and enjoyable reading and cooking!”
Margery Hamai. Bodhi tree Dharma Center. Honolulu, Hawaii
“I am very happy that the book is ready to enjoy. We are very proud that some Puri Lumbung cuisine (authentic recipe) is in your book. I hope this can enrich the knowledge and creation of people in the cooking world.”
Yudhi Ishwari, Puri Lumbung Cottages, Munduk, northern Bali. April 2014
"Dr. Vivienne Kruger Ph.D has emerged on a growing list of champions of Balinese cuisine with the publication of Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali (Tuttle Publishing, 2014). Vivienne Kruger’s long connection to Bali, her love of Balinese food and academic eye for detail has resulted in a book that breaks new ground in its study of Balinese culture, the island's delicious food and the accompanying ancient traditional cooking methods." A Taste of Bali. From the Bookshelf - Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali (2/22/2014) Bali Update, Feb. 24, 2014. Edition 912.
www.balidiscovery.com
"Balinese Food: The Traditional Cuisine
& Food Culture of Bali.” Just when you thought you knew a lot about
Bali, along comes this in-depth look at the cuisine and how it fits into
everyday culture. In Balinese Food the author brings to life Bali's
time-honored and authentic village cooking traditions. In over 20 detailed
chapters, she explores how the island's intricate culinary art is an
inextricable part of Bali's Hindu religion, its culture and its community life.
This book provides a detailed roadmap for those who wish to make their own
exciting exploration of the exotic world of Balinese cooking!" Living in
Indonesia, A Site for Expatriates. Recommended publications. www.expat.or.id/info/recommendedpublications.html#non-fiction , March 2014
"Finally I got your book. I show it to all my friends here. And its so amazing, you really put all your heart into this book and i can feel that you love Bali so so so much!" Mega Ngoei. Jakarta, Indonesia. March 2014
“Your book was awesome. It makes me want to go out and become a chef!” Henry C. Smith, San Francisco, April 2014
“We are proud and happy that one of our graduates is the author of an interesting book enjoyed by many readers.” Kachuen Gee, head librarian, Leonard Lief Library, Herbert Lehman College, Bronx, New York. May 2014
"Not only a thorough book about a fascinating cuisine, but good travel journalism as well.A delightful journey for the senses."
Mutual Publishing, llc (consignment) April 30, 2014
"By way of introduction to Vivienne Kruger’s Balinese food, bear in mind that eight degrees south of the equator, this modest-sized lava rich, emerald green island rests among the 17,508 remote, culturally distinct constellation of Indonesian islands. It is home to three million mortals who believe they are protected by an unfathomable number of Bali-Hindu goddesses and gods that inhabit the island’s sacred mountain peaks. The Balinese are unlike almost any other island people in that they are suspicious, even distrustful of the sea, believing mischievous spirits and negative powers dwell there—the underworld, as it were. Yes, they eat seafood, they just mostly let other Indonesians do the fetching. Fittingly, Kruger’s masterful use of language; dogged, on the ground conversations with thousands of Balinese cooks and farmers; and disarming humanity leads to a culinary-minded compendium unlike almost any other. Bali, you got the scribe you deserved.
What made Kruger’s work even more impressive is the fact that almost nothing about Balinese food history has been written down over the years. She writes: “like so many other traditions in Bali, cooking techniques and eating habits are passed down verbally by elders to their children and grandchildren who help in the kitchen. However, Indonesia has an old orally transmitted food culture because the pleasure of storytelling is entwined with the pleasure and effort of cooking and eating.” Balinese food is framed around twenty-one chapters, including the all-important sacred ceremonial cuisine, traditional village foods, the cult of rice, Balinese pig, Balinese duck, and specialized cooking techniques like saté, banana leaf wrappers, and the use of bumbu, a sacred, powerful dry spice paste mixture. In the chapter seafood in Bali, she lists a popular, fragrant accompaniment called sambal matah—chopped shallots, red chilies, coconut oil, and kaffir lime juice—that is always served raw and fresh, in this case, alongside a simple recipe for grilled tuna. An outstanding achievement in the realm of island cooking and Indonesian history, Balinese food showcases the Balinese people in the most flattering of ways."
Foreword Reviews Magazine. Foreword Reviews. Summer 2014
issue. www.forewordreviews.com
"Finally I got your book. I show it to all my friends here. And its so amazing, you really put all your heart into this book and i can feel that you love Bali so so so much!" Mega Ngoei. Jakarta, Indonesia. March 2014
“Your book was awesome. It makes me want to go out and become a chef!” Henry C. Smith, San Francisco, April 2014
“We are proud and happy that one of our graduates is the author of an interesting book enjoyed by many readers.” Kachuen Gee, head librarian, Leonard Lief Library, Herbert Lehman College, Bronx, New York. May 2014
"Not only a thorough book about a fascinating cuisine, but good travel journalism as well.A delightful journey for the senses."
Mutual Publishing, llc (consignment) April 30, 2014
"By way of introduction to Vivienne Kruger’s Balinese food, bear in mind that eight degrees south of the equator, this modest-sized lava rich, emerald green island rests among the 17,508 remote, culturally distinct constellation of Indonesian islands. It is home to three million mortals who believe they are protected by an unfathomable number of Bali-Hindu goddesses and gods that inhabit the island’s sacred mountain peaks. The Balinese are unlike almost any other island people in that they are suspicious, even distrustful of the sea, believing mischievous spirits and negative powers dwell there—the underworld, as it were. Yes, they eat seafood, they just mostly let other Indonesians do the fetching. Fittingly, Kruger’s masterful use of language; dogged, on the ground conversations with thousands of Balinese cooks and farmers; and disarming humanity leads to a culinary-minded compendium unlike almost any other. Bali, you got the scribe you deserved.
What made Kruger’s work even more impressive is the fact that almost nothing about Balinese food history has been written down over the years. She writes: “like so many other traditions in Bali, cooking techniques and eating habits are passed down verbally by elders to their children and grandchildren who help in the kitchen. However, Indonesia has an old orally transmitted food culture because the pleasure of storytelling is entwined with the pleasure and effort of cooking and eating.” Balinese food is framed around twenty-one chapters, including the all-important sacred ceremonial cuisine, traditional village foods, the cult of rice, Balinese pig, Balinese duck, and specialized cooking techniques like saté, banana leaf wrappers, and the use of bumbu, a sacred, powerful dry spice paste mixture. In the chapter seafood in Bali, she lists a popular, fragrant accompaniment called sambal matah—chopped shallots, red chilies, coconut oil, and kaffir lime juice—that is always served raw and fresh, in this case, alongside a simple recipe for grilled tuna. An outstanding achievement in the realm of island cooking and Indonesian history, Balinese food showcases the Balinese people in the most flattering of ways."
Foreword Reviews Magazine. Foreword Reviews. Summer 2014
issue. www.forewordreviews.com
Booksigning Events, Public Talks, Lectures:
Barnes and Noble bookstore, Palmdale,
California branch. Author Booksigning Event, April 26, 2014
Barnes and Noble bookstore, Chino Hills,
California branch. Author Booksigning Event, June 28, 2014
Fairfax Branch Public Library, 161 S. Gardner
Street, Los Angeles. August 9, 2014
Los Angeles Indonesian Film Festival,
Westwood, California. September 3 and 4, 2014. I was invited to attend
the high-profile event as a VIP, all access, red carpet guest of Indogo
Magazine. I was privileged to meet Mr. Syamsul Lussa, the visiting Minister
of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia from
Jakarta at a special ballroom session. I was honored to personally hand
him an autographed copy of my book, Balinese Food.
“Authors on Asia” series, book lecture, Q
& A session, reading, video presentation, booksigning event,
reception. USCPacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California. Event was
attended by the Senior Consular Staff, Indonesian Consulate, Los Angeles.
September 14, 2014.
Columbia University Alumni Association of
Southern California. Hosted a very successful dinner party (Balinese and
Indonesian cuisine) and book signing event at the Simpang Asia restaurant,
Culver City, Los Angeles. September 26, 2014.
Learned to play the gamelan (and enjoyed the
signature sounds of Bali) as part of the gamelan PandanHarum group at the
Indonesian Consulate in Los Angeles in 2014. I participated in their
weekly Sunday practice sessions (followed by delicious, potluck, home-cooked
Balinese food contributed by the wives).
Chinese New Year’s Festival, Arcadia Park, Los
Angeles. January 31, 2015. The Indonesian community and Dessy
Andriani, my wonderful editor at Indogo Magazine, invited me to participate in
this festival event. They asked me to join with them in their booth and
do a booksigning session from 12 to 2 pm. The Consul General of Indonesia
also had a booth, and the event was televised in Beijing, China.
The Culinary Historians of Southern
California. Lecture, discussion, Q & A, Booksigning, and
Reception. Los Angeles Public Library, Fifth Street, Mark Taper
Auditorium. February 14, 2015. 10:30 A.M. www.chscsite.org
My presentation was videotaped (one hour-long)
and is available online at the Culinary Historians website (www.chscsite.org).
Dr. Vivienne Kruger, “Bali: Food of the Gods” video February 14, 2015
www.chscsite.org/dr-vivienne-kruger-bali-food-of-the-gods
Dr. Vivienne Kruger, “Bali: Food of the Gods” video February 14, 2015
www.chscsite.org/dr-vivienne-kruger-bali-food-of-the-gods
Clark County Library Spring Fling Book
Fair. Saturday, March 14, 2015. Joined other authors as I
introduced my book to Las Vegas readers and sold and signed copies of Balinese
Food.
Clark County Library, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lecture on Balinese Food, Bali Photos Slide Show, Booksigning, Q & A,
Reception, Souvenir Recipe Handouts, Monday April 6, 2015, 6-7:30 P.M.
This event was advertised in the April 5, 2015 issue of The Sunday Magazine in
Las Vegas, page 40. “The Traditional Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali.”
Author Vivienne Kruger talks about her travels, food discoveries, and cultural
experiences.”
LA Times Festival of Books. April 18-19,
2015. I attended this very prestigious, annual literary and book event
held on the USC college campus. I did a booksigning at the Kinokuniya
Bookstore/Tuttle Publishing booth on Saturday April 18th, from 3-4 PM. An
absolute orgy of books for lovers of the printed word.
Magazine Articles—Contributing Writer
Grapevine Magazine. British Women’s Association, Jakarta. Contents: recipes, pages16-17. April 2014 Newsletter Edition. www.bwajakarta.org/grapevine
Indogo Magazine. www.indogomagazine.com (Los Angeles, California). I currently have the honor of writing a monthly published column about the island of Bali for Indogo Magazine. Began in September 2014 and continuing throughout 2015.
Schoolcraft College, International Institute, International Agenda Magazine, vol. 14 no.1 Winter 2015 issue, Ann
Arbor, Michigan. Wrote an article about Balinese culture and cuisine in
this issue devoted to Southeast Asia and the Pacific. "Food of the
Gods: The Sacred Cuisine and Food Culture of Bali."
International-agenda-(winter-2015). pdf, pp. 27-30.
The Jewish Journal. www.jewishjournal.com Los Angeles, California. “Food:
Exotic and Kosher.” Contents: Balinese Food: Kosher Recipes from the
Morning of the World. Article on Balinese culture and cuisine featuring
delicious, new, healthy Balinese food dishes suitable for the Kosher
kitchen. Friday issue, December 18-24, 2015, pages 38, 53.
India Currents Magazine. www.indiacurrents.com Article on Bali, including two recipes,
published in the March 2015 issue. “Bountiful Balinese
Cuisine." India Currents invited me to submit another article on
travel to Bali for the July 2015 issue. “Destination Bali: Yoga, Spas and
Healing in the Ancient Village of Ubud.”
Natural Awakenings Magazine, Hawaii
(NaturalAwakeningsHawaii.com). “Conscious Eating: Healthy Food Choices From
Bali.” November 2015 issue, pp. 18-19.
My publicist at Tuttle Publishing in Vermont,
Brandy LaMotte, would be pleased to assist you in any way possible
(1-800-526-2778, ext. 230).
