Dapur Bunda

We ventured out to Ubud town on some of the evenings  and had dinner there instead of dining  at our resort all the time. On one of the nights we tried out Dapur Bunda ( Mummy's Kitchen) and ordered the set of a local rice dish. The brown rice came with four side dishes quite similar to Malay food in Malaysia. The carrot cake at Dapur Bunda was exceptionally good. And the prices of food here is very reasonable.

Hinduism in Bali

Bali is a largely Hindu enclave - Balinese are Hindus - the minority Muslims, Christians etc  in the island  come from Java or other parts of Indonesia. And Hindu rituals are observed almost all day long everywhere.

Walking within the resort we came across a Hindu altar in one corner of the property. And it so happened then that one of the resort staff came along to conduct her prayers and blessings at the altar. Her offerings consisted of a tray of flower petals and a few pieces of joss-sticks. It was quite interesting to observe how the prayer was conducted.

These prayers were carried out seevral times a day I guess. For one pakdokter noticed that early every morning a prayer offering would have been placed at the entrance to the villas. So the resort staff must have come around to pray and leave the offerings at the door-step while we were still asleep.

Spa Treatments at KayuManis

There are five designated villas within the Kayumanis Resort dedicated for Balinese Massage and Spa Treatment. We were surprised that despite the apparent 'absence' of guests in the resort, bookings for Balinese massage and spa treatments were actually full and we learnt fast to make it a point at breakfast time everyday to book for our slots from our butler.

Upon reporting for the first time at the Spa reception - the usual questionnaire had to be filled and any particular medical difficulties had to be declared to ensure that the operator bears no liability should these conditions that may require special precautions are not declared. Upon deciding what type of massage or treatment we choose for ourselves , we were also given a choice of different oils - spice-based from native plants - each of which has its own special qualities. 

The therapists/masseurs were local Balinese girls, all of them polite and surprisingly spoke adequate amount of reasonably good English. Of course pakdokter, with adequate command of the Bahasa, had no difficulties communicating with them

The therapists obviously had been given proper training and qualification. Balinese oil massage is quite similar to Thai aromatherapy. Gentle palm and finger strokes occasionally enhanced by stronger use of the elbow over more bulky muscular areas of the para-vertebral bulk and the thighs helped greatly in rejuvenating tired body and mind.

 2 of the 5 spa villas

 an assortment of local spices and herbs used as ingredients of massage oils

Exploring Kayumanis (2)

The restaurant where we were treated to a surprise birthday cake on the first night we stayed here is located on the edge of a valley overlooking a little stream and beyond it the Ayung River valley famous for its white-water rafting. The restaurant was also not busy - many of the guests probably had chosen to have their breakfast served within the confines of their villa. Although there are about 40 or so villas in this whole complex - one feels as if you are the only guest there although pakdokter was told that the occupancy was nearly 80 percent.

Breakfast was a series of courses - starting with freshly-squeezed juices, coffee to your liking,  fresh fruits, cinnamon toasts and an assortment of different types of bread accompanied with several home-made jams, eggs done to your liking, even nasi goreng or mee goreng if you can still take anything more in.

The Spa Village is located at a seperate area away from the villas. One has to walk down the hill, cross the above wooden bridge across the stream below before reaching the row of 5 special villas where various spa treatments are offered.

 the row of spa villas hidden amongst the trees as seen from the bridge

 a nursery growing native trees, herbs and spices of the island

Further down the hill towards another stream, we came to the resort's main swimming pool. The infinity pool overlooked a river across which some local villagers were having a picnic. Nobody used this swimming pool as everyone has their own private swimming pool within their own villa confines. We were told that we could also arrange for spa and massage treatments to be done open-air by this pool-side cabanas.

Exploring Kayumanis

We woke up to a rather dull and cloudy day. As we had arrived at the villa in the afternoon and had spent the day within the comforts of the villa - we finally had the chance to explore the whole resort in the morning.

The name Kayumanis given to the resort was because dotting the whole area are some 'kayumanis' trees (cinnamon) -a plant which is native to this island. In the same tone all the villas ( about 40 of them) in the resort are given names of trees native to Bali. Our villa is named 'Mahoni' ( mahogany) - and the villa names are etched on rocks or metal plates at the entrance to the villa.

The fertile volcanic soil enables trees and plants to grow well on this island in general and in this resort in particular. It was such a pleasure to walk along the narrow lanes seperating the various villas to the restaurant for breakfast. Colourful flowers made it such a joy walking through this 'grden of Eden'.

 'seseh' is a native Balinese plant and is the name given to this villa

Hindu prayers and offerings placed at the entrance of the villa in the morning

 our villa is named 'Mahoni' (mahogany)

 rose water to wash your feet as you enter the villa garden

 breakfast being delivered to the villa

the waiter will prepare and cook the breakfast at the pool-side kkitchen

 a 'kayumanis' (cinnamon) tree 

and below some of the flowers in bloom within the resort

A 'Surprise' Birthday Cake

Although we did not inform the resort what the special occasion was for us to make this trip, the front desk executive must have checked pakdokter's partner's passport to discover that it was her birthday. Our wedding also happened to be on pakdokter's partner's birthday. So it has always been a 'double celebration' every year on this date.

Upon settling us down into our villa we were served a complemetary high tea. We ordered coffees laced with cinnamon to go with the bites of cakes and cookies.

The restaurant where we later dined offered Balinese dishes and an assortment of Thai dishes. Pakdokter tried out the Jimbaran Platter - a selection of grilled seafood that came with a cone of rice, some salads and a spicy sambal.

The surprise of the night was a birthday cake prepared specially by the chef. The front desk officer must have prompted the kitchen to do this special surprise for us. We were the only diners at the restaurant ( the other guests must have chosen to have their dinner within their own villa compounds). It was so nice that the whole kitchen staff and the waiters and waitresses came together to sing 'Happy Birthday" to pakdokter's partner.

our personal 'butler' who made sure everything was 'tip top' that night

A Retreat in Bali

Pakdokter and partner recently took a short break to Bali in conjunction with our 36th wedding anniversary. We have always loved Bali and we now love the quiet retreat of Ubud more than the bustling and crowded Kuta, Legian or Seminyak.

We were last here almost 2 years ago when we came to attend the Ubud Writers Festival in late 2011. Some of the notable changes are the brand new Bali Airport and a motor-way that bypasses Kuta and is built over the sea across Benoa Harbour. This probably made our trip from the airport to Ubud a lot smoother and faster.

We had booked ourselves for a week at Kayumanis Resort in Ubud. This is amde up of a cluster of 40 or so luxurious villas with its own private swimming pool and a pool-side cabana all to your own use.

We wanted to be alone by ourselves - taking things easy, pampering ourselves to Balinese Spa treatments and catching up on our reading.

First impression of the resort - we were not disappointed.

 the villa at the far end and the pool-side cabana to the right

 our own private swimming pool

 the outdoor cabana has a kitchen, a dinig table, a lounge and a TV

breakfast could be prepared abd served here

 the 4-poster bed , comfy and luxurious

 the adjoining area next to the bedroom houses the tub 

and the vanity corner acrcoss the tub with a garden shower stall

The villa is bordered by a 6-foot wall ensuring total privacy for us to have a quiet time together,