Orientation Week: Getting settled

30th June-6th July (Week 1: Mon-Sun)

30th June: Hi everyone, I'm writing this on my first night at the homestay, after a pretty hectic but incredible week, hoping to provide a round-up of all that has happened for my project orientation. I left off after my chaotic travel day, when I had just climbed into bed at the MaxOne Hotel in Ubud, where we stayed for the first 2 nights, and were provided with assorted buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. I woke up bright and early, choosing not to miss out on our first briefing to get some more sleep, despite still being relatively tired as expected. I met my lovely roommate who I'm sharing with in the homestay now too, and we went up to the rooftop floor where meals are served, and I met some of the other project participants. In total, there are just under 20 of us on our team, having split the whole project in two, to ensure each group has enough leaders to support them. Our briefings took place in a resort down the road, giving me my first proper look at Ubud and Bali as a whole - which was rain. Despite it being dry season at the minute, rain is still frequent, and the thin Primark rain jacket I hastily bought before travelling appears to not provide much support in terms of keeping me dry, but I have since learnt that being damp is a constant here, whether it be via rain or sweat, and is now just something to get used to. The roads here also are very busy, and there being minimal pavements mean you have to use your hand to somewhat control the traffic to cross safely, in the style of 'the force'.

Our first briefing offered an introduction to each other, the leaders and the project itself, followed by lunch at the hotel and the sorting of our Indonesian sims cards before we all piled into mini vans to head to the absolutely beautiful Tegalalang Rice Fields. Here there were a range of activities, and though the swings and photo nests seemed cool, I was more interested in the zipline that took you over the fields and back again, which despite being somewhat terrifying was absolutely breathtaking, and one thing to cross off my bucket list for this trip already. Back at the hotel, we got our first lot of snacks from one of the many convenience stores on the high street, with shopping in supermarkets being one of my favourite things to do abroad. I opted for a range of interesting flavoured doritos and oreos (e.g red velvet) to try, most of which ended up being questionable but worth tasting. I'm sure there will be many more of these shop visits to come. This was also my first proper encounter with using my Indonesia rupiah, which having a huge conversion difference to pounds, makes you feel rather rich, carrying millions around just in your pocket.

The days have felt long as they've been so busy, but the sun sets early here, by around 6pm, so night arrives quickly. I've been lucky enough to relatively escape jet lag so far (let's not jinx it), and seem to have settled into the time difference quite comfortably. Dinner was lovely, with candles up on the rooftop, though my first experience of the Balinese wildlife was quite unwelcome when I spotted a rather chunky rat scurrying under the trays of food. Slightly terrified, we distracted ourselves with some card games, before I decided to make the most of the pool just next to the eating area for a night time swim, as we would be leaving the hotel the next day. It was a lovely to just enjoy a moment by myself and let it sink in that I was really there in Bali after a really great first day. More wildlife was noted in the form of geckos on the wall, though these were not as intimidating as the rat, which I've decided to refer to a the rat from Ratatouille, who was actually justour little chef just checking on the food. Feeling worn out and needing to get some rest, it was time for sleep after our first proper day.

1st July: All packed up and finished with breakfast the next morning, our main luggage (with mine unfortunately being noticeably larger than most) was sent off to our homestays, and we just packed our smaller travel bags to be taken with us to our next stop, Camp Bali Kuno. But first, wearing our crisp new Think Pacific Team t-shirts, we rounded off our briefing sessions in the resort conference room, all about the GTI project itself. After lunch we departed the hotel and got a bus (with very-much-appreciated aircon) all together to travel East of Ubud for about an hour. This gave me the chance to realise that Bali is a much smaller island than I realised, and though traffic makes travel longer and more complex, it really isn't that large at all. 
After disappointingly failing to stock up on snacks at a shop we stopped at due to some confusing restrictions on what was being sold, and successfully using a not-so-nice squat toilet out the back, we eventually arrived at the camp in a very rural area of jungle. We were welcomed by the camp team with laklak, very sweet little pancakes with grated coconut and melted palm sugar and iced tea, and set our stuff down in our dorm-style rooms, where 7 of us girls slept in a thatched-roof building with wide gaps into the great outdoors all around. I could tell we were going to be feeling very at one with nature. The bathroom was similar, with a few toilets, each with their own tap for use as a bidet - as you're not meant to flush toilet paper since this causes blockages - and communal outdoor showers to look forward to later on.

After looking on in awe at the spectacular views and incredible birds and butterflies everywhere, we spent some time doing some group activities an teambuilding exercises to get to know each other better, though everyone already seemed to be very at ease with one another. It's a good size group as we've all been able to get to know each other quite swiftly. We learnt how to make offerings known as canang sari in the beautiful yoga hut in the camp, where we heard more about the Balinese Hinduism most commonly form. These are one of the daily offerings made to the Divine in prayer, found everywhere in Bali in temples, shrines and on the ground, since they are made so frequently, and each part of the leaf and flowers used to make it and the direction of these act as a different symbol for a Hindu God. Before dinner, we all worked together to make chocolate from scratch out of fresh ingredients, which was then turned into a form of nutella to be eaten with our breakfast the next day. Dinner itself was absolutely delicious, as the meals continued to be for the duration of our time at camp - more buffet-style food with a range of tasty options, including tofu/tempeh and a desert of fried bananas. In the evening we were invited to partake in the panca sembah (five prayers), dressed in a sarong to observe the ritual ceremony of prayer performed by the priest before the temple shrine where the canang sari are laid. The evening ended with a campfire and songs where we also got to see some fireflies, before having our first outdoor shower in the dark, shared with some slightly unnerving gecko friends, before falling asleep to the very sounds of nature.

2nd: I slept mostly through the night, with a visit down to the toilets about 3am and a quick text to home where it was mid-evening, and woke up promptly to the sound of drums performed by the camp workers. Breakfast included mung bean porridge, strangely sweet but with a texture that indicated savoury, and supposedly helpful for digestion, before some more team building and fun games, and learning the gopala dance practise again in sarongs. Lunch we helped make, preparing the salad to be enjoyed with delicious tofu fritters, noodles and rice. The vegetarian selections thus far have been beyond brilliant, and essentially every meal I have had before has been not only delicious but an experience in itself - I'm hoping this continues. We ate to the continued background of drums, and then headed down to the yoga hut for tote bag painting, and to work on our communal project painting a bird feeder for the camp to put out. As the heat settled a little, it was time to do the short but very steep trek down to the river, but first, was the mud. We immersed ourselves in mother nature in a large-ish pool of mud, where we played some games before cleaning ourselves off in the fast flowing river nearby. It was extremely refreshing, and though the rocks did make the rapids a bit difficult to tackle, I truly could have stayed there all day. Back and showered at camp, which was much easier in the daylight, we encountered a sizeable barking gecko on the wall of our room, who was chased out but I imagine did not go far. Dinner was pasta night, with glorious garlic bread and padan pudding for dessert, a form of jelly/flan. Some more games saw us playing a quite ridiculous game of 'cheat' with huge playing cards, aswell as uno, before another campfire, cut short by the rain, and some time discussing our plans for the weekend to head to Canggu.

3rd: My gecko suspicions of course proved true when we were woken up at 6am by a shrieking as something fell from the roof in our room, though all too tired to cared, we chose to pretend this hadn't happened. Then the banging on the other side of the wall started, which I think was breakfast preparations, and knowing I wouldn't go back to sleep, the day began shortly after. Post-breakfast, as the rain returned, we headed back down to a different part of the river, made very tricky by the slippiness of the mud. Arriving at where two rivers meet, we were invited to join the melukat, a water purification ceremony performed again by the priest to cleanse the mind, body and soul, before returning through the farm fields, where we saw the local cattle and learned that cows are considered holy in Balinese Hinduism, and not typically consumed. Peer pressured into trying one of the growing bird eye chillis which barely touched my mouth by stuck with me for hours, lunch was greatly appreciated, in particular, the green beans with coconut milk and garlic. I'm really enjoying the variation among the commonly repeated carbs (rice/noodles), veg etc.

Ready to leave camp, we sad goodbye and drove the scenic routes back towards Ubud, up somewhat petrifyingly steep roads that did have me fearing for my life as the bus made not-so-reassuring noises, but, arriving safely, I was able to enjoy the views of the many statues and temples in the area, aswell as the many dogs, cats and chickens roaming the streets. We arrived at Siadja Gallery in Mas village, where their fame for woodworking was obvious from the very start, as there were incredible carvings absolutely everywhere. We were given coconuts to drink from and flower necklaces, and welcomed to the village by our homestay hosts, who led us back to where we would be staying. Unfortunately it was absolutely tipping it down and despite it only being a short walk, we got absolutely soaked and I fell over, which I did know to be inevitable at some point in the trip, but hopefully won’t happen again.

I was fine so we hurried along to our host’s compound, a collection of buildings where each extended family live in the village, with a building for me and my roommate, and 3 other participants upstairs. Since it was raining so heavily we didn’t get a chance to properly meet the family or pets yet, so made our way back to the gallery for a delicious communal dinner and some games, before popping to one of the local shops to get some more snacks, though it was hard to see in the dark, it appeared to be like the streets in Ubud, just slightly quieter. When we returned we were able to meet some of the lovely family, multiple generations living in the same compound, and their gorgeous dogs, a chihuahua named Kiko who might be a guard dog, and seemed a bit unsure at first, but has since wanted up to us, and a pomeranian called Poppy who I was absolutely obsessed with from our first meet. I’m so pleased to be staying with such wonderful people and am really excited to get to know them better over the next few weeks, and enjoy their gorgeous home. 

4th: Getting an earlyish night, we woke up nice and early for breakfast, provided kindly by the family - pancakes and fruit to self serve and be enjoyed together in the communal kitchen with others in homestay. We next went back to the gallery for our village briefing, to learn better about village life in Mas which is very interconnected as everyone really does know everyone, and discuss the importance of responsible tourism. As Think Pacific participants, we're welcomed into the community as members of it for the duration of our stay, integrating as best as possible and living mutually and respectfully. We also learnt more about the families hosting us, like who likes to play instruments (e.g traditional Balinese instrument - the gamelan), and who is passionate about kite flying, a seemingly popular passtime here.

The tour introduced us to Mas' beautiful layout and all it has to offer, including all the incredible woodwork, various cafes with their own galleries, the Bale Banjar (the banjar's community hall where we'll be partaking in local activities) the greenery which includes the huge leaves often used to serve food in wicker basket which make me feel like I've been transported into the movie 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids', aswell as many potholes which have to be strategically avoided. We also learnt where all the local shops, laundry services and hospital (which we hopefully will not be in need of) were. Everyone we passed was incredibly friendly, giving opporuntity for us to continue to practise the brief Balinese we've picked up so far and overused greatly (suksma - thank you & selamat pagi - good morning). We also dropped off our laundry at the closest laundromat for the weekend, where the lady working there was delightful and had some gorgeous dogs too, including a sausage dog. Although most dogs here are guard dogs we've been warned to steer clear of when passing in the street, I do enjoy their presence and we've not had any issues other than some growling as of yet.

We got a quick and slightly stressful lunch in terms of timings in one of the local restaurants, from where we observed a street procession we'd been informed about earlier - the cremation ceremony, Ngaben, which the whole village attends. This supposedly sombre event was very beatify to observe, with the beautiful floats and community spirit encapsulating its purpose as a celebration of life lost. With the goal being to support the village and its inhabitants as much as possible whilst here, since Bali is very economically dependent on tourism, our leaders had recommended we book local drivers to sort our transport for weekends away, so we took 3 cars to take all of us to Canggu for our first free weekend. After a stressful couple of days ensuring we could book the Airbnb we wanted, it was ultimately a success, and 9 of us took on one villa, whilst 7 others had one just 10 minutes up the road, both very near to the beach-club area of the beach.

It was a nice journey chatting, but I felt a bit motion sick, but although I feared it was me finally getting the illness I anticipated, which I'm still a bit on edge about, we arrived all fine, just after much traffic. Our villa was amazing, with a pool, huge showers, a rooftop, and even 2 swimming in the moat around the kitchen. We got some breakfast bits in shop - always one of my favourite parts of being abroad is exploring the supermarkets - and had a quick dip in the pool though the sun was not shining for us, and then showered and got ready for dinner. We had a lovely Italian meal, all 16 of us, just up the road from the villas, then walked to the beach, to check out the area and most known beach clubs and bars we'd heard about. I wasn't hugely impressed though, as the beach itself smelled quite poor and appeared very polluted by the mass tourism, though the waves were impressive even so late in the evening. We came back to the villa, ordered cookies from a stuffed cookie place recommended by our leaders, and chilled by pool before getting into bed very tried after our first proper late night.

5th: After a bit of a necessary lie in, breakfast was granola and yoghurt bought from the shop the day before, and a slow start to the day with no rush to get on as the weather seemed a bit mid. We went for a wander around the local shops, where prices matched those of home, but was nice to have a nose at. We had lunch at Milk, a cafe with really lovely ambience and even better food. I shared honey halloumi on sourdough bread and potato quesadillas with a strawberry banana smoothie. I can definitely say I've been eating well whilst away so far, that's for sure. It was really interesting to see that basically all the shops, no matter how modern, had their own mini temples inside for offerings, and of course these were also on the street everywhere you walked too. Back at the villa we were all a bit exhausted so chilled for a while, another go in the pool but clouds ensured this was brief, and despite plans to go out to the club that evening, my tiredness had me deciding I did not have the energy for this.

Instead I checked off another one of my bucket list plans for the trip, a visit to the spa with one of the other girls for a treatment, which was lovely to do so late into the evening - very relaxing. I opted for a 'Hair Spa by “L’Orea + Blow Dry', which really was relaxing, smelled incredible and made my hair, head and neck feel great as it involved treatment and a massage. It was a bit of a weird experience because I'd not had it before, and I was quite fidgety - he even pulled my fingers so they’d crack which was a bit odd, but I really enjoyed the visit as a treat as it's something I wouldn’t get at home. The cheap prices may convince me to get something else done next week, though I'm not sure I could do a full back massage as I couldn't take it seriously. Back at the villa, I called home briefly and then the others came back from the club relatively early for another not-so-terribly-late night.

6th: It was time to up and pack already, and we left our bags in villa for the day as we got a Grab (uber equivalent) to the Canggu markets, including la Brisa which is just on Sundays. We had a gorgeous brunch involving a smoothie bowl for me with lots of fruits, giving me the chance to try some things I wouldn't usually, but enjoyed, like dragon fruit. I bought some souvenir bits in market via some bartering which I found a struggle, and we waled down to the beach, which was still quite grey but lots going on for some kind of surfing event. It was soon enough time to head back, the Grab journey taking 1/5 of the time this time as traffic is so inconsistent, with the mass of bikes being often very overwhelming - I'm still debating whether I want to try get a Grab motorbike at some point for the experience or if this is a tad too daunting? We picked up our bags and chilled in another pretty cafe before meeting our drivers for the journey back to Mas, where it was raining as soon as we arrived. Although the weather wasn't fantastic in Canggu, we had seemed to avoid the rain, whilst it seems quite frequent in Mas. But it was nice to be back in the lovely village which is so pretty and smells so nicely of incense. 

A very soggy walk back to the homestay under a small shared umbrella didn't deter us from dashing out to pick up our laundry, though this ended up being a bit silly as the rain was so ridiculously heavy it flooded parts of the streets and meant we had to slosh through up to our knees - oops. At least everything dries here quickly enough, and our carefully wrapped laundry stayed dry. A quiet evening of card games back at the homestay has rounded off this really brilliant but hectic week, as I know prepare for bed before starting our first partner project tomorrow! I'll be back next week for the next report, and will do my best to include lots of photos though I'm still struggling with this and have so many I want to share.