Kecak Dance from Ayana
With one last glance back at the Ayana Resort, we entered our taxi to take us over halfway across the island of Bali. into the north zone where Ubud; the jungle, elephants, monkeys cultural immersement, and our next adventure awaited. Our taxi driver knew of the stops that Candace had wanted to make along the way and so it worked out perfectly as we pulled off the main road and into the parking lot of our first stop: a Jewelry factory. We toured the factory, watching the workers perform all sorts of technical jewelry creation techniques, finishing in the upstairs shop where we grabbed a couple of cool pieces, including a Dragon bracelet. Back to the car we went and off to the next stop where we were able to infiltrate a weaving and clothing fabric operation. Watching them sew, seam, and perform other tasks that I had no idea about, we were soon ushered into their “sales” shop where Candace got a couple of cool dresses. The final stop before our lodging was the Wood carving stop, which I thought, for me, was to be the coolest stop of the day. Maybe I’m a sucker for carvings or statues, but I seemed to appreciate the craftsmanship and process. We were able to see several of the craftsman in action, got a rundown of the business and checked the shop out where there were anything from Jaguars to full sized seats carved into Mermaids that you could sit on! I think the thing we liked most was a simple seat that was carved out of the shape of a Hand, where you sit in the palm of the hand, and on the back of the seat support is provided for by the fingers..
Jewelry Factory/Store:
Fabric Factory -
Rice Fields
Animal that poops coffee beans and they make coffee from.
poopy beans
Tasting of coffees and teas!
Still on the journey to our place!
Soon we were checked into our villa, basically our own house, with a outdoor pool and a cool shower where the ceiling in that room was open to the outside. We had a maid that made us breakfast every day and a mosquito net around our bed to protect us at night. For dinner, we decided to walk around downtown to Kafe, which we had heard of from Chad and Shandice, the newly weds at the Ayana. The restaurant had a exorbitant amount of options, of which I chose a burrito with hummus inside it. I must say that the burrito was either so good that I ended up ordering another of the exact same thing. Candace had a special pesto salad with some pasta in it, olives, feta cheese, oil, salt and pepper and also ended up being above our expectations, making for a great dinner. I feel like we have gotten so lucky on our trip thus far with regards to restaurants and food that we have found and ordered. Reflecting upon the thought in general, we truly dined like kings and queens, of which we are so grateful.
The next day one of Candace’s long time dreams came true! This is one of the main reasons why we came to Bali - to visit the John Hardy factory. We arrived and soon met our own personal tour guide for the day that took us through each room, showing us the various processes and allowing us to literally see the pieces that you see in the stores today come to life. We got to see people using large machines, carving, casting, polishing, and doing a number of different finishing and completing processes. We saw how they make the famous woven thick chain, which had an entire room of about 20 workers dedicated to it. We learned that they use “sustainable silver”, which they get from used cell phones, TVs, and other electronics and that they have a process that they use to convert it it back into the “proper alloy” from which to make all finer jewelry out of. The line of factory workers boasts a charming 600 employees and, impressively enough, every piece that they craft is hand carved and hand made. What Candace pointed out was that each task had it’s own person and each person their task. They didn’t do anything else meaning that all day they did just that One Thing and their job was simply to be excellent at that task, spawning excellence. When you have a lot of people skilled and great at their own individual “one thing”’s, getting faster at that One Thing, getting more skilled at it, then, in the end, you really get some quality, clarity, and efficiency in the production process.
Breakfast!
Our shuttle on the JH grounds
In the factory
After the factory, we approached the showroom, which was totally unique and interesting. We crossed a bridge made of all bamboo in order to get to it and then made our way into a uniquely made building appearing to be about 3 stories high and shaped unlike anything I had seen before. We took our shoes off and entered into the entirely bamboo floor and showroom. There were pieces from John Hardy’s new line, as well as discontinued items. My eye caught a discontinued heavyset silver bracelet that had a unique process done to the silver that made it appear almost like it was tarnished, yet not quite. We took our time exploring the entire place, asking questions and learning about various things, ending with a purchase of a piece each for our anniversary! Candace was so excited, and I truly have never owned a bracelet that was so comfortable ( I can even sleep with it on ), unique, and the size that I wanted all into one.
After shopping, we had a group lunch with the staff of the shop and some of the managers of the factory. They fed us, ate with us, and hung out. We learned about the overall sustainability of the property, not just the silver and materials, but the grounds themselves, where they have goats, other animals, and crops of food that they grow on the property. They provide all of their workers with an organic, home-cooked lunch each day to keep them healthy and happy. We also learned that John Hardy had moved to Bali about 40 years ago, and built his business up to today’s empire all from scratch. He has always believed in quality and philosophy of doing things right - hence the sustainability concept apparent in pretty much everything you see when experiencing the JH property and factory. We learned that John moved on from the business about 5 or 6 years ago, sold it, and created a private school called The Green School. Having students from all over the world, the Green School has a unique grounds with a campus residing literally in a forest. They teach their students in small classes and with their own style. Soon we were actually off to the school itself for a tour!!
Sustainability at the JH Factory
The Green School
Only about 30 minutes taxi from the factory, we quickly found ourselves parked and walking quickly along the school grounds in order to catch up with a live tour. Connected with wireless audio headsets keyed into the guide to make it easier to hear her, we followed along with the other 30-or-so people on the tour. We were able to see and learn about the projects that the students had literally built, like a bridge across a river, some irrigation for food, and some other structures. We learned all about the school and were impressed with what they had done in just the last 8 years since opening. Ready for our kids? Currently we agreed that the answer would be probably not, however, we are definitely interested in looking back in 5 years and reevaluating.
Water Energy generating system
After the school, our taxi driver took us back to downtown Ubud. Along the way we found ourselves driving past wild monkeys on the thinly spaced roads before approaching the hub bub busy “town” center. We paid our taxi driver for the day, costing us $500,000 ($32), for over 6 hours of being our escort and driver… We checked out some shops and got some more gifts for people before heading to Hujan for dinner. This place was awesome! The food was so amazing and it was the best pizza I’ve had since I can last remember, so years, and it blew away “roadside” Croatia pizza, which we remembered at the time to be awesome. We also had some peanut spicy potato dish with thick asian sprouts, some Pho, and another dish with nuts that was unique and quite good. Walking back to the villa, we went in the pool, watched some more of The Last Samurai, read for a bit, and called it a night.
In the morning, our maid made us breakfast again. The first day we had eaten Balinese Chow Mein with egg on top paired with a side of fruit. Today we had fried rice with an egg on top and, again, a side of fruit. We really liked it, and the fried rice hit the spot today.
Our driver was soon out on the street picking us up to take us off on another day filled with adventure! As we drove through the countryside, it was just so interesting to watch the locals as we passed rice fields, stray dogs, and pretty run-down buildings. We didn’t know that Bali was so third-world and it really surprised us a bit. The roads were mostly all one-lane roads, and we kicked back, enjoying the scenery. Our first stop of the day was to an Elephant preserve! While walking the grounds, waiting for our turn to take an elephant ride, I saw the biggest freshwater fish I had ever seen. It must have been over 6 feet long and weighed in at hundreds of pounds. It was an interesting fish that snaps at things that land in the water, making a lightning fast upward flash with its head and mouth and a huge sonic sound that startles the bajesus out of you the first time you hear it. We saw a groundskeeper feeding the thing for a bit and the fish performed its sonic boom snap of the food over and over, even taking some of the bait as Candace fed it! Soon we were making our way over to our first elephant ride ever. It was pretty interesting to be on top of one of the giant animals. We rode single-file through a jungle and chatted with our “driver”, who said that his elephant, Ryan, had been his for 6 years. Ryan could play the harmonica with his snout, play soccer and do other tricks.. We learned that many of the elephants at this resort were rescued and lucky to be alive. Still, as we walked their all-too-familiar path, you could tell that they were bored as they grabbed out at any tree or obstacle and tapped them with their trunks, etc. I hoped that they were happy, as I know how intelligent the creatures are. Based on what I’ve learned in the past, in their native lands they have huge migration patterns, visiting graves of those elephants that have passed, tending to exhibit emotions and intelligent action that many other animals don’t have while raising their young, and tend to work together in packs. Anyhow, we ended the ride by having Ryan start to wade down into a huge deep pool of water. He went down and down, going into the water up to his belly, then turning and going on two legs and holding it while our Keepers took pictures of us. After the ride, we got some cool pictures with him, during which he would wrap his trunk around you to hug you, put a wreath on Candace’s head, among other things! An interesting experience.
On the elephant
We grabbed lunch while we watched the “elephant show”, where they performed all sorts of tricks and entertained the crowd. We then picked up a gift for someone back home and then headed back to our Taxi driver, on a mission to get to the Water Temple! The Water Temple is a series of temples on a large property that is a bit to the north having unique pools of water, getting its water source from underground, rather than a stream leading into it. While walking the grounds, we came to a huge, clear pool with walls all around it that you could look into. As we stared into the pool I noticed the sandy bottom behaving erratically and thought that I was seeing things. After we stared for a while, we realized that the bottom actually had water flowing up into it from below which was creating a unique visual experience because the sand was constantly settling, due to gravity, and the water was pushing up. The closest thing would be that it looks like a disappearing snake running along the bottom of the pool of water. Along the top of the water, birds would droop and graze the water in a way I’d never seen them behave. There were no bugs or logical reason for them to be acting such a way. People would sit there and just look into the water for a long time. To enter the temple respectfully, they had given us a Sirang to wear, which we had wrapped around our waist. We walked the grounds and ended up behind the temple in the forest, hiking alone up a gigantic stairway and down a path into the woods where we encountered resistance. We were just able to make out a shack through the trees to our right when two dogs came barreling down the road at us. They stopped once they realized that I wasn’t afraid of them and just barked like crazy, eventually backing away. We headed back down the staircase and returned into the temple grounds to experience what I call the “water prayer area”.
The water is supposedly holy and people come from all over, traveling to drink the underground spring water and perform special prayers. I decided to participate. I stripped down to the waist, and waded into the water with my boardshorts that I had come prepared with. The natives had put a lower level alongside the main huge pool, where the water accumulated. On this lower level they had driven holes into the higher-elevation main pool (that we were previously gazing into and watching the “special” water enter from underground) and run spouts out of the holes into the side of the main pool where the water runs down into the small, waist-deep pools of this lower level. I proceeded over the the first spout, on the far left, and prayed, pouring water on my head, splashing my face, and then moving to the next spout of water. I had observed this method of the natives and proceeded to replicated it all along the line, thinking positive thoughts and wishes for the future along the way.
After “losing my wallet” to my backpack, then re-finding it in my bag (haha), we got dropped off near downtown Ubud again and took a walk. We found a large Soccer field filled with children of many ages and uniforms. It looked like they were doing drills on one side of the field and had scrimmages on the other. We located a Hookah place with a super cool ambiance, an aquarium inside, a full food and drink menu, and an outdoor patio with stools and bar height seating, right along side the soccer field. We had some food and relaxed while watching the kids play soccer as the sun went down over the field and the kids began to slowly leave one by one. Eventually, we made our way along down the Ubud strip and heard some distant, but familiar music. Drawn in, we found it coming from a Hostel/bar/restaurant and that the music was classic rock based. As entered into the hostel, and scored some great seats as someone was just leaving the entirely packed place, we began to experience the live, local Balinese band playing The Doors, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi Hendricks and some Free Bird type of music. They were actually really good, like surprisingly good for some random Balinese dudes in little Ubud, rocking out some pretty tough tunes. Their guitarist was phenomenal. I went and tipped them, grabbing their CD.
Pigs!
Random rice fields
Cool statues and flower aesthetic
Driving through the forest
After “losing my wallet” to my backpack, then re-finding it in my bag (haha), we got dropped off near downtown Ubud again and took a walk. We found a large Soccer field filled with children of many ages and uniforms. It looked like they were doing drills on one side of the field and had scrimmages on the other. We located a Hookah place with a super cool ambiance, an aquarium inside, a full food and drink menu, and an outdoor patio with stools and bar height seating, right along side the soccer field. We had some food and relaxed while watching the kids play soccer as the sun went down over the field and the kids began to slowly leave one by one. Eventually, we made our way along down the Ubud strip and heard some distant, but familiar music. Drawn in, we found it coming from a Hostel/bar/restaurant and that the music was classic rock based. As entered into the hostel, and scored some great seats as someone was just leaving the entirely packed place, we began to experience the live, local Balinese band playing The Doors, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jimi Hendricks and some Free Bird type of music. They were actually really good, like surprisingly good for some random Balinese dudes in little Ubud, rocking out some pretty tough tunes. Their guitarist was phenomenal. I went and tipped them, grabbing their CD.
Classic Rock band in Ubud
Eventually we called it a night, headed back to the villa, packed up, took one last swim in the pool, and officially brought our trip to a close with our last evening in Bali before our big flight home the next day.
The next morning, before trip to airport.
Naruto!
Coming through Customs
On the Plane.
This was, most definitely, a trip of a lifetime. A little absurd conceptually with flights and going literally around the globe. With my initial thoughts I had estimated that we would lose a day, flying continually backwards through all of the timezones. It wasn’t till now, on our return flight, that we passed the international dateline on the way to LA, setting the date itself back “one”, and gaining a full day on our flight before making it back into the states. Absurd as it might have been, this “world trip” was what we wanted - a way to knock out some the top things on our dreams list, and do it to the best that we can with the two months time-frame that we had allotted. We have been taught over and over that any moment could be our last, that the present is a “present” and to live life fully in that present as much as possible. The past is the past, unchangeable and gone. The future is yet to be and undetermined, as well created by our thoughts now, so not to be dwelled upon, but rather to be thought of with positive thoughts and emotions. Life only exists now. The future doesn’t exist until it becomes the present. So we wanted to maximize our time here this year. From Arizona, to Maine, to Russia & Croatia, over to Hong Kong, Japan and Bali then home, we truly got to see some amazing things, take down and check off some top places off our Bucket List; experience some incredible foods, cultures, music, people, sites, ways of the world, as well as connect together as a couple.
Some favorite cities along the way were Dubrovnik in Croatia, as well as Kyoto Japan and the Ayana resort in SW Bali. Dubrovnik for its hikable Castle Walls, great food, unique coastline culture, sea kayaking adventures and more. Kyoto for its calm serenity in a big city and thinking about applying that to the business of life at home. For its beauty captured in the temples, and its respectful people, to it’s Sake bars and hole-in-the-wall Ramen places. Then in Bali, The Ayana Resort. What more can be said than world class. To feel spoiled, pampered, like royalty, this was the place. I feel like it will be the resort to live up to for years to come, and the search to outclass it not an easy task.
Some favorite experiences along the way - Hanging out with my kindergarden friend, James McAfee, in Hong Kong and our hike through the mountains. The Golden Buddah in Hong Kong. Nijos Palace in Kyoto Japan and its history of Samurai and politics. The Philosopher’s Path and the old man hanging along the river selling his hand-painted jeans. The cool clubs of Zadar, Croatia and Tokyo, Japan. Sea Organs, amazing dinners, including Geisha dinners. Excellent wine, cool people, music, fun historical knowledge and cultural immersion. The Yachts of Hvar, the authentic Japanese restaurants, and the fun of each other as we experienced it all together.
I learned from the Croatians to be grateful for life. Realize that if you have the ability to choose your profession, not worry about getting enough food, have clean water, and are not oppressed by your government that not everyone has those opportunities. It’s nice to be shown how lucky one is. Its amazing to see a people, into their first generation of children now becoming adults, and how happy they are to simply be free. You hear - Be grateful for what you have. But truly, step back from your situation and take a moment to realize the true magnificence of your life, when compared to others. Its easy to understand why material things aren’t the conduit of happiness, but that freedom, being loved and loving, being stimulated mentally, being physically healthy, and having direction in life, as Matthew Kelly says, are really where the mojo is at. Perhaps being focused on material things, or even having excess in it, can take away from those things that give us happiness, because all people have a limited amount of time for their focus. Yet, at the same time I think that we can have balance in our lives by taking time for those things that do spawn happiness in life, while we also create the future of our dreams and enjoy the finer things in life as well. Taking a few minutes to be grateful though - to connect to that which makes us more grateful, and realize the simple things provide happiness, is easier to do when being around the Croatians. Such a happy people. So giving. Full of smiles.
I learned from the Japanese the focus of perfection. Their cleanliness and respect. The people have a deep spiritual connection to the soul of the world as well and it is hard not to marvel at the beauty of their temples and respect for nature. They have a unique way of living, a whole gammit of foods that are different, a cultural uniqueness that opened my eyes, and a pace of living that is not too fast but not too slow. More of a determination in their step than the Croatians; and a connection to technology that draws heavily upon their attention, the experience while moving among them isn’t necessarily as much “loving life and people”, yet more a feeling of a sense of definite purpose, their thoughts upon their well-defined place in society. Though they appear to carry their dedication as ally to a competitive workplace, they also seemingly maintain an impressive sense of inner peace, crafting into their daily routines ways to connect to the things that allow for that.
In Bali, I learned that a people as a whole can hold the Golden Rule highest up on their rankings of core values. That the people here have been living this way for so long and wearing smiles as a way of life because their beliefs dictate it, dishing them out left and right throughout their day. It’s the law of attraction, yet drilled into the basic commandments of what is right and wrong, and done from an early age. While lying doesn’t seem to exist, helping others seems to be the norm, and making other people happy a passion, the Balinese treat others with respect and never taking advantage. It’s a place of super chill and super deep-rooted tradition and religion. Most peoples homes have a temple that is half of their house, with many houses being just a huge temple. Their religion is right out in the open, there is no reprieve and you are in it, interacting with it, everywhere you go. Probably the wildest place of the trip, I found myself wanting to explore the Scuba of the northeast part of the islands waters, the surf of which I heard so much around the island, the mountains, and the jungle. Perhaps on a future trip.
First there are other things to see and do. We know that just as we notch one place or adventure off of our bucket list, another seems to flow into it. The world is huge, and how it all connects - huger. What it all means and where it is going, even more grand. Through travel, we gather a glimpse into a bit of what is possible; perhaps if we were born somewhere else, or spoke a different language, or if we were taught a different set of beliefs as a child. We could believe entirely different things. See the world through different eyes. I want those different eyes. This is one of the things that keeps me traveling. Besides the challenge, the surprises along the way, and the interesting amenities like food, lodging, and excursions, I think that the expansion of one’s mind is quite the allure for me when it comes to travel. To know every nook and cranny of the world, and perhaps some history of it, is to know the world. Truth, meaning, love, passions of people. Then, just to go at it knowing that you don’t know what you don’t know. To try to shave your belief system down and travel forward with the mentality of a child learning again, to be open to those moments of discovery, growth, connecting the dots, perspectives of different peoples, and to potentially allow internal change. It can take you to places of understanding and to places of deep question. The power of travel.
Thus, concludes another epic trip. I will say, good luck or creation to my future self, whenever reading this, on your next big trip. Has it been a while since one? Perhaps it’s time to start planning. I’ll also say to anyone who has followed this journal of the World Trip along the way that I hope you enjoyed reading it as much or more as I writing it. I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and travel on a trip to expand your horizons, to grow and increase your potential. For those in business, consider that it’s almost like giving yourself a payraise, while at the same time adding an element of balance to your life.
Best,
Jason Jeffrey
