Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Zen and Healing in Bali: Day 2


Bali is a spiritual and deeply moving place. Ninty percent of Bali is Hindu and the other ten percent is mixed with Muslim/Christian. This is my first exposure to the Hindu religion and I find it absolutely fascinating.

Whereever I go, I chat with people and ask them to teach me about what they believe. I ask why every street and shops are filled with fragrant flowers and burnt incense. They tell me that everyday they give thanks for the blessings and life that they were given. They tell me that everything (plants, animals . . .) has meaning and purpose. Their passion for life and how strongly they believe is inspiring. I want to know more.

I stepped onto the street this morning without a plan. I'm going to wing one more day in Ubud before I make my way through the countryside through the rice terraces and towards the hot springs in Lovina. I can't believe I'm here!

On my second day I spent the morning at Zen Bali Spa. Four hours to be exact. Bali is infamous for getting five dollar massages and four dollar pedicures. I really splurged and got a package. Before I tell how much I paid I'll tell you what I had done. This package included a one hour body massage, Milk and floral bath, Cucumber and honey facial, manicure and pedicure, hair creme bath and lunch. It was heavenly. So I only paid $35(USD)! That was a sweet deal considering I used to frequent Burke Williams in the states and a hour massage alone would cost well over a hundred. After my visit I felt like a goddess. Ok,I felt more like jello after relaxing so much=)

After lunch I went to a couple of musuems and called it a night. Tommorow I leave Ubud and backpack up towards Lovina. Until then . . .

5 comments:

Sean said...

Hey Bev,

Yeah, being in Bali is truly a total cultural immersion experience--the Hindu faith plays such a prominent place in daily life there. It is quite fascinating.

I'm really enjoying following your journey via the blog. Traveling alone has it's own special rewards (though it has it's costs too. I remember being in the beautiful garden outside Tokyo last fall and it was so gorgeous and I wished there was someone there to share it with me because I was sure no one would ever believe how beautiful it was if I told them).

Looking forward to the next entry!

Anonymous said...

so jealous!!! ENJOY!

Mai said...

Wow! I could use a full hour massage and a day at the spa right about now! I'm glad you're enjoying your trip, and I'm really enjoying reading about it!

Ken & Crystal Pierson said...

We're glad you enjoying Bali! Your space experience sounds wonderful! Have a great New Year over there! Fun!

Ken & Crystal Pierson said...

opps, meant "spa" experience...;-)