I believe I am the 6th volunteer so far to come to this beautiful island to teach English to staff in the local hotels, sponsored by London Academy.  I recently left the BBC after 16 happy years and coming on this trip seemed a fitting way to celebrate and mark the end of one era and the start of a new stage in my life.

I was last in Bali 10 years ago and some of it feels quite familiar whilst other areas are much more developed. There are mopeds in abundance, even more traffic jams and plenty of new hotels and shopping malls being built. But the spirit of the island feels the same and I am looking forward to exploring during my time off. I thought it might be helpful to write my blog as I go along so I can share some experiences with you whilst they are fresh in my mind.

Days 1, 2 and 3 – Welcome to Bali

I arrived at Bali’s domestic terminal after nearly 2 days of travel. Andy and Ayu came to meet me and soon had me back at their lovely home and settled in my spacious bedroom after a long shower.

The next day we went to the Carrefour supermarket so I could stock up on food, have some lunch and even a spot of reflexology.  I really recommend the hour-long treatment which costs only 50,000 rph and seemed to help my poor jetlagged body – you can find the salon just outside the supermarket entrance. Be prepared to be completely smitten with Andy and Ayu’s beautiful children Charlie and Latina.

On Monday Andy took me through the Week 1 training plan and I met the girls that look after the office.

Tip of the Day: although my landing card included my trip duration as being 32 days, I was issued with a 30 day visa on arrival at Jakarta airport. I didn’t realise that 30 days in the maximum tourist visa available and  at passport control they informed me I would need to pay a visit to the immigration office in Denpasar to sort it out. So either ensure your trip remains within 30 days including all traveling days or arrange a 60 day visa in the UK.

Day 4 – My First Training Day!

Feeling more than a little nervous as we drive to the hotel venue for the first working day. The Harris Hotel in Kuta is hosting today’s workshop. It is a buzzy friendly hotel and one of 4 in the chain. Andy makes sure I am all prepared and confident before leaving me with the group. They are a lovely group, a mix of ages but mostly quite young, a mix of job roles and all with very good English. After a shy start from the group and myself we get going and end up having a lot of fun and laughs as we practise our breathing, pronunciation and public speaking. The time flies and I am soon saying goodbye to my group who I will look forward to seeing next week for session 2.

Tip of the Day: Bring some sticky address labels to Bali – ask your students to write their names on one and wear it – it will help speed up the process of learning and pronouncing their names.

Day 6: Feeling a bit homesick!

I was up early to skype my husband in UK. He was about to go to bed and I was about to start my day and seeing his face made me feel very homesick for a while. However once I got stuck in to my lesson I soon cheered up.

Today’s session was at the lovely Nikko hotel in Nusa Dua. It is a luxury hotel particularly popular with Japanese tourists. Again, my group was a great mix of job roles and personalities and all the students threw themselves into the challenges and seemed to enjoy the tasks. I changed the order of the workshop around today so that we got to know each other a little earlier on and because I sensed some of the students were a little shy in the first exercise. I am looking forward to seeing their home work next week – they have to prepare a short presentation in the style of a TV presenter.

Ayu has helped me find a car and a driver so I now have my independence and instead of cooking at the villa, I am venturing out to a local restaurant tonight.

Tip of the day: make sure you open a skype account before you arrive and ask your loved ones to do the same. It is fantastic to be able to see their faces when you talk online and its free! It can be downloaded and your account set up in minutes.

Long Weekend: exploring the local beaches

I decided not to venture too far afield this first weekend. After a few language gliches with my driver and a flat tyre, we set off. When I was here in 2001, we often visited Canggu beach as my husband likes to surf. Back then, as now, you approach the beach down a bumpy road to a set of concrete steps leading onto the sand. But now there’s a new hotel on the corner where I think you can park for a fee and also get drinks and food in the garden cafe which overlooks the beach. It was a good day for surf and there was steady stream of locals, tourists and a few expats arriving to check out the waves before unpacking their boards. There were a handful of surfing widows on the beach which reminded me of many a holiday with my husband. There’s no shade to speak of, the dark sand beach is not the prettiest but it feels miles away from the touristy traps and the waves are watchable. Its not safe to swim so unless you are very strong, its best to wade out to your knees and not much further. When the heat was going out of the day, I had a lovely walk along the beach and was shocked at how much development there has been in the last 10 years. Our small family run hotel we stayed in last time had been replaced by a 2 storey complex and the longer I walked, the busier the beach was as tourists tipped out of their hotel gardens onto the sand. I wanted to watch the sunset and had spotted a few little cafe bars on the beach. Finding them later by car was tricky and whilst I did not find those ones, we did come across another one which turned out to have fantastic food and a good view – Agung Kayo Butin. You can approach it via a rickety wooden bridge from the beach or via the back roads. The drive to Canggu was about 80 minutes but a little quicker coming home.

Tip of the day: Pepito is a nice mini supermarket about 10 minutes from the villa. It has nice bread,  fresh veg and fruit, a deli counter as well as lots of delicious goodies such as chocolate, biscuits and cakes. If you are missing some favorite foods from home or just want a few bits, it is worth a stop here.

2nd Week of Teaching:

Today we worked through the Week 2 lesson plan that Andy and I had fine tuned yesterday. The group were a little quiet to begin with and with 3 new and unexpected students, we took a while to warm up. Once we did though, we had a lot of fun. The group practiced  their pronunciation and presented their homework. The highlight of today was the Bali Resort Radio session. I was so impressed by the group, some of whom had to improvise and the second time around, my shyest pupil volunteered to be the presenter which was a real achievement.

Tip of the Day: about an hour before sunset, take a walk from the villa down to the next town. Its not far but its very hilly so its great exercise. You will pass a farm, some lovely modern villas as well as some gorgeous older properties that are full of character and plenty of chickens and cows. Once you know where you are going you can extend your walk a little by exploring the residential streets where you will see local life after work.

Day 12 – Sanur

Sanur is a lovely area, it has a long lovely beach and if you walk past the monstrous Grand Bali hotel on the beach boardwalk you will reach a sprawl of little shops and cafes and a market area. Some of the restaurants are right on the beach and attract ex pats and locals. The Bonsai cafe was nice and has free wifi. I went snorkeling from here, it wasn’t fantastic but if you are desperate for a fix then its worth going out on a boat. I didn’t choose a very good company and it wasn’t until we were out on the reef that they they told me they didn’t have any flippers in my size so I had to go in barefoot and the mask had seen better days and needed a good clean. You will need to haggle if you are on your own, everything is charged as a minimum of 2 people!

Tip of the Day: Go early to Sanur and have breakfast then an early supper to make the most of the time and the good cafes. I nabbed a sun lounger on the beach outside the Grand Bali hotel and I wasn’t asked to pay or hassled.

2nd Weekend – off to Ubud.

We headed off early to avoid too much traffic and we stopped on route to watch a Barong Dance. It lasts about an hour and beforehand they usher you into a big retail area that sells clothes and souvenirs. The show was visual and fairly funny in places, more like a pantomime than a dance. It costs 80,000rp and the seating area fills up quickly so go in half an hour before it starts to get a good seat. I decided not to go into the bird and reptile park about 1km up the road as I had read less than great reviews about them but the highlight of the journey was Tegalalang rice fields, truly spectacular and just north of Ubud centre. I got really hassled by hawkers but find a seat in one of the cafes hanging on to the hill and you can quickly forget them whilst you take in the view.

Tip of the Day: if you want to go to Ubud it is worth booking before you leave the UK as I had very little choice available when I decided to book the week before, only very cheap and basic or expensive accommodation was left, and most of it quite a way from Ubud centre. Luckily my hotel, Taman Bebek, was lovely, in Sayan about 15 minutes drive from Ubud centre.  www.tamanbebek.com. I paid more than I had budgeted for but it was great. Its an older style hotel, complete with big wooden beds, shutters and ceiling fans. The view from one of the pools was breathtaking, terraced rice fields and the Ayung river. I had a lovely big balcony with a daybed and comfy sofas and footstools. Some of the villas at the hotel have views of the valley and river.

Another Day in Ubud

This morning I went on the Herb Walk, call 08123816024 to book.

We set off from the Puri Lukisan Museum in the centre of Ubud through an alleyway and within a minute Wayan was pointing out plants and herbs growing amongst the rubbish and building works. 2 minutes later we stepped out into the most beautiful rice terraces where we spent the next 2 hours or so meandering and learning about rice co-operatives, more plants and herbs and organic vegetables for local restaurants. We finished our walk at Wayan and Made’s shop where we were offered herbal tea and delicious organic snacks. There was no pressure to buy anything and all in all it was a really pleasant morning. Inspired by all the goodness, I had lunch at Juice Ja café which is in Dewi Sits street, a cut through between both sides of Monkey Forest Road  (which is one way and goes in a long semi circle basically.)

Tip of the Day: internet coverage is slow and patchy in most hotels in Ubud, particularly the lovely old buildings. So if you are relying on online info during your trip and planning to take your laptop, best save it as a word document so you can access it easily.

Last Day in Ubud:

I found 2 great restaurants here, Casa Luna which has a lovely menu and a great take away counter for homemade cakes. The other was Coffee & Silver, at the far end of Monkey Forest Road. Its run by a Danish guy, has good wifi reception and is laid back. there were lots of other eateries I liked the look of but there’s only so much you can eat in one weekend. I hired a guide to go trekking this morning. I had thought I could easily get down to the river from the hotel but it was really steep,  in places incredibly narrow and quite slippery so I had to give up. One of thr disadvantages of traveling alone I guess.

Wayan my guide was good company, he took the pace a little slower that I hoped for but stopped to point out lots of plants.  He worked for the local white water rafting company before setting up as a freelance guide so he knew the area well. We crossed the river at one point through fairly fast flowing water which was so refreshing after my initial hesitation.

Tip of the Day: don’t miss a trip to Ubud, whilst its really busy in places, it has a lovely atmosphere, great eateries and you will see plenty of local art and craftwork in the centre but also in the villages surrounding Ubud. if you want to see some good art, ask a local where to go and they will point out the homes of local artists who you can watch in action. Evidently the stuff on Ubud market is mostly poor quality and they rely on mass passing trade.

3rd Week of Teaching:

This week’s theme is emotions and I was very moved by some of the stories the students told as part of their homework presentation. We did plenty of pronunciation practice as well as reading practice. I can really see a difference in week 3, all of the students are much more confident and are really getting the hang of the more difficult tongue twisters. I am looking forward to seeing their homework next week – a voiceover for a hotel promotional video.

Tip of the Day: the reading practice is a good opportunity for them to learn something new. I found a Gap travel guide in my room so I took that along to the session and they took it in turns to read aloud about other countries and cultures.

Day 20: more beaches!

Yesterday I visited Dreamland beach which is only 3km from the house. I found it quite a let down, it is still a gorgeous beach and coastline but it has been taken over by an ugly complex and judging by the building works, more development is planned. It was busy, expensive and packed with coach parties.

Today I went to Balangan beach which was gorgeous. Again its not far from the house and attracts lots of surfers. It was mellow and quiet with lovely cliffs and a string of surfer shack cafes built on stilts. I really recommend it. I must stop eating banana pancakes!

Day 21 – One of those Days:

En route to Mumbal where I am going to spend the weekend, we head north for 2 hours or so to the Botanical Gardens in Candikuning. They are huge at 154 hectares but not very well signposted internally for walking around. As this is “Winter” the gardens were not at their best with very few plants and flowers in bloom and the nurseries and garden shop were closed. The only activity attracting people was the Treetop adventure park. However I imagine in Bali Spring or early Summer, this place is at its best and worth a visit or a at least half a day. I mooched for a while then we left and made the short journey to Pura Ulan Danu Bratan, the Hindu and Buddist temples set on a lake. It was swarmed with coach parties so it was tricky to see it in its full glory but I managed to get some video footage of the buzzy action. Just over the road is one of the few mosques in Bali.

I decided to go a little further north to Git Git waterfalls which were recommended. Just as we were approaching the car started to overheat and cut out so I left Gede, my lovely driver for the month, to try to sort it out and went for a less than relaxed walk to the waterfalls. They were lovely and I wish I had worn my swimsuit and had a dip. You pass through a long line of stalls trying to sell you souvenirs and there is a nice café at the start which is friendly and with a simple menu.  The car appeared to be ok when we set off but the route back was all uphill and it quickly proved too much for the car’s radiator and we were forced to stop every minute to fill it up with water and let it cool down.  After a long saga of mobile phones without signals, closed car repair garages, multiple car breakdowns, and a constantly steaming radiator, we limped into my accommodation for the weekend and I said goodbye to Gede who had the unenviable task of getting the crawling car back to its owner.

The place I am staying is gorgeous but when I arrived the electricity  went off so after a delicious meal I was in bed at 7pm trying to read by candlelight.

Tip of the Day: I would definitely recommend Gede as your driver, his attitude and behaviour more than make up for his lack of English. However, I would negotiate for a better car than I had and this may mean you find a local car hire company yourself (there is one in the town nearby) and probably pay a bit more.

Days 22 & 23- Jiwa Damai in Mumbal.

What a gorgeous place, I am so happy to be here for the weekend. Situated within an organic garden and forests, the retreat centre offers lovely accommodation either within the guest areas or out in one of the lumbungs in the garden.  I wasn’t feeling brave enough to sleep out in the open on my own so I opted for a guest room with a built in bathroom which was airy, comfortable and stylish.  I was up for yoga at 8am followed by a delicious breakfast, relaxation by the pool then a long walk through the nearby rice fields where I was constantly greeted by the local farming families.  Dinner was marvellous again. All the food is other from the organic garden or local markets and is mostly vegetarian. The portions are generous and there is a constant supply of herbal teas. The retreat attracts a variety of guests along with international volunteers who work in the gardens and study permaculture.  It is an ideal place to feel relaxed and welcome when you are travelling alone.  Margret who is the founder of the site is German and has her own foundation supporting numerous local and Indonesian initiatives, usually benefitting youngsters that have had difficulties in adolescence. Her stories are humbling and inspiring.

Week 4 Lessons:

Its week 4 already and this week the students are learning scripts.  We start by discussing the varying emotions of the characters and then we allocate roles. After a shy kick off, most of the students start to enjoy some acting and role play and throw themselves into their run throughs. It was soon time to say goodbye to my Tuesday group who will work with Andy for the final 2 weeks of their course. They are such a great group, I will miss them.

Tip of the Day: I wish I had learnt a few Balinese words before leaving the UK as I found it hard once I was here to practice many words enough to get them right.

Things to bring to Bali, and things to leave at home!

Bring:

a copy of your passport to save you carrying your passport around if you stay at hotels

Suncream – its expensive here

a hairdryer if you use one, there’s not one at the house

Smart lightweight clothing for teaching – the students are quite casual but I think they appreciate the “teacher” being fairly smart. It also helps if you need assistance from the hotel staff.

ear plugs and an eye mask if you are a light sleeper – everywhere I have stayed there have been either roosters, building works, motorbiokes, noisy hotel guests – sometimes all 4!

a lightweight torch – power cuts are not uncommon and its handy if you venture out in the evening by foot.

a laptop – I have used mine loads – skyping, watching dvds on quiet nights, planning my trips etc

Don’t bring:

basic toiletries – they are the same price to buy here and it saves carrying them in your suitcase

hair straighteners – if you hair needs then it will still go frizzy within a minute of using them – I gave up!

Beach towels – there are some at the house

Loads of clothes – I used half of mine.

Footnote: if you are planning to be a volunteer here, I am more than happy for you to contact me beforehand for any advice / tips / questions etc:  email sarahstemp@hotmail.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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