Hello again, beautiful souls,
Today was a day of creativity, mindfulness, and of course, a little bit of Bali’s signature unpredictability! We started early again with a 6:30am rise to plan our day, as we’d booked ourselves into a batik class for a chance to dive deeper into this incredible art form. After a little research on how to get there, we set off for breakfast. Jason tucked into the ample variety on offer, but I’m still being cautious, so it was toast for me once again.
After breakfast, I nipped to reception to arrange a taxi, and we just had time to pop back to our villa to get ready before heading out for the day’s adventure.
The taxi ride was an experience in itself, taking us down roads less travelled by tourists. We passed local shops selling hand-carved wooden furniture, vibrant artwork, and stone statues of religious icons, all giving us a glimpse into a different side of Bali. It was a refreshing change from the more polished, touristy areas we’d seen so far.
When we arrived at the art centre, we were greeted warmly with gifts of flowers and invited to browse a little gift shop filled with beautiful handmade items while we waited for the class to begin.
The next three and a half hours flew by as we immersed ourselves in the intricate process of creating our own unique batik designs. We were guided step by step, through designing, adding wax, applying dye, and setting our pieces. It was so easy to lose ourselves in the process, and honestly, I don’t think I’ve been that focused in ages. Jason, who was sceptical about the whole thing beforehand, ended up loving it. He’s so proud of his piece he’s already planning to frame it when we get home. Who knew he had such a hidden talent?
The lady who runs the art centre also keeps free-range chickens and sells their eggs, which were on display in the shop in cute little baskets. Those of you who know me well will remember 'Our Li’l Farm' and our own chickens, and that Jason now works in the egg industry so of course Jason was in his element, chatting with her about egg production, showing her videos, and exchanging stories. We thought our 150 chickens were a lot, but she’s now up to 800, supplying eggs to local shops and supermarkets. What’s even lovelier is that the children at the local disability school make the little baskets for the eggs, and a percentage of what she sells goes to the school. Naturally, we couldn’t buy the eggs, but we left with several of the adorable handmade baskets as keepsakes.
After the class, we hopped in a taxi and headed into Ubud centre to explore the market. The narrow alleyways were packed with stalls selling everything from colourful sarongs to handmade jewellery. We wandered happily until the inevitable happened.... it started to rain. And oh my, did it rain! We decided this was one downpour we weren’t braving, so we found an open-sided restaurant to shelter in. With a drink and a bite to eat, we sat watching the busy street transform into a river, the rain pouring down in sheets and people darting for cover.
By 4pm, the rain had eased, so we made our way to the shuttle bus pick-up point to get back to the hotel. And because this is us, you just know something had to go wrong. We waited. And waited. And waited some more...but no bus materialised. Attempts to call the hotel led to a confusing recorded message in Indonesian before cutting off. After 40 minutes and the rain starting up again, we admitted defeat and began the hunt for a taxi.
Cue some classic haggling. The first driver quoted a price almost 'triple' what the hotel had assured us it should be. The second driver started with double but dropped his rate when we said no. In the end, we stuck to our guns and he finally agreed our price. It was a bit of a saga, but we made it back to the villa, slightly damp but victorious.
Once back, we dried off and admired our handy work from the morning. They weren’t half bad! But the thing about batik is that it’s not about the finished product, it’s about the process. The whole experience is so mindful and calming, a chance to shut off from the world and just be in the moment. It’s honestly got me thinking that this would make a beautiful workshop to run at Kamala Blossom. If that’s something you’d be interested in, let me know....I think it could be a really special experience.
Until next time, sending you all love from Ubud,
Jayne