A Raw Food Yoga Life Adventure
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As many of you already know, I’ve followed the Turbulence Training (TT) exercise program in the past. It’s really quite good, especially if you don’t have access to a gym and are limited on workout equipment because most of the exercises involve just bodyweight.
Anyway, the personal trainer who developed TT, Craig Ballantyne has recently gone vegan! Yep, that’s right - a serious exercise professional who doesn’t believe chicken breasts, eggs and whey are necessary to be fit and muscular. He published his shopping list on his blog - check it out below:
“Here’s my vegetarian grocery list that I shop with twice per week…
- 2 pints blueberries
- 6 bananas
- 6 red delicious apples
- 6 pears
- 2 grapefruit
- 1 watermelon
- 2 bunches broccoli
- 2 red peppers
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 2 avocados
- mushrooms
- bag of baby spinach
- quinoa
- wild rice
- oat groats (i soak these for 24 hours and eat them raw with berries)
- barley
- 1 jar sugar free tomato sauce
- 2 containers hummus
- 2 boxes almond milk (vanilla)
- 2 boxes almond milk (unsweetened)
- 2 cans black beans (low sodium if possible)
- 2 cans kidney beans (low sodium if possible)
- 2 cans Amy’s organic chili”
Sounds pretty good, Craig!
Personally, I prefer to make my own tomato sauce, hummus, almond milk, etc., but this is GREAT list if you don’t have time or want to prepare those items yourself. Back in the States, I used to be addicted to Almond Breeze Unsweetened Chocolate Milk - soooo good with a dash of stevia. Yummm - if they so
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I’m back in WA which coincidentally FEELS like I’m in the other WA.
Seattle, WA that is - chilly, rainy and overcast but with hints of sunshine from time to time and awesome rainbows every day. 
After returning from Bali, I can confidently say that I’m definitely a tropical kind of gal. LOL.
So as I feared, I stopped working out while on holiday in Bali. (Sigh.) Even though I brought my yoga mat to Bali. Even though I researched a gym in Ubud. I was still whisked away by the fun and adventure - exercise be damned! Well now, I’m back and going through the initial soreness and DOMS…again. One day I’ll learn my lesson.
The good news is I’ve gotten into a solid ashtanga and pranayama home practice since returning. I’ve never been good at going it alone, prefering the group energy, but now I just LOVE it! I have a hot cup of lemon tea when I wake up and then go into primary series bliss around 7am followed by 15-20 minutes of pranayama. So lovely!
I’ve also started going back at the gym doing the RTP Transformation System again. The gym has been really nice because it’s gives me something productive to do indoors on those bleak rainy days. I’ve been bopping around the RTP Shreddersphere again online and oh my GOD! There are some AMAZING physique transformations going on in there! People have been posting daily photos of their ongoing 84-day transformation and some are just sooooo spectacular. I’ve never seen so much progress, by so many people, in so little time. Well, maybe Body for Life, but RTP comes awfully close! If I had stuck to the RTP plan in May, I could have been one of them by now, but better late than never - right?
I wish I could post some of the photos of the transformations to show you, but it’s a private forum. However, I think the contest ends in July and a shortlist of finalists will be posted soon. Not sure if their photos will be made public or not, but I am sure that they are going to SPECTACULAR! I bet picking just two winners is going to be really, really tough.
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After a two hour+ bumpy car ride, the landscape opened up to a breathtaking seascape - blue skies, jagged rocks and turquoise water. Gorgeous! We pulled up at my soon-to-be new friend Kimen’s surf shop. I counted out the RP300,000 fare and my driver’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree! He was so giddy and happy. Kimen saw me arrive, came over and said that I had just paid him an average one month’s salary in exchange for a 2-hour ride. Cool.
Kuta Beach in Lombok
So next thing I know, I’m in Kimen’s shop surrounded by his surfer pals/employees and he’s offering to find me a hotel room, drive me to exchange money, get me some food, show me around town and give me a tour of the real estate opportunities in Kuta. He is such a full-on young business man and entrepreneur - lol! I told him what my budget was for land, what I was looking for and after settling into my hotel, two scooters pulled up to escort me around. I hopped on and went for a CRAZY ride over mountains and down bumpy dirt lanes.
Two properties caught my attention in particular. One was on a mountain with good road access (and by “good” I mean paved) and the most gorgeous views! The other one which I REALLY loved was a 2-acre rice paddy with a small house just 200 meters from the ocean. Wow! It had a natural spring being fed into the rice field and I could totally envision a garden of coconuts, mango, fig, papaya, banana trees and on and on and on. The only problem was it was down a small and hilly dirt path - quite difficult to access.
2 Acre Rice Paddy by the Sea
After my real estate tour, I went back to town and made oodles of friends straight away. I had offers for dinner, to go swimming, to go to the one nightclub (Kimen’s) in town - even an offer from one of the hotel staff to take me home to meet his family in the neighboring town after he asked me if I was married. LOL. There is definitely a higher ratio of men to women in Kuta I think, thanks to all the international male surfers coming to catch some Lombok waves! 
Sunday Market Madhouse!
The food was awesome in Kuta, in fact all the meals I had in Lombok were delicious. I was a little apprehensive at first because Kuta is such a small town with just a handful of mom-and-pop shacks, but everywhere I went the food was fresh and they all went out of their way to make meals according to my request. One of the highlights was a restaurant called Ashtari about 3kms out of town on the mountainside. Totally gorgeous views, open terrace dining and delicious vegetarian food. I only went there once with a friend, but had a stayed longer in Kuta, I would have definitely gone back.
The same Australian owners who run Ashtari also offer massages in Kuta town in a little open-air spa. You can’t see it from the road, so it’s hard to find, but oh-my-god, SO WORTH IT! This was THE best massage I have ever had in my entire life! It was a combination of Thai and seitai massage and while I’ve had Thai before, this one combined kind of a Japanese-style chiropractic massage too. It felt so incredible - 1.5 hours of bliss for US$15! I even tried to book another one the next morning before my flight, but they were closed for holiday.
Speaking of flights, it’s not until I got to Lombok that I learn that you can fly from Lombok to Bali or vice versa in a 1/2 hour for less or the same price as my 7-hour creaky boat ride!! I thought flying would be much more expensive?! Ah well, live and learn.
Next stop, I’m back in Bali and head out to Seminyak for my last night before going home to Oz. Even though I knew it wouldn’t be, I still expected Seminyak to be quaint like Ubud but wow, it is totally more modern and expensive, replete with wall-to-wall designer boutiques and upscale beachfront hotels. The beach was nicer than I expected. I was pleasantly surprised since I had heard rumors that the Bali beaches weren’t that great. But it was lovely - clean clear water and soft long stretches of sand. I guess the only aesthetic drawback is that the sand is a murky gray color, not powder white or volcanic black - but fine by me nonetheless.
I found two cool veg restaurants. The first was Earth Cafe which is mostly macrobiotic, but had about a 1/2 dozen raw dishes too. I tried the macrobiotic plate and a raw bliss ball - both yummy. There’s also a health food retail shop inside and they run a natural gourmet cookery school.
Earth Cafe in Seminyak
The other cafe, a sister store to Earth Cafe, is Zula Vegetarian Paradise. Both use organic food as much as possible and have similar menus with some slight differences. Zula has less raw food offerings, but I did have an amazing raw coconut ice cream there - OH YEAH! Both cafe’s have free wifi and are open LATE, like all of Seminyak it seems.
Hospitable Home, Zula Cafe
I tell ya, Bali is one hopping little place that (almost) never sleeps. But now it’s time to go back to Oz. See you on the other side!
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I made a last minute decision to head over to Lombok Island. My friend is investing in land there and I thought it would be a good idea to have a look too. I read that US and Dubai investors had bought up a lot of the property already, in anticipation of a new international airport in the works and increased tourism. So off I went to check it out, on what was supposed to be 5-hour boat ride.
It turned out to be more like 7-hours on a rickety old boat and we landed ashore in Sengiggi around 8pm. And when I say “landed ashore,” I mean literally we had to get into a smaller boat then jump out onto the beach in the dark of night with our suitcases overhead to avoid getting wet (grumble.) Actually, the boat ride was quite nice. Especially at night, sitting on the bow sailing towards the island, seeing the incredible starry moonlit sky. Wow - so peaceful.
After landing, I headed over to Hotel Elen recommend by Lonely Planet as being basic but decent. What a dive! I’ve stayed in some divy dives and this one makes the top 5 list. It was BYOTP, (lol) but at least it had a western toilet. (And yes I know the squat toilets are better for you, but I’ll take Western any day.) As I was unpacking, I had a flashback to a time when I used to fly first class for business and stay at hotels like the Four Seasons in Portugal or Raffles in Singapore. But to be honest , while it was INCREDIBLY NICE no doubt and I am grateful for all my experiences, I rather take old boats and stay in dinky hotels rather than be stuck in the corporate matrix EVER again.
At 5:30am, I awoke to a blaring overamped loudspeaker calling all Muslims to pray. Apparently this happens, 5(?) times per day. Well it was good anyway, because I was glad to get an early start and be on my way to Kuta on the south shore, because I wasn’t loving Sengiggi and I was missing Ubud.
I went to the bus transport but they need a minimum of 2 people for the trip to Kuta. So I went to the street and negotiated a RP300,000 fare with a man who seemed decent and spoke English very well. So as I’m waiting for him to get his car, he motions his non-English speaking friend over in this wreck of a car! Apparently this is my ride to Kuta. So I get in thinking wow, I must be crazy. Here I am traveling alone to god knows where. The driver could literally pull down an alley and take everything I own or worse. But while my mind told me I should be fearful, really I wasn’t.
So off we go, dodging a minefield of potholes in a sorry excuse for a car. ..to be continued in Kuta.
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Looking forward to reading the book “The End of Overeating” when I get back to Oz. Heard good things about it.
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JUICE JA on Dewa Sita Street is a mellow hangout. They have free wi-fi and it isn’t as crowded as Kafe. Pure and blended juices are on the menu and it’s probably the only place that serves wheatgrass juice in Ubud. The small juices range in price from RP$12.000 - 14.000, but you can get them for half the price at the small family-run warungs all around Ubud.
The food is good but not a lot of raw options here, except for a fruit and veggie salad. I tried the vegan tempeh curry and it was really good. Home-made tempeh in Bali is sooo much different than any store-bought that I’ve ever tried. It tastes fresher and softer.
Juice Ja
SARI ORGANIK is smack in the middle if a rice paddy field. You can’t drive a car there, but you can ride in on a motorbike or walk. A lot of the food served comes from the organic gardens surrounding the restaurant. Again, not a lot of raw options except for some soups and a salad or two, but the food is wholesome, pure and prepared with care. It’s usually a long wait to be served, but it’s worth it. In the meantime you can enjoy the beautiful views!
Sari Organik in the Rice Paddy Fields
I wrote about UBUD SARI in an earlier post but wanted to add it to the list. Good green juices and some raw food options here. I tried the raw banana split finally, but wasn’t crazy about the cinnamon sauce. Also, had the raw broccoli salad with coconut rice which was nice but my favorite items on the menu turned out to be the two raw soups: zesty carrot and tomato basil. Also the raw banana pineapple ice cream hit the spot on a hot day.
Raw Broccoli Slaw and Coconut Rice
On the Main Road, around the corner from Bali Buddha, I passed by a chocolate shoppe called KUE. I remember seeing their table at the organic farmer’s market and took a peek inside and lo and behold, they had raw organic chocolate truffles. Of course, I had to try one but it was disappointing. Stick to the chocolate truffles at Bali Buddha.
Not-So-Yum Raw Truffles at Kue
GREEN SMOOTHIE TIP: Most hotels in Ubud include a free breakfast which often offer fruit juice and fruit salad as options. Since I had bought some organic spinach from the farmer’s market, I asked them if they would put a bunch of spinach in my banana smoothie. No problem! And they came back with 3 glasses instead of the one! Sweet…
Greenana Smoothies
See Part I of Bali Eats here.
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With all the delicious food in Ubud, I thought I would hit the raw highlights!
KAFE has a good sized menu, delicious food and free wifi until 7pm. It’s always packed with Westerners whenever I’ve been there and it’s a great place to hook up with other travelers. You can get green drinks, fruit juices and smoothies and they offer a daily raw food special entree and dessert. I tried the raw ravioli which was quite delish. I also tried the raw carrot cake but it was a bit too heavy on the cloves. Of the non-raw items, I tried the grilled veggie salad which was a good size and yummy.
The Ever So Popular Kafe
Kafe Raw Ravioli
Kafe Carrot Cake
LITTLE K is a raw food offshoot of Kafe open until 4pm daily. It’s located outdoors behind the Yoga Barn overlooking the rice paddies and also offers free wi-fi. It’s really a lovely outdoor atmosphere and a LOT less crowded than Kafe. The menu here is predominantly raw food. I tried the pineapple raw granola which was more of a porridge than granola but good and the “big salad” that wasn’t all the big (by my standards) and a bit boring unfortunately.
The raw tacos I thought were great! Typical raw tacos usually consists of a flax seed “taco” shell, nut meat and cashew sour cream. Tastes good but sits like a ton of lead in my belly - the equivalent of eating a cup of mixed nuts I bet. But the Little K taco “shell” was a lettuce leaf, the “meat” was made of shredded carrot and beet and the only nuts were in the cashew sour cream. It also came with diced tomatoes, a scoop of guac and a small side of greens.
Little K Alfresco Dining
Raw Tacos
BALI BUDDHA is a combination shop downstairs and restaurant upstairs - very cool place. They make and sell their own raw chocolates, chai spice cookies, desserts and crackers in the shop. The restaurant serves up great food, rarely crowded but no wifi. Unfortunately, their definition of “raw food” is a bit off. I ordered the raw vegan spring rolls but they were made with rice paper and had tofu inside. I tried the vegetarian Nasi Campur which was delicious, as was the beet and carrot salad. Everything I tried their was good - both the raw and vegan dishes. For dessert, their homemade raw truffles are nice but pass on the Radiantly Alive Raw Chocolate Bar. When we opened it, the cacao and oil had separated. Blech…
Bali Buddha
Not Worth It
Part II of Bali Eats coming soon!
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I was a bit reluctant to see the second medicine man, Ketut Liyer. Not only because my first medicine man visit was emotionally draining, but because I felt like a traitor having seen someone else earlier that morning. I put my hair down to hide the “medicine” on my neck, hoped my eyes had had time to de-puff and went in.
If you’ve read Eat, Pray, Love, then you have a pretty good idea of what Ketut Liyer is like. Elizabeth Gilbert did a wonderful job capturing him in her book. He IS like a Balinese Yoda, as the author affectionately called him - a little wise man with dancing eyes and a lovely sense of humor. I’m glad I went to him after the “heaviness” of my first medicine man visit because he made me giggle. He immediately spotted the “medicine” on my neck (no hiding from the “all-seeing” I guess) and he told me to go to a doctor. LOL - I thought he was one!
Me and Balinese healer, Ketut Liyer
He did a palm reading and I think ONE of the three versions he gave me was accurate. When he concentrated on my palm only, I felt that his words rang true. But when he broke away from that trance, I felt like he immediately started telling me what he THOUGHT I wanted to hear. I think he asked where I was from and my age about three times but hey, he’s somewhere between 80 and 120 years old, so I’ll cut him some slack. Speaking of age, he told me I would live to be 104 years old. Time to re-tool the IRA.
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“Met a real Balinese medicine man. The kind of medicine man that comes from a long lineage of healers. The kind who never turns anyone away. The kind who does not charge for his services. The kind whose energy work you FEEL physically and not just imagine or wish you did. The kind in which it is almost sacrilegious to talk about and selfish not to. I was blessed by a great man today - a day I will never forget.”
Never ceases to amaze me how things line up to lead you along your path. I few days ago, I was rifling through a Balinese magazine and saw a little postage stamp of an article about Balinese medicine men. It spoke of how tourists are “swindled” by so-called healers and that true medicine men do not charge for their time or turn anyone away lest they lose their healing powers. It went on to mention two healers, one near Ubud. Feeling brave, I jotted down the information and hastily emailed my Bali driver friend if he knew where the Ubud medicine man was and if he could take me and be my translator if necessary.
The next day, I don’t remember how, it came to my attention that the author of the best-selling book “Eat, Pray, Love” had come to Bali to study with a Balinese medicine man near Ubud and as fate should have it, I spotted a copy of the book at the lending library at Ubud Sari. I re-read the final chapters on her Bali experience and took down the name of the Balinese healer. It was a different man and I thought, why not meet him too? When in Bali, do as the Balinesian, right?
The following day among all the Bali distractions, my desire to see the Balinese healers waned and I decided instead that I wanted to go to a hot spring that I heard about, off the beaten tourist path. But late that evening when I checked my email, my driver had replied stating that he would be picking me up the next morning at 8am to meet the medicine men. All of a sudden I was scared and intimated to meet them. What should I bring as an offering? What was I going to say? What were they going to do to me?
Next morning, my driver arrives and I told him I didn’t have an offering. He said we would get one. I told him, I don’t know how much to donate. He told me how much. I told him I was scared and he said don’t be. After shooting down all my arguments, I resigned to the plan.
First we went to the hot spring pool because I needed time to think. It was gorgeous and peaceful. I had the whole place practically to myself as I don’t think many people know about this one. The water is not super hot like “Eden Springs scorching,” but pleasantly hot. I lounged around in the cold and hot water pool for an hour.
The Mother Spring
Then we drove to the first healer. There were five people in his courtyard waiting for his teachings. As soon as he came out, I must have stuck out because he asked my driver in Balinese what I was doing here. He didn’t sigh out loud, but I got the feeling that I was intruding. He called me up front and asked me why I came to see him. With everyone watching and within earshot, I spoke to him. He asked me to sit in front of him where he proceeded to touch trigger points on my head, face and shoulders. He found a point on my face and asked me if I felt pain there and it was like a vibrating electrical shock! An unbelievable sensation. Then he asked me to lie down and he pressed more points specifically on my feet… “heart good, liver good, lungs good, gallbladder good…” then the searing pain! He hit a spot that made me laugh out loud to deal with the pain. Once he found that one, he followed it up my leg and touched another one on my outer thigh and one on my rib cage that had me doubling over. And all I could do was laugh and feel the tears of pain welling up in my eyes. He kept working on me, allowing me to rest when the pain was too much and then he leaned over and whispered to me “bad memory, I can not fix. You must fix.” Then he proceeded to “guess” what the memory was and his words hit home and made me finally break out in a sob with 12 strange eyes watching me, but I couldn’t care less. He started to prepare some medicine while I recovered. Then he asked me to lie down again and he stood on my feet and said an incantation. It was just so incredible I can’t describe in words, so I’ll stop here.
We left and I collected myself as we drove to the second healer, Ketut Liyer, the one mentioned in “Eat, Pray, Love.” As we pulled up, I almost changed my mind because I was still in a daze and emotionally spent. But when we arrived, someone came to the door to greet us, so I figured I would just do the palm reading…(to be continued.)
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