Magical Ubud.
The last two weeks have been tough. I just got back yesterday from the fabulous Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali and before that I was staying with my brother in Queensland for a week (who just happens to have a holiday house on Fraser Island). I love the Ubud Writer's Festival. It really is one of the best writer's festivals in the world (okay Janet, it IS the best!). There was the usual abundance of great authors and speakers accompanied by large and appreciative crowds all taking place in one of the most beautiful settings in the world (I'll write more about some of my events on my next blog). And of course I do have quite the soft spot for Ubud and the writer's festival because It was where I met my American Girl Beth three years ago. It was also nice to catch up with some of the lovely locals who featured in my new book Tell Them to Get Lost.
I had lunch a couple times at Canderi's Restaurant on Monkey Forest Road where in 1974 'the whole travelling population gathers at night to see Canderi perform miracles in her tiny kitchen'. Canderi was still in her tiny kitchen performing miracles 37 years later (although the kitchen is a bit bigger now). When I first visited Canderi three years ago she told me that she was 78 years old. 'How old are you now?' I asked when I met up with her this week.
'I'm seventy-eight,' she said.
'But you were seventy-eight three years ago!'
'I'm still seventy-eight,' Canderi said with a big grin.
Also when I visited three years ago Canderi's mum, Niketutmerti, was the oldest person in the village at 108. Sadly she passed away this year at the ripe old age of 110.
Canderi was very excited when I gave her a copy of my book and went around showing it proudly to the other lunchtime diners.
Canderi and my book.
Canderi is still cooking in that kitchen 37 years later!
I also dropped into Oka Watis (who featured in the book), but she was in Denpasar visiting family, so sadly I didn't get a chance to catch up. I did leave a copy of my book for her though…
I've only been back a day and I miss Ubud and Bali already!
