There were some things that I couldn't have seen coming.
Having lunch with Trish and Jay, we were seated outside our local cafe - which is just out the front door of the villa, the lovely Habitat Cafe. As I took my time coming to lunch, I found them sitting on the bar seats out the front, and made mention that I hoped the monkeys would leave us be. I was having a perfectly pleasant lunch, when all of a sudden, there is one of the cretinous villains sitting on my dinner plate pilfering my corn. The arsehole! Jay, being big and brave and a little less shocked than me, punched the bugger, but not before her got away with a corn on the cob and half of my ribs. The prick! If he wanted the corn, he only had to ask.
Thankfully, we were moved inside after that - and the girl with the shanghai (sling shot) was on point for the rest of the afternoon - it seems that they use projectiles to keep the buggers away.
(A day later, while sitting by the pool, Jonella passed me half a muesli bar - this also got robbed by a monkey - and I ended up in the pool to get away from the pilfering creature - was not happy about this, but the rest of the group thought it was hysterical)
Needless to say, I am not fond of monkeys.
The other thing I didn't see coming was the earthquake we got late in the evening last night. Yep, I got an earthquake for my birthday. We were sitting round drinking and playing Cards Against Humanity, when the bottles and glasses started the rattle - then the roof started to shake - a loud clattering, like a heap of wood being unloaded from a truck in one foul swoop . The staff gathered us from our spot in the lobby and out in the garden we stood until the shaking and clattering subsided. The evening was plagued with more tremors - mostly small ones, a few larger ones, and we all went to bed just after midight with some trepidation.
I was woken at 5.30 this morning to the bed and windows rattling - it was a solid aftershock. I was debating whether to get out of bed and it subsided - there are a few more after that - and Blarney said that her door was rattling all night.
Riding the tectonic plates is fun.
So monkeys and earthquakes were the "fun" bits of the day.
The lovely bits came in the form of a trip to Tirta Empul to go and be purified. This was a special time, going up into the hills, to place ourselves in the sacred waters. It felt great.
The other highlight of the day was fronting up to Yin Yoga at the Yoga Barn. I made a pact with myself that I'd do Yin Yoga every evening at five when I was on holiday. On the weekends, a favourite teacher if mine from my trip two and a half years ago was teaching. Estee is a legend. Sweet, funny, wicked, Rilke quoting and ever so supportive, she's the yoga teacher I wish I could find in Melbourne. We struck up a friendship when I was here two and a half years ago.
She recognised me as I came in the class, which was so lovely to be greeted was I went in the class with a "Oh, you came back! How long has it been - a few months. Nope - two and a half years.
Going back to the Yoga Barn has been like a return to the mothership. It's a place I would love to work at - but how? Throw tarot? Become a Tama Do Shaman? Take up Yin Yoga training? I don't know - but it's one of the few places in the world I feel completely at peace.
Walking into class yesterday, Estee greeted me with a hug.
She's a special person. And I will be back in Ubud to the Yoga Barn in the not too distant future. There is a part of me who wishes I could find a remote working job where I could work here for a month.
Other things we got up to, other than the earthquakes and thieving monkeys and we had a lovely dinner at the Dirty Duck restaurant, I started the day with prayers to Ganesha and a swim - which is how I've gone into every day here. And we played a lot of Cards Against Humanity - which my friends say I should be writing questions for.... hmm... I don't know about that.
In all, it's been a birthday to remember.
I am very blessed.
Today's song: Sort of apt.
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