The last
few days in Ubud were filled with bliss and joy. Early morning Sadhana followed
by synchronicity after synchronicity. Doors opening, opportunities arising,
staying in the flow. Peter left on the 1st to go back to Sydney. How
could things continue to amplify or stay as electrified as the times spent with
this dear brother? So many insights shared, theories discussed, and practices
experienced together. I love you Peter, thank you for sharing. I look forward
to continuing the dance of Bamboo with you through the wind.
As I found
myself alone, a thunderbolt of inspiration shot through my spine. An idea for a
book appeared into my being. The book is already written, I just need to get it
on paper. As I am super stoked to share, the words are flowing out with ease
and grace. The book will give a description of the path that has led me to my
current position. I will intertwine the “secrets of the masters” that I have
tested over and over again that have kept me in this flow. As I have fully
committed to a few practices and seen the immediate results, I feel the
scientific community may be able to deem my experiment valid and worthy of
consideration for scientific journal! J
I picked up
my newly stamped Passport, giving me one more month in Bali, then took off to Kuta
to meet Ryan to pay for our bikes and sell my surfboard. He texted me on my
Indo Iphone (hilarious) and warned me of police blockades handing tickets out
to foreigners without international drivers licenses. Always the Polisia…Aiy! I
already had one run in with them here. As I was driving a cop car pulled up
behind me and turned their lights on to pull me over. Luckily I had the sense
to crank the gas and weave in and out of traffic, leaving the cop car in the
dust. This time though, I had no way around it. As the cops blocked the
streets, I tried to hide myself between two trucks and scoot by them. But a cop
with a yellow vest ran out in the middle of the street, blew his whistle and
grabbed my bike. He told me he was going to write me a ticket for $100 US for
not having a license. I tried to explain that I was a pilgrim visiting in the
name of Krishna and Ram, but he didn’t give a donkeys rear end what I had to
say. He told me that he was going to confiscate my bike if I did not go to
court, or I could just pay him $30 not and he would let me go. If I were to go
back, I would have slammed on the gas, cracked a smile and took off. O what a
chase it would have been! A corrupt cop never wins.
Instead, I
handed him $8 and told him it was all I had. He gave me a frown then pulled
over the next sorry foreigner he could threaten. Luckily I reached Kuta safely,
met with Ryan, and sold my board for 60% of what I bought it for. Not too shabby.
One last
mission while in Ubud: Tirta Empul. It is said the male and female dragon ley
lines cross at this section and are bathed in the spring water. It is
considered the amrita (nectar) of immortality. Scooting along in the early
morning sunshine through rice fields and jungle; I zipped passed locals, threw
out “peace signs” and flashed smiles, and somehow made it to the springs
without a wrong turn. This place is the real deal.
As I walked
in, a local boy offered me a basket of flowers and incense to offer my prayers.
He then made his way into the spring fed pool with dozens of spouts engraved
with sacred text and images. The boy stopped at every spout, lit incense, drank
from the water 3 times, put his head under the water, and offered his prayers.
Handfuls of locals and coy fish filled the 3 purification pools. Tying my
sarong tight, I lowered myself in the cool waters.
Yum! This
was the best water I drank in months; right from Momma Bali, water of the Gods
and Goddesses. Wahe Guru! I developed my own ceremony intuitively as I stopped
at every spout. The whole process took roughly 30-45 minutes, a good bit of
time to be soaking in sacred spring water. By the time was in the last pool, a
handful of tourists walked into the temple with their camera straps on and
ready to shoot! A few different groups lined the edges of the pools and took
pictures of the locals and the token bearded white dude offering prayers.
Although the locals were quite encouraging, no one else ventured into the pools
while I was present. There is something to be said about a human that can enter
into a temple, and keep the space sacred while taking pictures. I have accepted
that I am not one of these rare beings, hence why I have very few pictures but
many stories.
After being
cleansed and feeling incredibly fresh, I joined a sound healing collective for
a 4-hour sound workshop. We played with Tibetan and crystal bowls, chakra
chimes, drums, rattles, flutes, and our voices. Zipping and spinning on life, a
friend invited me to a kirtan after the workshop. I scooted to the kirtan
hosted by Kevin James. Without a doubt, this was the most spectacular place I
have ever been for a kirtan. It was in an marble floored pavilion open to the
jungle, a massive flower/candle/crystal alter, a screamingly beautiful night
sky, a small fire being tended by a local boy, a pile of hundreds of coconuts
to drink for free, and a group of a 100 or so amazing souls singing for peace
and harmony on this earth. Mmmm! Thank you Ubud for this amazing day!
I woke the
next day to an unknown. Where would I go? I knew Amed was the destination, but
which bay or beach was undecided. I was tempted many times to look on the
internet for hotel recommendations or Air bNb for nice places to stay. It was
my intention to stay the next few weeks on the beach, begin writing a book,
snorkel and free dive, and live in peace. I packed my little scooter up and we
took off.
I took many
back roads through little villages in order to avoid the police and to enjoy
the scenery along the way. I passed through one forest that is filled with
Durian! Piles and Piles of Durian along the road – in fact, I drove back there
just to buy a scooter full of them. This island is paradise. Massive rolling
hills, a volcano, lush green forest, fruits everywhere on the sides of the
road, and then, there is the ocean! Amed! I wasn’t too impressed at first, but
as I scooted along the coast, I began to get deeper into the heart of the
bliss.
I stopped
at “Apneist” a local freedive/yoga center that I had heard about. I was
exhausted after a 3-hour ride on my scooter. Drinking a turmeric/lemon juice, I
spoke with the owner of the shop about places to stay and the free dive course.
He named a few places in Jemuluk bay (where the shop is) but I was more interested
in getting off the beaten path a bit. Jemuluk is great, but tourists stay in
and around that area for diving. Almost passing out from heat exhaustion, I got
on my bike and kept riding. I kept repeating, “Trust Michael, trust. God will
lead you where you are supposed to be.” I saw a sign, “follow your heart, Life
in Amed. Organic Chocolate.” Maybe this was the spot!
I took many
turns and passed through many bays, but did not find the organic sanctuary that
I had created in my head. Instead, I saw a little sign that said “Smiling
Buddha – Meditasi 7km.” I decided this
would be the farthest I would travel, and I would turn back from this spot and
find a place.
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| Shanti view from bed! |
Eventually
I was off the beaten path and saw a sign that said “Welcome to the Jungle – No
internet, no cell phones, enjoy nature.” This was exactly what I was looking
for. Statues of Ganesh, Shiva, Buddha and Kwan Yin greeted me followed by an
amazing Balinese man with a smile. He informed me that a group was just leaving
and he could show me to a room in a few minutes. I put my bags down and
ventured to the desolate beach. A whole ocean bay with no one swimming and no
one to be seen; is this the “real deal” I wondered?
They
unlocked the room to reveal a stone outdoor bathroom that is designed with
genius. There are many different water irrigation systems that keep the floor
dry and clean. The room has bamboo walls and an open ceiling covered by bamboo,
a queen size, clean bed with a hanging fan above it, a desk and two massive
doors that open up to the ocean. On the porch is a twin bed, a table and a
couple of chairs. Beyond the porch is a small private yard, fenced naturally by
bogenvelia bushes, hibiscus bushes, and a frangipani tree. The sweet fragrance
of blooming flowers mixed with fresh ocean air fills my room. I’ll take it.
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| I love this bathroom |
They gave
me room number 7; the woman who wrote “Eat, Pray, Love” stayed in the same room
3 times. She has good taste! Smiling Buddha invited me to meditate in his cave
that he built – an extra bonus. Inside is a waterfall to help equalize noise, a
Gayatri statue of Shiva, and crystals. Next to the meditation cave is their
organic restaurant with many ingredients grown right on the land. Every day the
staff cleans your room, picks up flowers from the land and decorates the many
alters, serves a complimentary delicious breakfast of your choice, and is
always there to offer service. I cannot say enough about this place. I feel
incredibly blessed and hope that all good people find this hidden gem. As of
now, I am the on site yoga teacher. If you come, I am teaching the evening
classes, and they are promised to be super shanti.
I have
spent most of my days here swimming naked in the ocean, becoming one again with
the water. I came in contact with a few turtles so far, many exotic fish
including a lion fish, huge heads of coral, but I really want to swim with the
dolphins. While eating dinner the other night, two swam right through our bay.
I jumped in the ocean, but the current was way too strong and they swam into
the sunset. I continue to put my love to the ocean, and I feel like I will
connect again with these incredible beings again soon. When I am an old man, I
will hopefully have a home in a bay that I can swim with the dolphins, whales
and turtles on a daily basis. I find the most peace under the sea.
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| Sunrise from my porch! |
I just
finished a 2-day free diving course with Apneist. It is a great course for
beginners. I was curious to take the course because I free dive very deep
alone, and wanted to make sure I was using proper form; I am also interested in
teaching people to free dive, so a professional training and certification is
always a plus. Throughout the course, I became most fascinated with the
mammalian underwater reflex we have. After being under pressure with high
levels of CO2 for a certain amount of time, our aquatic heritage kicks in and
helps our body to calm down. Our heart rate slows down and our ability to hold
our breath increases. This is why free divers experience a zen feeling while
diving.
I dove with
a few local boys today. One saw me under the water and put his spear gun in my
hand. He told me to get a big fish. What a difference!!! The past two days I
have spent all of my energy focused on being super zen so I could stay under
water as long as possible. Now, I have a gun in my hand to hunt my friendly
fish pals. I watched my heart race go up and my ability to fully enjoy the
ocean go down. The locals went to shore and left me alone in the ocean. A few
times I could have shot a beautiful fish, but I didn’t want to pull the
trigger. I would think, “O no, there is his child or his wife. I can’t kill
him” or “That reef is his home, if I kill him then his family won’t be able to
live their because it won’t be safe.” I gave the spear back and ate a massive
durian and raw chocolate/cashew/cardamom pudding.
Bali is
amazing. Spirit is alive. Live music always. But, trash is everywhere. We need
to help these islands or they are going to perish. The fish are eating plastic,
the water is getting dirty, and the earth is getting strangled. I watch
ignorant people make decisions everyday without thinking that is harming our
planet. I scold the local boys, pick up trash here and there, but this is not
enough. I am not sure that I am the one for this mission, but perhaps someone
who reads this will be moved to help clean up or spread conscious education in
Bali and other tropical paradises. Wahe Guru, bless up!
As predicted, the 999 steps were to take 3
hours. I began my ascent at roughly 3 o’clock, so I took off fast up the
mountain; thoughts rushing through my head, processing experiences Bali, where
I will go next, my relationship with Anais, my path. I began to feel the wild
sensations of the mountain and the valleys that surround me and the ocean
filling me with life, strength and vigor as I walk barefoot on the stone stairs
past families of monkeys. Women balancing baskets on their heads filled with
flowers and offerings appear, most in thong sandals, others barefoot, most with
healthy, strong, wide feet. 
