2010 August | Spiritual Journey | Confessions of a Cruise Director

Eat, Pray & Love the Bliss of Bali – Part I

Well, I’m trying something new… a guest blogger! This came about very organically. One of the guests on our Eat Pray & Love Bali tour in May, Kiya Cote, wrote this wonderful report about the trip and sent it out as an ongoing newsletter to her clients. I so loved her writing and her experiences that I asked if she would be allow me to repost her wonderful stories here, and voila! I’d love your feedback… enjoy!

The Bliss of Bali Part I

by Kiya Cote

My trip to Bali was fostered by Halle Eavelyn and Greg Roach at Spirit Quest Tours, two wonderful metaphysical folks, who take people on tours to sacred spots around the world. Our trip was enriched because they designed an EAT PRAY LOVE tour of Bali!

The Restaurant at the Alila Hotel

Like Elizabeth Gilbert, who wrote the book, we did EAT, PRAY, and LOVE, Bali…with good fervor and flavor! The “EAT” part was delectable, sumptuous and delicious. It’s tantalizing to discover new foods that have never been tasted or even seen before!

Breakfast BLISS awaited us at the Alila Hotel! Each morning Alila would bestow upon us “anything and everything” we wanted for breakfast…out of a 4-5 page breakfast menu. Balinese hospitality and zest for delicious food, led many us to celebrate the beginning of our day with “four” breakfasts, instead of one! Indonesian spicy rice, unusual tropical fruits, smoothies, eggs, plus typical fare. Not to mention Jamu…a Balinese health drink made from turmeric and other herbs.

A bowl of black rice in Bali.

My favorite was Balinese Black Rice pudding, cooked to moist perfection, with palm sugar and coconut milk. So smitten was I with black rice, when I returned home, I ordered a 25# bag of Black Japonica Rice from Whole Foods. It’s now a nourishing mainstay in my kitchen!

There were more delicious adventures in our EAT, PRAY, LOVE tour. After walking in the rice fields at Gullingan Village, we feasted on a Balinese banquet prepared just for us! Fried sweet potatoes and tapioca balls were among the bounteous offerings. YUM!

Lunch at Gulingen Village

Fried Sweet Potatoes at Gulingen

And then…great platters of seafood at Jimbaran Bay, with our tables out on the sand at night. Fresh coconut water, straight from a coconut, at the midway point of a rafting trip. And a sumptuous meal at the famous Café Luna in Ubud…an internationally known restaurant and cooking school.

As I traveled through Bali, I feasted on my experiences…and on fabulous fragrant food!

STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT STORY!

KIYA Frangipani

Kiya Cote is a transformational healer and teacher—and a magical, mystical explorer of life. Highly accomplished the field of healing arts, she guides her clients and students to fully living and embodying their Soul Path in life. Her adventurous spirit has taken her on sacred journeys in both the inner and outer realms.

Her ability to tap into the higher plane of awareness has blessed her life, and the lives of others as well! The sheer joy of that spiritual connection, translates into creative endeavors—such as writing, teaching, healing and mentoring. Her enthusiasm for life opens a gateway for her to share her wisdom and wonder with the world!

Kiya feels truly “blessed and blissed” by her travels to Bali with Spirit Quest Tours, and is thrilled to share her stories with you! You can learn more about her at her Bali Blessings web site!

Written on August 9th, 2010 , Travelers' Tips

A Spiritual Vacation to Bali (part 4 of 4)

Finding Balance in Bali

This is part 4 of a 4 part series about a recent trip we took to Bali

the view at the Alila as you walk down to their gorgeous pool overlooking the rain forest.

On our spiritual tour of Bali, we have just received beautiful massage treatments and pampering in a couples suite. It’s helping me to feel like I’ve found some balance for the first time in a while…

As our Balinese massage therapist leaves, she puts her hands into Namaste (prayer position in front of her chest), and I respond in the same manner. This means, “May the God in me greet the God in thee.” Talk about balance! Balinese pray many times a day and their prayers are deeply joyous and beautifully integrated into their lives. The taxicab driver wants to talk to you about Spirit; so does the hotel manager and the woodcarver. They all have stories about their lives that involve their spirituality. They all want to know what you believe and share what they believe — not to argue with you, but because their belief system embraces God as everything, in everything, in all facets of their lives, beyond death, beyond rebirth. This is reflected in their architecture, in their love of color, in their ubiquitous offerings of flowers and fruit, even in their spa design.

By now it’s mid-morning and I stand under the warm water, enjoying the sun on my face and body, the sounds of the river, the rich scents of the forest. Greg joins me, hinting that the backyard at home might need remodeling into a Balinese garden, complete with outdoor showers. I wash my hair with jasmine shampoo, then we both step into the bergamot-scented lime bath that has been drawn for us, the tub filling over the past hour and now topped with dozens of local flowers – hibiscus and frangipani (what the Balinese call Plumeria). As we relax for twenty minutes I reflect on the trip, on balance. At least these few hours, taking some “personal-me time” has given me peace. For our spiritual travel group, they are happy with the trip, delighted with the hotel and spa. For me… well, we get to return at least twice more this year, bringing other groups. It’s all a balancing act; the trick is to take the time where you can, and to enjoy every minute. Bali has reminded me of this and I will take the feeling home with me until I return.

Please read Halle’s recent interview in Time Magazine for the Eat Pray & Love Bali tour this past May. Upcoming tours take place in September, 2010 and June, 2011!

The view as you drift down the Ayung River

Written on August 3rd, 2010 , Dispatches from the Road, Travelers' Tips

Links

News from Spirit Quest Tours: The official blog of "Julie the Cruise Director"