We live in a small village called, Nyuh Kuning just outside of a larger (but still relatively small) town called Ubud. Unless you have been here or read that one book that will remained unpromoted here, you have probably not heard of these places. They are wonderful spaces full of yummy food, generous people, cheeky monkeys, beautiful rivers and rice fields and trees and flowers and plants, a striving for faith, works of art, and a huge spirit of love. Such diversity and contrast exists alongside this basic similarity that all of life shares. I was constantly struck by how similar and yet how different we are as humans and as mammals (especially in labor!) across the world.
On our walk home to our village from the busier (but still calm compared to many places south of here) town, we pass through part of Monkey Forest, down a main road beside a soccer field, a school, the temple, a big statue and lots of shops and hotels. We bear right at the soccer field to go home. If we kept walking straight on the main road, we'd see Bumi Sehat on the right, just down from our best friend's family compound. These friends have adopted us and words will not express our deep gratitude and joy about this.
On this particular day, we had walked into town for lunch and were on our way back to the house these friends recently built. It takes about 20-30 minutes depending on how often we stop to take in the sights and sounds or how many familiar faces we chat up. The pictures begin at the small shops outside Monkey Forest (we'd never bought anything from these stalls until the bear needed an emergency change of clothes on our way to a birthday party; know this when you see her cool orange dress). This year, there were about 70% less vendors than two years ago. The monkeys roam free and are to be handled with firmness when they attempt to grab at backpacks, snatch fruit/sunglasses/keys/water bottles or hitch a ride.
Please know I am embarrassingly ignorant of most plant and flower and tree names. I do see the beauty, at least.
You may recall a similar picture of e and her friend walking through this exact spot over two years ago.
This section isn't new but the construction around it is. There are more statues and pavilions now. Because we usually don't pay to walk through the main part each time, we cut through by the vendors and walk around the outskirts. One rainy afternoon, we did walk through the main part on our way back into the village. Hopefully, I can find those pictures but I have a feeling our camera battery was dead.
One of the new pavilions.
And, then we bear left to begin the walk down our main road. The first thing we pass is Coffee and Copper, a restaurant where i drink straight from a coconut and eat vegan waffles with my family and my midwifey (yes, midwife-y, not midwifery) friends. There are many copper accents throughout the place and it's owned by beautiful Ayu's brother-in-law. Ayu is one of our awesome office staff and part of my Balinese extended family; essentially, she is my distant cousin.
Buddha is everywhere. Remember how there were at least a couple of him at my old house? No budhas at the new house but he's all over town so I am constantly reminded of how non-zen like my brain and heart are with their constant-skipping-around-anxiety-inducing ways. Awareness is the first step in problem solving, right?
Purple flowers always reminded me of my BFF back in North Carolina. I missed her so deeply even more so sometimes after our video conferences. She and I were both busy catching babies in our respective towns. It was spooky how similar some of the births were or that we were pacing catches and pre-natal visits at the same rate. What a special gift to be on this journey of life, and specifically, midwifery together. These were especially beautiful ones I spied on our walk home that day.
