Luscious

Today at the suggestion of Jessica Bottomley, I woke up an indulged in a traditional Balinese massage followed by a White Jasmine full body scrub, yogurt rub down, and to finish it of, a long soak in a flower petal filled bath. I am a bath freak, so getting to lie in a bath full of white, red and purple flowers was heaven. I felt like a child playing with the petals, covering my arms with them, scooping them up, and creating flower waterfalls with my hands. All of this while sipping on ginger tea and lime juice covered papaya and pineapple, truly luscious. The best part is that the cost of this indulgence was a mere $12.50, another reason why I love Bali and South East Asia in general because you can live like a king for so little. Jessica and Isaac definitely knew what was up when they bought their house here (which I am going to visit in several days.) Right now, I am in a mosquito net-covered bed in a small village called Tirta Ganga, home of a huge water palace, where you can soak an swim in the holy waters that are set amidst rice paddies that look like they are straight out of the pages of National Geographic. Our guest house is perched hundreds of feet above the valley with cinematic views over the fields and down to the ocean. Tommorow we will head out to the North of the island to Lovina, home of black sand beaches and world class diving and snorkeling on some of the islands best coral reefs.
We have been flooded with musical ideas and because we have brought our laptops we are able to record them. We hope to do a lot of writing of songs that will eventually end up on Kaura’s first album. Every single sight we have here is new, fresh, and often mind-blowing. We have not gotten used to the huge world of difference between Los Angeles and South East Asia yet, and a part of me doesn’t think we will and doesn’t want to either. I still have to pinch myself as we drive through this dense thick, palm covered island driving past women with baskets expertly balanced on their heads 4 feet in the sky. I still cannot get over how different our lives are from the people here. Due to the lack of income and education here, the large majority of Balinese never leave Bali, and are content with their lives selling goods, caring for rice paddies, wood carving, painting, or being involved with the tourist industry in some fashion. When I have spoken to the young men and women here, they do not have lofty aspirations to travel the world or become rock stars or doctors or lawyers, they are content with their lives, the closeness they have with their families and communities, and the rhythm of their daily life which includes a strong does of religion, art, and music. In many ways, I am jealous of their seeming spiritual contentment that lacks the burning unrest and desire that most Westerners constantly feel. The Balinese also have an openness that I is pleasantly unfamiliar to me coming from America. Their smiles are genuine, not forced, I have not gotten denied a smile when I smile at them and they are always curious to know where you are from or to help you with any questions you may have. When I tell them that I am from California, they often say, “Kaleefornia, Red Hot Chilli Peppers!! Dream of Kaleefornication!” Which cracks me up, last time it was “Yaah, Welcum to the Hotel Kaleefornia.” It is so bizarre what being from California means to them, they think we know these celebrities and hang out with them like it is a small village like where they live. Their estimation of you goes way up when you tell them you are from the Golden State. When I tell them I am in a rock band, forget it!!! Autographs usually shortly ensue!!
I am working on a slideshow for you all, so keep checking back in, in the next few days. Be Well!
Love
Ben