Randy and Holly are traveling around the world WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). We want to share this experience with you, so we will post updates here!
Ubud, Bali, is home to the Bumi Sehat Foundation. Founded by Robin Lim in 2003, it provides free prenatal, birthing, and medical care to anyone who needs it. In Indonesia, babies are often held by hospitals until they receive payment for the birth. Because of this, families who cannot pay are often forced to give their babies up, or women don't go to the hospital in the first place, leading to high rates of maternal and infant mortality. Lim started Bumi Sehat to combat these dangerous practices, and 80% of the women who receive care are unable to pay at all. If you are looking for a charity to donate to, we highly recommend Bumi Sehat, just click here.
Back in New Zealand, we had learned that our around-the-world trip, one of the last things we wanted to do before we had kids, turned into literally the last thing we would do before having kids. About six weeks in, we found out Holly was pregnant. We'd had a few tests done in New Zealand, but we wanted a proper prenatal, and Bumi Sehat seemed like the perfect place.
Randy's "Bali kiss"
It was by far our longest excursion on the motorbike, and we got up early so we could drive most of the way before it got crazy hot. Armed with a map, a compass, and some snacks, we set out. The map was not as helpful as you'd think, because some roads did not have names on the map, and most did not have signs anyway. It didn't take long for us to take a few wrong turns, and we often got swept along in the current of traffic, unable to turn around for several minutes. We kept pulling over to consult the map and ask people, but between our four-word Indonesian vocabulary and the unmarked roads, we often just guessed. Once while attempting to pull over to get our bearings, Randy hit a patch of sand and the bike slid out from under us. Fortunately Holly landed on Randy, and she only got a few scrapes. Randy's roadburn was a bit more substantial, but we decided it was best to continue on our way. Luckily when we got back on the road, we were finally headed in the right direction, and started seeing signs for Ubud. Eventually we made our way off the highway, and found ourselves on the peaceful, beautiful back roads. The picturesque drive was punctuated with Hindu temples, terraced rice paddies, and the ever-present colorful kites. Along the way we came upon a ceremonial procession. The slow march filled the street and consisted of dozens of people clad in white, carrying poles adorned with religious objects and chanting. Not wanting to awkwardly idle at the back on the motorbike, we decided to test our new-found navigational confidence, and set out in search of a shortcut. We wound our way through a residential neighborhood, sometimes driving on narrow footpaths, but miraculously bypassed the procession.
It was a day of babies
Along the way we stopped at a convenience store and bought some vodka, which Randy used to sterilize his cuts, since of course we'd left our first aid kit at home. As we entered a more densely populated area, at least three different people saw our injuries and were quite concerned, and wanted to take us to a clinic right away. One of these good Samaritans ended up leading us directly to Bumi Sehat, which was lucky because otherwise we might not have found it. Once we arrived, our escort made it a point to alert the staff to Randy's injuries. Right away three people starting patching him up, while Holly waited to see a midwife.
A troop relaxing in a quiet part of the park
A senior nurse used Randy's injuries to teach two younger midwives how to sew stitches. They were a bit tentative, but eventually managed to complete the single stitch that he required. Holly also got cleaned up a bit, and then met Robin Lim, the woman who started Bumi Sehat, and we chatted a bit about midwifery. Then Holly got a prenatal. Since she was only 13 weeks pregnant, there wasn't a whole lot to it; they checked her height, weight, and the baby's position. We were quite surprised when they asked us if we wanted to hear the heartbeat. We hadn't expected to be able to hear it so soon, but the rapid taps heard from the Doppler gave a new dimension to the pregnancy.
Super excited founder
of the sanctuary
Pensive monkey
Koi pond
After eating a snack, we headed to the nearby Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. We had seen many monkeys earlier on our way past the sanctuary (they could easily scale the 8-foot fence, and were often found scampering outside the walls). We still wanted to see the interior, and with the $3 entranced fee, it was too good to pass up. The Sanctuary fosters religious, ecological, and educational experiences. The Sanctuary houses about 600 Crab-eating Macaques, with 5 different troops. We didn't see them eating any crabs, but you could buy overpriced bananas to feed them. Some uninformed visitors also fed them crackers and cookies--not exactly the monkeys' natural diet. We'd heard stories of the monkeys' boldness, but as long as you weren't being a jerk and hiding food from them, they weren't mean at all.
This is as close as we got to the monkeys
Temple in the middle of the sanctuary
They let you get within a foot or two of them, but would casually saunter off if you tried to touch them. We had a lovely leisurely walk around the sanctuary, and saw monkeys engaging in all kinds of social behavior. It was really fun to see so many monkeys up close; from adolescents play fighting, to whole troops lazing and grooming, and a few actual confrontations involving rival groups.
On our way out, we saw a few monkeys playing and banging on the roof of a nearby SUV; we were glad we weren't parked so close. Although the drive there had taken us three hours, the drive back went smoothly, we took 0 wrong turns, and it only took us an hour. even with stops for ice cream and gas. Gas stations in Bali were a bit unconventional, there were regular gas stations, but they were few and far between.
Monkey crematorium
Most gas was purchased from small stands on the side of the road, consisting of shelves lined with old Svedka vodka bottles full of gasoline (for some reason, it was always Svedka).
When we got back we met four Europeans who had arrived while we were away, a French couple and a British couple. We enjoyed working and relaxing with them for the next few days, before we packed up and headed to our next destination.
Back in New Zealand, we had learned that our around-the-world trip, one of the last things we wanted to do before we had kids, turned into literally the last thing we would do before having kids. About six weeks in, we found out Holly was pregnant. We'd had a few tests done in New Zealand, but we wanted a proper prenatal, and Bumi Sehat seemed like the perfect place. 
It was by far our longest excursion on the motorbike, and we got up early so we could drive most of the way before it got crazy hot. Armed with a map, a compass, and some snacks, we set out. The map was not as helpful as you'd think, because some roads did not have names on the map, and most did not have signs anyway. It didn't take long for us to take a few wrong turns, and we often got swept along in the current of traffic, unable to turn around for several minutes. We kept pulling over to consult the map and ask people, but between our four-word Indonesian vocabulary and the unmarked roads, we often just guessed. Once while attempting to pull over to get our bearings, Randy hit a patch of sand and the bike slid out from under us. Fortunately Holly landed on Randy, and she only got a few scrapes. Randy's roadburn was a bit more substantial, but we decided it was best to continue on our way. Luckily when we got back on the road, we were finally headed in the right direction, and started seeing signs for Ubud. Eventually we made our way off the highway, and found ourselves on the peaceful, beautiful back roads. The picturesque drive was punctuated with Hindu temples, terraced rice paddies, and the ever-present colorful kites. Along the way we came upon a ceremonial procession. The slow march filled the street and consisted of dozens of people clad in white, carrying poles adorned with religious objects and chanting. Not wanting to awkwardly idle at the back on the motorbike, we decided to test our new-found navigational confidence, and set out in search of a shortcut. We wound our way through a residential neighborhood, sometimes driving on narrow footpaths, but miraculously bypassed the procession.
Along the way we stopped at a convenience store and bought some vodka, which Randy used to sterilize his cuts, since of course we'd left our first aid kit at home. As we entered a more densely populated area, at least three different people saw our injuries and were quite concerned, and wanted to take us to a clinic right away. One of these good Samaritans ended up leading us directly to Bumi Sehat, which was lucky because otherwise we might not have found it. Once we arrived, our escort made it a point to alert the staff to Randy's injuries. Right away three people starting patching him up, while Holly waited to see a midwife.
The Sanctuary fosters religious, ecological, and educational experiences. The Sanctuary houses about 600 Crab-eating Macaques, with 5 different troops. We didn't see them eating any crabs, but you could buy overpriced bananas to feed them. Some uninformed visitors also fed them crackers and cookies--not exactly the monkeys' natural diet. We'd heard stories of the monkeys' boldness, but as long as you weren't being a jerk and hiding food from them, they weren't mean at all.
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