THE DAYS FOCUS
Maintain awareness, change location, be calm.
— EVENTS —
- Went out to buy a towel, ended up in Ubud.
- Bought hoodie, backpack, burger, coffee, donuts.
- Rode 30km home through the mountains at night.
— MONEY —
Local Currency: 💵rp. 1,371,700 💵
Savings: 📈$4186.89 📉
—- STATS —-
LOCATION
Ubud. Travelling to “Penatahan”
ACCOMMODATION
Making the move from Kabera Bungalow no.3 to Bale Panjang has been fraught with difficulties and subsequent life lessons.
On the way out of the hotel my bag broke a strap for the 3rd time within the 2 weeks since buying it.
Upon arrival of my new accommodation I discovered the coconut oil I had brought with me lost its lid and spilt the full 300ml contents throughout my bag destroyed most things including the bag…luckily not my laptop (although it got close).
The irony was that upon arriving I realised there was no burner so I wouldn’t be cooking and the coconut oil was completely unnecessary 😅..ahh haha
Spiritual Lesson: In the moment I realised the coconut oil had broken and made such a mess, I was ALMOST overcome with frustration.
That was until I took a second to analyse the feeling, what was the issue?..all of the items were replaceable or unneeded really, even the laptop isn’t that important. In that moment I completely surrendered to the fact that I don’t need any material object and am complete with my being.
This ended up being a liberating experience, that I was actually grateful for 🙏
Budget Accommodation
My plan was to pay $3 a night for the accommodation, eat my own meals (all prepped minus a protein), and buy cooked chicken to add to them.
This would allow me to see what the absolute minimum you could spend per day was…What I didn’t foresee, was the accommodation not having cooking facilities.
Travel Lesson: Check ahead to see what facilities are available if you plan on using them!
Budget vs Super-Budget
Below is me thinking out loud and comparing the decision to move to a different (and more economical) location instead of remaining in Ubud.
I detail the costs of staying in each place for 5 nights, the upsides and the downsides to staying in budget vs. super-budget accommodation in Bali.
Budget – Kabera Bungalow no.3, Ubud
5 Nights Accommodation: rp. 550,000
Essential Costs: rp. 625k consisting of Food (250k), Yoga (375k)
Urban Area Optional Costs: Massage (200k), Shopping (150k), Food temptations (200k)
Note: Food would be made myself (veg and chicken)
MIN TOTAL: rp. 1,175k
POTENTIAL TOTAL: rp. 1,750k
UPSIDE: Clean room, Linen provided/serviced, WiFi, Warming vibe, Free Breakfast, Kitchen facilities, Close access to meals, Food and otherwise. DOWNSIDE: Poor shower pressure, Would be staying in a area I had already experienced.
Super-Budget – Bale Panjang, Penatahan
5 Nights Accommodation: rp. 185,000
Essential Costs: rp. 500k consisting of Food (4 meals per day)
Essential Purchases (due to super-budget): rp. 230k consisting of:
Towel (50k), Hoodie (100k), Mobile Data (50k), Petrol (30k)
Optional Costs: Massage (100k), Snack Food (100k)
MIN TOTAL: rp. 915k
POTENTIAL TOTAL: rp. 1,115k
UPSIDES: Shower Pressure, Area is quiet/relaxing, Property has Meditation Space, Sightseeing: Close to Hot-springs/Mountain.
DOWNSIDE: No Cooling (Fan/AC), Bugs, Less variety of Shops, non-english speaking locals, Having to buy towel etc, Accommodation is rougher in general
SUMMARY
So on paper it looks pretty close, realistically the temptation of living in Ubud would lead to more spending.
These are theoretical figures anyhow. And if you’re wondering why I have included hoodie as an essential cost, it is due to the colder climate near the mountains.
If you take into account once these initial one-off costs are out the way (or you have your own hoodie/towel etc) then it would be more economical as the days go on.
Jezza’s Perspective
Cost aside, I don’t really mind even if it does finish up the same cost. I was beginning to feel drained by the Ubud tourists so a rural picturesque getaway is exactly what the Universe ordered 😅. Thanks Divine Intervention 🙏
— HEALTH —
Overall: 5.5/10 – a little fatigued
Mental: 4.5/10 – lost discipline today.
Spiritual: 7/10 – increasing, due to testing of consciousness
Physical: 5.5/10 – decreasing, rest needed
(a higher score is worse)
Symptoms
Long term:
5.5/10 – Run down/Tired/Fatigued
4/10 – Muscle stiffness (detox)
Acute (remaining):
5% – Cold symptoms (cough, runny nose)
10% – Neck, Back ache (from beach)
— FOOD —
Although I had that epic amount of food (that broke my bag!) I brought had made at the Kabera Bungalow.
As I didn’t have anywhere to heat it up, I felt entitled to buying lunch.
It’s interesting after a few days of making your own food and not spending money you feel rather centred. Whereas spending money tends to be a slippery slope that is hard to be disciplined with.
Well, I broke the seal with some fried chicken, which then progressed to a “Mr. Krispy” ‘Fried Chicken Burger’ (see right), then progressed onto donuts (and an affogato coffee)…I did say it’s a slippery slope 😆
I am in love with these donuts from “Gulali Donuts” in Ubud.
Just plain by themselves they are the softest, tastiest donuts I’ve had the pleasure of eating.
But it doesn’t stop there. You are faced with a huge selection of icings for your donut to be dipped in to and then as many toppings to add on top.
The donuts in creation:
Todays Meals
They started off healthy(ish) and quickly declined 🤣
Travel Lessons:
- Common Sense: When you travel make sure your liquids have their lids on.🤣
- Accommodation: Find out what facilities are there and what you will need to bring – ie; Towel, Hoodie, don’t bring food to cook
- Shopping: If you need something but try to go shopping without an exact product in mind, you will likely end up paying too much or buying something you don’t actually want.
Solution: Before you need to buy something, scope out how much an item is you like but don’t buy it. After several shops you will start to work out the rough range and can buy it later without paying too much
Life Lesson: Surrendering to pain will allow you to move through it.
Travel tip: Don’t go shopping when tired. Rest first, know what you want, know what you want to spend, have discipline to stick to those 2 things.
Gratitude for the day: Being able to let go of material attachments…thanks coconut oil! 😅
— EXPERIENCE —
Yoga
My morning Vinyasa yoga session allowed me to go deep into meditation and see past experiences.
As these “mind movies” were replaying I observed them, allowing awareness to encompass them.
I looked for where my responsibility lay and what the reaction was due to.
One of these that was quite strong was in relation to a past addiction.
I went deep into this memory being replayed and considered why I had the urge for it.
I realised I was trying to avoid a feeling, attempting to mask it with another state of mind.
Of course masking a feeling is never a long term solution, once the altered state of mind fades away then the feeling returns and we wish to avoid it again.
That is one of the paths to addiction.
Travelling to Penatahan
The road from Ubud to Penatahan is rather scenic and if it were not for the 20kg backpack threatening to break loose and scatter its contents then I would have stopped and taken it in.
I’ll make sure to retrace my steps and get some pictures.
Travelling to Penatahan “The Sequel”
When I said “I would retrace those steps”, I didn’t mean 5 hours later. And in the dark.
There is a fine line between being ballsy and being stupid, I believe I not only found that line, I walked that line tonight.
The Line
Imagine your in a rainforest, mountainous type region.
It has been dark for a few hours now and the air is cool, foggy and eerily still.
The roads that are usually a bustle with motorbikes, trucks and cars are dead quiet. Nothing but the fog and dense stillness travels these roads after dark…
…and Jezza
Ballsy
Maybe travelling 30km in to the dark winding roads of inner Bali on a scooter is a bit ballsy.
Wherever you go into the woods, a rainforest or anywhere like that at dark there is always a hair-pricking feeling of dead stillness.
Stupid
The stupid side of the line was drawn when I realised I was an 45 minutes away from my destination relying on Google Maps, with 15% battery on my phone.
Being one to push the limits I continued listening to my music, only to switch it over to Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power Of NOW”.
I Never Made It Home
Only joking, of course I did 😂
Maybe it was not having any traffic, maybe it was listening to talk about ‘Presence’ while considering the presence that stillness in the night brings.
In fact it it up there with one of the most enjoyable rides I’ve had here in Bali and my new Hoodie was the perfect accompaniment
(see right).
p.s. If you find some of my language (presence, awareness, mind-movies, consciousness, ego, etc) to be reminiscent of Eckhart Tolle.
You would be right and it probably has something to do with the fact I have listened to “The Power Of Now” everyday for the past 30 days.
Photo for the Day
SPIRITUAL
Insights:
When I had discovered shortly after arriving at my new accommodation that the full coconut oil had emptied into my bag and gone everywhere including my macbook pro.
As I was about to be overcome with frustration, I caught the emotion and deeply considered what really mattered here…
…the bag? That was on its way out and now I had a reason to buy a new one.
…the contents? (Supplements and other stuff) thats just junk that doesnt matter in the end.
…the laptop? I have all my stuff on the internet anyway.
It made me come to the conclusion that at the end of the day I could lose any possession and it wouldnt matter one bit. I would still be here.
Material objects don’t add to your life, often they can distract and take you away from your life.
Ego Realisation
I couldn’t shake the feeling I overpaid for that towel I bought. Once I used it and it was spent before I was dried, my feeling was confirmed. I was annoyed at myself for not getting discount on the initial price…especially when it was an inferior product.
It took me a second to look at this deeper with a broader perspective. Why was I feeling bent out of shape of over $5aud? …the ego.
I had purchased many things at great prices this trip, and my bartering was getting better (slowly building into an ego concept).
Now to buy something that didn’t confirm this belief left it shaky. Thank you towel, you blessing in disguise!
…I still need a new towel though.
Money Out
EXCHANGES
ATM Withdrawals
⌽ none
EFTPOS Spends
⇢ $10.75AUD
EXPENSE BREAKDOWN
- Vinyasa Yoga 75k
- Kombucha 28k
- Warung, Ayam goreng 15k
- Towel 50k
- Chicken meal 32k
- Chicken piece 11k
- Donut x2 10k
- Affagato 32k
- Milk 6k
- Coconut milk 8k
- Petrol 29k
- Dessert snack 6k
- Granola 30k
- Granola 65k
- Choc bar 4k
- Water 9k
- Donut 5k
- Bag 75k
- Hoodie 100k
Daily Spend
💵 rp. 577,000 💵
🇦🇺 $59.48AUD 🇦🇺
Remaining at the end of the day:
Local Currency: 💵 rp. 898,975 💵
Savings: 📉$4176.14📉 ⬇️$10.75AUD ⬇️