Lombok To Bali
Hidden respite
It took around an hour to get from the boat dock in Bali to the village of Sanur. Driving through the landscape, I immediately noticed how much more developed and fast-paced Bali seemed. I also had my first glimpse of rice paddy fields, which was a real thrill.
Stepping into Sudamala Sanur resort, my first impression was how, despite its position only slightly set back from the street front, it still felt like such a welcome retreat. Situated on the other side of the entrance is a beautiful courtyard, with walkways to each suite. Following that, an arch opens out onto the ample facilities – a large spa, swimming pool and café area. Although it’s not situated on the beachfront, like some neighbouring resorts, the shore is just a few minutes walk away, and there’s a reserved private area for Sudamala guests.
An unusual blessing
One of the highlights of my Bali stay was visiting Pura Tirta Sudamala (which means “purifying water” in ancient Sanskrit), a traditional temple surrounded by water from a spring, located in an area called Bangli where the Balinese come to cleanse and purify body and mind. Only guests of Sudamala Sanur are able to be taken on a tour to the area, which involves driving down a narrow slope into a valley surrounded by dense jungle (talented, these Balinese drivers!), parking, and then walking down a long sloping path to reach the ancient architecture.
At the base of the temple, there are underwater coves in different areas, as well as eleven showers of differing heights and pressures, which, according to the ritual, you need to bathe and shower yourself under in a specific order. The Sudamala team are on hand to take you through the process, and the ritual is finished off by a blessing from the priest with holy water and rice kernels. It was such a privilege to experience this
enchanting and tranquil place of prayer and spirituality, and I came away feeling more at peace.
After drying off and changing in the facilities, we travelled for lunch at Indus restaurant in the bustling town of Ubud (which boasts stunning views over a canyon) and had a go at haggling in the nearby market for trinkets and souvenirs, before heading off on the final leg of our day trip.
Magic in art
Our final stop was to an art workshop, owned by local artist Wayan Suklu, well known in the region for his work on canvas in various media. He took us on a tour of his workshop and property, full of artwork, installations and sculptures in various stages of completion.
After some refreshments, we were then given our own art task, which involved taking an old book from his collection and freestyle scrawling on every alternate page as fast as we could, with minimal thinking involved. It felt like a bit of an odd exercise, but we played along without much expectation.
When we’d finished defacing each of our books in about ten minutes, none of us expected Mr Suklu to pick up each one in turn and psychoanalyse our scrawls, telling us about our characters and desires (the Sudamala hosts were on hand to translate). I was quite dumbfounded with what he told me (which, for privacy’s sake, I won’t write here!) but it was quite specific and accurate. I think a few others in the group felt the same, and we were told afterwards that he is known for being quite “spiritually connected”.
As you can imagine, my last day in Bali gave me a lot to think about. I returned to Singapore the next day feeling invigorated and, as philosophical as it sounds, with a renewed sense of wonder about life – which is just what I needed.