Seeds of Hope Children's Home, Bali Surfing Craze

May 31st, 2009

All right, this might be a little unusual but i hooked up with an Australian traveller from an online backpacker community and found out she has been in Bali for the past 4 months, volunteering in a children's home.

I was already bruised from all the shock wave of surfing and i thought, y not?

Just bring me to this orphanage.

Where is it? Denpasar.

At the back of my head i was mentally preparing myself to face a bunch of poor unhappy kids.

How am i gonna react, or respond, or even communicate. I don't speak indon.

And if you think Bahasa Indon is similiar to BM, think again.

And give credits to your indon maid for boogling her mind trying to make sense of what we're ordering them :-p

Ok meet the cooks for today. The children in Seeds of Hope shares responsibilities, follow systematically their duty roster, takes care of each other, play together and of course inevitably experience the brunt of each other. 

The big sis flashing the V is the permanent cook. She supervises whoever comes into the kitchen.

"Today we have 60 people so we're suppose to fry 60 eggs before dinner...

then i'm gonna fry rice. If we get lucky, we'll have chicken for dinner tonight,

orelse not everyday we can have meat."

Showing my 2 liltle sis here which part of the map they belong to and where i came from.

Oh btw they all actually speak English to a certain extent so we clicked instantly.

Now i gotta say these children loves visitors, not for anything material but more for companionship. 

And please excuse me if i can't recall these precious ones' names..i'm blogging about something i left behind 10mths ago..Heck, don't ask me y am i only blogging bout it now :-p

Back to the kitchen again...

The children here are brought up under the christian upbringing of

Pastor Tommy and his wife Sandra, who has never seize spiritually caring for them ever since he founded Seeds of Hope in 2001.

Praise God for His constant shower of blessings in many ways, 1 of them being financial aids from various individuals and organizations around the world,

Seeds of Hope Children Home has perched itself to be a safe sanctuary and dwelling place

for these not so fortunate children.

Lets not forget the rare individuals who had selflessly sacrificed time and money to be beacons of hope and strength to the children who so essentially needed role models or some1 to look up to.

And God has made them His angels and ambassadors from heaven to spread His love.

The girls enjoying their fun afternoon time watching soap.

Since Bali, i started having d perception that every girl in Indonesia desires to be a movie star.

Anyway, where did these children come from?

Some never knew their parents since birth, nevertheless some came from their mum who were divorced and dumped them for a second marriage simply because the 2nd husband didnt want them..

..and thats even sadder.

These are the boys of Seeds of Hopes.

They're crazy about soccer and support particularly Manchester United.

And yes, they have posters of Christiano Ronaldo pasted in their room walls.

Hmm, what else do they like.

They looovvveee swimming. Especially the small girls, who would begged Amy

(the Australian who brought me here) to bring them for swimming. Their sad and disappointed face

would instantly make you feel sorry.

The currents craze for the boys are kites. They make their own and fly their own.

 Others: They are talented musicians at a tender age.

They play Christian songs on various musical instruments for morning worship services.

the Seeds of Hope soccer team lifting the "trophy" and basking in glory

When you look at them, hardly any1 wallow in self-pity.

In fact they're happy and grateful for where they are, what they have.

I see so much energy and potential pending inside just waiting for the time to mature and explode.

All of them are unique and gifted in their own way that given a nudge in the right direction 

in their journey of self-discovery, soon they would know which dream to follow,

and having being able to persue that, i believe, would bring them joy and purpose in life.

The boys fixed up a kite, and its time to fly it on the roof top.

A fun loving bunch of children who simply know what to do for the camera, its hard to get them all together for the shot though

This is the roof top, another playground for the kids. Playtime is from 2-6pm.

Thats when the visitors are allowed to mingle with them.

So we spent time with as many of them, changing "departments" in order not to miss out any1, cleaned the aquarium, sing and play guitar, fly kites, mini soccer game, interact,and pay interest in whatever they're doing etc etc.

The roof top as the boys' common playground

This boy here has bilateral congenital deformities of his feet. No op was done and he

wears only boots to move around.

And thats it for the day. The children gathered around to wave us goodbye with heavy hearts.

The older ones took it well in their stride, probably has done it a hundred times.

Here's a link to find out more of Seeds of Hope Children's Home.

Its a facebook page founded by Amy Rorke from Perth (the fine lady sitting nxt to me in the pic).

If you're planning to go Bali, do drop by and bring some cheers to the children,

I believe they can eventually make you feel at home.

  Panti Asuhan Benih Harapan

Here we are, the volunteers for the day chatting over dinner.

 Special mention to Amy Rorke, without her we wouldnt have had a truly unforgettable experience.

Until now the faces of the children are still embedded in my memory not so much because they are orphans,

but because of their unity, exuberant energy, character and strength.

Amy has been a good role model and inspiration to the children,

she told me her dream was to establish her own children's home 1 day.

Well Amy, all things are possible. You go, girl!!

All year round surfing tournament - " Rip Curl's Grom search 2009"

On a different matter, i'm leaving Bali and have managed to do the 1 thing i was so crazy about before coming, so no regrets going home. Only qualm is when would be the next time i hit the waves.

As you all already know, surfing in Bali is hot. Surfers from all over the world fly to this small island in eastern Indonesia to test its wave.

Bali has always been on the map of many international surfing tournaments.

Needless to say, surfing is what made Bali famous.

Pics of international events held in Bali, never shy of the big playas

The bright colourful billboards in busy Kuta Square. A must visit for avid shopaholic.

 the Billabong shop. 3 storeys of clothes, bags, watches, bikinis, accessories, surfboards etc etc.  

the Rip Curl shop.

Personally i would prefer RipCurl for its slight edge in fashion and designs.

For ladies wear and accessories i recommend Roxy.

Here's 1 of the reasons why Bali is known as a surfer's paradise.

Surfer's brand for kids? :_l ..Wow..i wore my cousins' passed-over clothings

All rite before i conclude my Bali blog series, here are some pics of great surfing

to captivate a lil' of ur wild imagination:-) 

Mick Fanning, Australia

double ASP World Champion 2007,2009

Born June13, 1981

at the Billabong Pro, Tahiti 2009

Started his pro career in 2001, taking a wild card entry and winning the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach.

Suffered a complete hamstring tear in 2004 which had to be surgically repaired.

Then made an incredible comeback in 2005 to become 1 of the best surfers on the ASP world tour.

Find out more about Mick Fanning the 2009 ASP World Champ

click Micktory

Mick and wife Karissa at Laureus World Sport Awards 2010 Abu Dhabi.

He is Laureus World Action Sportperson of the Year- Men.

Stephanie Gilmore, Australia.

2x reigning and 2009 ASP World Champion

Born Jan 29, 1988

Born in 1988, began her surfing life at 10yrs old by standing on a bodyboard.

Burst into the scene at 17yrs when she won the Roxy Pro Gold Coast 2005 as a wildcard.

Went on to win the coveted ASP World Champ in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Recently awarded the Laureus World Action Sportperson of yr 2010.

..and that won't be the last of her.

3x consecutive ASP World Champ

Stephanie Gilmore, only 22 yrs old.

find out more about SG

.

.

.

Thats all for Bali, folks.

Hope to return again to that mystical place 1 day.

Might have future blog entries on surfing..we'll see.

Anyways hope you guys had a fun time following me and if you're up for adventure...I say just

Go For It!!!

 Don't let youth pass you by~~

Bye bye:-)

Dreamland beach & Uluwatu

May 30th, 2009

Heading down south again today, decided to visit the places didnt get to explore earlier.

Was a hearsay that the Dreamland is clean and beautiful, not much of a crowded beach..(think Port Dickson or Miami).

Another famous landmark on the map of south Bali is pura Uluwatu.
Another grand temple this 1 built on a clift.

The way from Ngurah Rai airport. Lots of billboards of hotels and resort.

1 of the statues at the center of a roundabout, depicting a battle between 2 Dewa on carriages

Singapore Airlines escapes the great duel. So far Air Asia still provides the cheapest fare to Denpasar.

Passing the Ngurah Rai airport, heading all the way south to Jimbaran.

There's an entrance to Dreamland beach, to which an entrance fee would be imposed soon.

From the entrance to the beach is a 2-3 km scenic view.

Lots of hills, plantation and developing hotels and resorts.

Not the typical beach area where there's mostly sandy ground with willow and coconut tress.

This place has grassy hills with cows munching away.

Parked the bike and walked down the untarred stony slope, practically inassessible to any vehicles.

As u make your way to the beach, there's a row of shops for tourist,

though it wasn't open yet at 8am by the time i got there.

Enter DREAMLAND, the beach.

Its great, its beautiful, most importantly its clean.

Something like in a dream, kinda isolated, less crowd, 

blue sky which creates its reflection on blue sea with rows of waves following 1 after another.

Lazy chairs with red and white stripes umbrellas.

It kinda fits the bill for a perfect dwelling place in your dream.

Over here, you're free. Mother Natures mesmerizes and anaesthetise all your problems, pain or stress.

Its hard to resist one's mind from wandering in this enchanted place.

The sound of the sea just overpower all the voices in your head. 

..they didnt call this place Dreamland for nothing.

Great place to surf.

Don't have to worry about getting into some1's way.

At least be a novice swimmer before hitting the waves. Take heed that swimming in a pool and in the ocean are 2 different thing.

Going against the waves is very exhausting not to mention bringing a surf board with you.

 So do take precaution and don't ever allow your ego to cause you to drown. 

Honestly having master the art of stabilizing on the surfboard and riding on the wave  

is the COOLEST thing in the world.

The adrenaline rush makes you feel like your flying on a cloud at the speed of sound, 

you feel like a King for a moment

....at least that was from my point of view..haha:-p 

Despite absorbing constant battering to my body, 1 wave after another, average ones, big ones,

i simply wanted to swim back for more action.

The distant coast with sea-view resorts

~For your viewing pleasure~

Take a moment, indulge in your fantasy~

Looking to the right, don't know how far the beach stretches to

Here's 1 more... take time and imagine yourself in it.

Oh well, thats the end of Dreamland beach for now.

Hope to come back 1 day for more action.

I know i will, erm..probably with my kids whom i reckon will follow suit of their dad's unquenchable thirst for action and adventure.

On my way out, came accros these Balinese performing some ritual, though i didn't ask for what purpose.

They were gracious enough to allow me to picture them.

Was supposed to show this earlier. This is the grand entrance to Dreamland beach.

You'll realize Balinese are fond of grand statues symbolizing god and goddessess, built in public places esp. at roundabouts or entrance to some famous places, maybe for the purpose of guarding that place.   

The object with wings is known as the Garuda, mystical bird like flying creature.

The other 2 human like objects must be their "dewa" aka gods.

After travelling southwards some more, finally arrived at Uluwatu Temple.

This is the calm and serene path leading to the grand panorama view.

Officially known as Pura Luhur Uluwatu, its a Balinese sea temple built in the 11th century.

  "Luhur" means "something of divine origin" while "Uluwatu" can be broken into "ulu" which means "land's end" and "watu" which means "rock" in the old language).

http://www.mapsbali.com/areas/jimbaran3.php

The journey is about 1hr from Kuta, using the mandatory hill climbing road as the traffic gradually lessen towards the southwest part of Bali.

To me this temple holds the most spectacular view on the island of Bali while

pura Tanah Lot comes in a close 2nd.

Even the Besakih mother temple cannot come close to matching these 2 in terms of spectacular spellbindig view and closeness to nature.

1 of the cliff at the southern part of Uluwatu, just don't get too "high" and jump off it :-p

Pura Uluwatu is perched majestically on the edge of a steep cliff that towers above the

legendary surf breaks of southern Bali.

Regarded as one of the 6 most important temples in Bali (along with Pura Besakih), its establishment on the south westernmost precinct of this magical island is aimed to so-called guard the Balinese from the evil spirit of the ocean.

Follow the monkeys infested bushy pathway to the south vantage point of Uluwatu,

you'll reach this grassland on a cliff,  from where u can behold what many ppl came here looking for...

...Something you don't see everyday..

...Something you might only watch on National Geographic channel..

...Something so mesmerizing you would think it is out of this world...

It looks like a chilly blue soda lemonade..inviting~

This view was taken from the south vantage point, over there is the centre point,

I'm making my way back there to see what the temple is all about.

There you go, the temple's inner sanctum. Just a few monuments, gateways, altars?, and pagodas.

By now it has come to my realization that Balinese worship in open air.

There is no confined chambers, no strict idols or statues, no joss stick, no round-the-clock chantings,

well frankly i have only the slightest idea how the Balinese worhip.

They are Hindus by religion btw.

The temple monuments at the centre point of Uluwatu, overlooking the beautiful Indian ocean.

This place is the best place to be for catching a romantic sunset every evening.

The Uluwatuan monkeys has willingly assumed their posts as temple guards.

I will try not to mention too much of these monkeys but pay special precaution towards their aggresiveness.

They particularly like flashy stuff esp sunglasses or even spectacles and creep quietly behind you before swiftly snatching it from your face.

Wont be a very good Bali experience if u ask me..:-p

Enough said, lets now head to the north vantage point of Uluwatu.

The path is broader and more well kempt..

More tourist, for the simple reason there're less monkeys.

The northern most vantage point is still far ahead, don't think i'll be reaching there..

huff..puff.. (wheezing)

The temple built for protection against sea monsters.

A sea cave under 1 of the cliff, reminds me of  "A Perfect Getaway", a psychological thriller

based in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Good plot, good character development, good visual scenes of the island. Must watch!!

Beautiful seaview of the Indian ocean, even more when its sunset time.

Btw if you happen to be there at sunset, don't miss the local Kecak dance (aka Fire Dance).

Like most of the Balinese dances, including Legong and Barong dance, Kecak/ Fire is another version of dance offering to their Hindu gods.

Huff..puff..wheezeee..man i'm tired..

Oh well thats all for my 2nd last Bali entry.

In case you're wondering, it is mandatory to enter every "sacred place" wrapped in a Sarong.

Enough of temples already, next blog i'll be doing something different..

Yup, the long awaited closure of my Bali blog series is finally coming.

But before you allow the suspense to get hold of you, y not get hold of this movie 1st...

A Perfect Getaway

starring Timothy Olyphant and Milla Jovovich.

..ciao~