Tag: blog

Bali Life, Uncategorized

Brothers from another mother

Alison Bone

So, as  often happens when you are heading down one path, you suddenly find yourself on another one, or maybe that’s just me. My last entry saw me settling into my house in Ubud, but I soon realised that although it was a good place to write, it was not so good for my spirit – as much as I try, I have realised that I don’t really like it there, rice paddys and nice cafes can only provide limited stimulation. Kuta was calling.

Arriving back at my guesthouse on Benesari, I found I had new neighbours, Indonesian rasta musicians. Rastas and Reggae have never really been my thing but Lawa, Barong and their friends turned out to be the best neighbours I have ever had. As the days slipped into weeks they became like family – my brothers from another mother. Laughter filled the air, positive energy surrounded me and sweet music filled my soul. Special times…….

Barong and Richard on the veranda

richard-and-barong

Richard and Berto

Richard and Berto, mekar jaya

Mekar Jaya, Kuta, Bali

Mekar Jaya, Kuta

natty dreadman, lawa

natty dread man Lawa

Bali Life, Uncategorized

Ubud, Bali

Alison Bone

Two years working in the remote Yasawa islands of Fiji had left me burnt out and exhausted and the end of a ten year relationship left me bruised and vulnerable. Bali beckoned and I soon found myself locked in the warm humid embrace of the Island of the Gods. The intricate temples, exotic flowers, vibrant art work and lush rice paddys were soothing for my senses: The kindness of the Balinese, the deep spirituality and the myriad of healing treatments soothing for my soul.

I had planned to live up in the hills of Ubud and write a book about my time in Fiji, which had been the most profound and challenging experience of my life, a story that needed to be told. But I quickly realised that I just wasn’t in the right headspace to lead the solitary lifestyle of a writer, I wanted to celebrate my freedom, to travel, meet people and to go a little crazy. My travels led me to Lombok and the party island of Gili Trawangan, a hedonistic little island paradise in a sea of Islam. In Java I explored ancient temples and smoking volcanos. On the island of Flores I learnt of ancient of fascinating cultures and saw Komodo dragons, spectacular coral reefs, emerald green hot springs and the magical crater lakes of Kelimutu.

One year on, I have come full circle and find myself back in Ubud and ready to write. I have just rented a beautiful studio room, the path leading to my house meanders through rainforest, banana plantations and under the canopies of giant banyon trees. As I write this I am looking over rice paddys, palms and banana plantations. I would like to say that I am enjoying the serenity but unfortunately they are building a house next door…….. you cant have everything.

I came to Ubud last week with my friend Jo, an artist from England and we visited art galleries and museums and went for fabulous dinners in some of Ubud’s most beautiful restaraunts. Quite a change from our usual party girl antics on Gili Trawangan where we met last year and reunited this year.

Jo insisted on taking me to the Antonio Blanco museum in Ubud. He was a flamboyant Spanish artist who married a famous and very beautiful Balinese dancer who became the muse for much of his work. His paintings were quirky, exquisite, and erotic, his work ranging from pop art (collages of soap; cigarettes and random writings) to sensual portraits celebrating the female form. He was obviously a great lover of women. I can lay no claim to being an artist or a great apreciater of art but this fascinating museum, complete with huge tropical birds, a picturesque temple and tropical gardens really moved me

 

Uncategorized

Hello world!

Alison Bone

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Global adventures, Travels in Indonesia

Gallipoli Turkey

Alison Bone

On April 25 every year, thousands gather at a narrow peninsula in Turkey under a deep blue sky. The rugged landscape is hauntingly beautiful, with its dramatic ridges, isolated beaches and deep valleys, but that’s not what draws them. They are mostly young New Zealanders and Australians, backpacking, hitchhiking and staggering out of old Kombi vans, drawn to a location they know little about except its place in their nation’s histories. Continue reading “Gallipoli Turkey” →

Global adventures, Travels in Indonesia

On the road with the Grateful Dead

Alison Bone

Jerry Garcia, singer, songwriter and founding force of the Grateful Dead was a larger- than-life character, hailed by many of his fans as a Messiah-like figure. When he died in August 1995, 20,000 people gathered in San Francisco for a candle-light vigil. Shortly after, the band announced their split and to many it seemed like the end of an era. But time has proved otherwise and ten years after Jerry’s death, and forty years after the band played their first gig, the spirit of the Dead is alive and kicking. The Grateful Dead formed in the 60’s and seamlessly provided the background music for Ken Kesey as he unleashed his acid tests on California. Playing their unique, psychedelic boogie music, Jerry and the Dead came to symbolise the summer of love and the phenomenon of the‘Dead Head’ was born as loyal followers went on the road for the bands legendary tours across America.

In the spring of 1993, I embarked on my own summer of love and went on tour with the Dead– albeit selling falafel to hungry Dead Heads. We arrived in Chicago for the first show and seemed to have passed through a time warp when we entered the parking lot. There were tie-dyes, buses with flowers painted on them, girls in patchwork dresses, drumming circles. It was bitterly cold but everyone was in high spirits and incredibly friendly. I swapped a falafel for a space cake and off I went. A truck opened its doors, revealing hundreds of balloons, a queue formed and people were soon reeling about with big grins on their faces as they inhaled the happy gas from the balloons. Everything seemed to go a bit crazy, my friend Martin was arrested for selling falafel and the cops were bombarded with snowballs. The disco bus raised its flag, cranked the volume and the air was filled with the funky beat of Freak out, suddenly everyone was dancing – even the cops. All around the snow gently fell. Continue reading “On the road with the Grateful Dead” →

Global adventures, Travels in Indonesia

The Badlands of Boliva

Alison Bone

As a child  I saw the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and   watched,  enthralled as my heroes arrived in Bolivia.  It  seemed to be the wildest, most exciting place on the planet, I didn’t know where it was but I knew I wanted to go there. Twenty years later I found myself in Tupiza, surrounded  by forests of cacti, wide gaping canyons and the rainbow coloured hills where Butch and Sundance carried out their daring raids.

Inhabiting an extremely remote region of South America, Bolivia is the highest of the Latin American countries, sweeping from the soaring peaks of the Andes in the north, down to the lush Amazonian basin in the east and across to the barren plains of the south.The dreary town of Uyuni in the southwest is the gateway to the Salar de Uyuni, the remains of a giant salt lake stretching 12,600 kilometres.We drive for hours across the blinding white plain. The glare creates optical illusions, volcanoes loom up on the horizon and appear to hover above the ground. We lunch on Isla dePescadores, a small island in a dazzling white sea, covered with tall and spindly cacti. Continue reading “The Badlands of Boliva” →

Global adventures, Travels in Indonesia

Hidden Hampi

Alison Bone

In central Karnataka lies the village of Hampi. Here you find valleys rich in a dazzling array of brilliant colours. Huge boulders and hills of rock and sandstone dot the landscape and amidst it all are the scattered remains of a lost civilisation. Villagers make their home amongst the remnantsof the old bazaar, but monkeys and the occasional chilum smoking sadhu are the only inhabitants of the outlying ruins.

Hampi provides a constant assault on the senses. Women seem to glide effortlessly down he street in brilliantly coloured saris, carrying buckets and huge piles of firewood on  their heads. The streets are lined with stands of powder dies, chilli red, saffron yellow and fluro orange. At the thali restaurants you are served curries to set your mouth on fire ~ even the tea is made with cardamon. The air is permeated with the pungent smell-of cow dung – it is watered down and thrown on the pavement to keep the chalk designs fresh and to keep the dust down.

Cows wander the streets, stealing fruit from the stands or lie sprawled across the middle of the road. They have no need to fear the traffic – to kill a sacred cow is almost as serious as killing a person. Dogs skulk around protecting their territory and spying out friendly foreigners in the restaurants. Everywhere cheeky monkeys play amongst the stucco ornaments of temples, pilfering food and chattering away in the trees. Continue reading “Hidden Hampi” →

Global adventures, Travels in Indonesia

Puglia, Italy

Alison Bone

There is a saying in the south of Italy – that the north is always covered in fog so people can’t see clearly. Life is certainly slower and more traditional in the predominantly rural south, and in the province of Puglia you find Italy at its sleepiest. Tourism is slowly creeping into the region but for now most foreign visitors to Puglia, situated on the heel of Italy’s stiletto boot, generally head straight for the ports of Bari and Brindisi and the overnight ferries to Greece. Those who choose to spend some time here get a taste of real Italy. You wont be served dinner before 9.30pm or find burgers or a cooked breakfast on the menu but you will find unspoiled villages, quiet beaches and medieval architecture without being just another face in a sea of tourists. Continue reading “Puglia, Italy” →