This chapter closes for a child on the road...

And hope for many new adventures, his soul is expanded with wisdom and love and a mother has hope still for a nomadic lifestyle and an education on the road. Next stop.. ?

Bye boats...

eaten by fish!

Thank you jenny for a lovely last night in Indonesia and for being a lovely Aunt to Mallee and I, I am so super impressed with you work over there and the projects sound amazing with Reefcheck. xxx

1 Days worth of rubbish there, note the colorful plastic bag display. My favorite plastic item was the 100ml of water that you get in a plastic cup with a plastic lid that will be put into a plastic bag..

Thought we would get a picture of Mallee on the way to the airport, after riding bikes in slings, back of motorbikes, in trucks cars! He gets a car seat on the way home of all things!

ahh we love to be in transition.

This was a laugh, after no sleep on the plane we had to wait at the train station at Melbourne for about 4 hours, they have a travelers aid section where you can book a room for $5 per hour. This room had all white walls, white bed with hospital sheets, desk and lamp with no bulb, abstract painting and to top it off a old school clock that went tick tick tick tick. Luckily were were both exhausted and appreciated the few hours sleep before the last train ride back home..

A sad goodbye filled with love…

The travel gods beckoned a day early yet it was time to go. They had a cleansing ceremony on this day with the locals making over 1000 offerings to go under every coconut tree in the area. This is to signify the blessings of the tree and pray for a good year. They also had a cleansing part of the ceremony where all the year gone was washed out to sea and the New Year brought in. Saying goodbye is a tricky thing. I find it hard to crack that emotional point where you are about to cry. Once I did I found it hard to stop. I have so much love for many people there and I think Mallee feels it to.  Mallee gave every one a cuddle goodbye and a wave. He called so many people PAPA and MEH MEH (MAMA) it was his family and I will never forget that. I hope to return with Mallee someday and share in the beauty of Nusa Penida. Mallee fell in a puddle just as we were about to leave and he threw up everywhere on the boat trip home. I arrived back to Sanur covered in vomit and saturated. But nothing could damper the good feeling that I have from the family in Nusa Penida I still feel it now and will always feel like my heart has grown bigger.

Mallee and Bom Bom who he called Bum Bum. We missed his performance for the ceromoney but apparently last year he put a fwe people in a trance includung kids.

The Warung goodbye

Wyan Mallee liked to listen to him sing.

OK so this the shot I took after the huge swell when I could finally move, right before Mallee had his first throw up. One girl was screaming others put on their life jackets and some were ye harring like cowboys. I just sat and gripped onto Mallee at one point the boat was nearly vertical!

Days 5,6 Time does not exist now…

I have found it difficult to do much physical work Mallee has been the main focus yet I have managed to squeeze in some weeding and planting in the nursery which I quite enjoyed. Swimming after work had been something to look forward to with all the children joining in. Mallee has been getting a rather bad heat rash, which it did not help when he was scratching along with mozzie bites. Finding it hard to dry the cloth nappies in the wet season. The locals here do not use nappies the children from birth are just watched by the parents for signs and taken outside. I recall reading many books and articles on these methods debating endlessly the pros and cons. Seems so intuitive and simple to me as a mother. Yet I guess allot of us have not the time and the nappy companies seems to push the age limit even further. Apart from the rubbish problem on the island it was nice to observe rolled up dumped nappies everywhere to.

I have possibly witnessed some of the best snorkelling just a short swim near the sanctuary. For many days while Mallee slept I would snorkel out just past the seaweed farms and amaze at the contrast of the seaweed farm to tropical fish tank!

The education programs within and out the foundation sounded interesting. Unfortunately seen as it was the first week back at school most of the schools were to busy to fit Mallee and I in. yet the foundation is working on school garden projects, recycling and habitat education. I am looking forward to seeing the progress.

Mallee's favourite words and things on the island. ‘Pancake’ we ate all of our food at the Warung across the road where a lovely lady named Wayan cooked remarkable local dishes. Mike at the foundation taught her to cook pancakes and they are a treat for the volunteers. Every morning going to see Wyan Mallee would mention ‘Pancake’ roughly about 50 times.  ‘No’ and ‘Mama’ he sure loved saying those words and really gave them a good workout when things got a bit tough. He liked me to carry him everywhere on the island and soon as we got back to Sanur he wanted to walk everywhere. Rabbit next door Mallee took a shining to a lady named Ibo Mallee learned of the Rabbit that she kept next door and we used that word allot when he got upset. 

7 am chidldren young as 13 riding motorbikes to secondary school, not a bus in sight.

Mallee enjoying breakfast at the Warung.

This beautiful lady has worked all her life and now dotes a true hunchback, Mallee loved her and had a special smile. They shared special conversation together.

The boys are amazing with traditional medicines, this is a bath for hives conditions.

Mallee's special friend Simase

The best sandcastle by the best kids in the world!

Agos he was a great friend to us and such a charachter full of life and love.

Mallee and Coman he would come over for hours and play with Mallee.

Temple Ped said to denote a very powerful mix of white and black magic.

The Foundation.

So the Friends of the National Park Foundation (NGO) began in 1997. Its main cause is agreements with locals and council in the Nusa Penida area to cease poaching of the Indonesian national bird the Bali Starling. They have released a number of birds back to the island and have had great success with breeding programs. The deal is if you get caught poaching the bird you will face a hefty fine and shame from the community do it again and you will be expelled from the island forever. Makes simple sense. The foundation has expanded into conservation with a huge nursery for many varieties of trees and ferns. I loved to watch the locals come and take their pickings at no charge to plant near roadsides or improve a wildlife corridor. This is a great example of community education.  This is a true example of harmony with nature and the programs on the foundation are expanding all the time. The whole island I hope will remain a sanctuary. If tourism remains a low with no hotels and bars etc and traditional methods are retained I see great hope in the island being a prime example of the importance local knowledge across the world.  Have a look at the website here

 www.fnpf.org

Bali Starling named Lucky who fell from a tree and injured his wing, not sure if he will make a full recovery though he will always have a home at the fopundation.

Mallee in the garden

Mallee and his pal Blackie the dog 

Collecting shells to put into the newley tiled outdoor shower blocks.

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Rec time with Mallee and Nengah quite a little footballer

The Nusery

Mallee helping Nick choose shells, Nick is a tiler from Australia and his father kindley donated tiles and cement and Nick's time was much appreciated.

Bring in the New Year and new friends!

I would have to whole-heartedly say that the best food that I have had in Indonesia was the food that was cooked for the New Years Eve celebrations. All bought fresh from the market that day it was prepared from midday onwards. Party was a joy for us both all the people in the area come with local music and good energy. Mallee enjoyed his time with the kids and was quite happy to be placed to bed at 9. I unfortunately dabbled in to many bintangs and arak and placed myself into bed at 4.

This every evening...

Mallee bonding with the kids at the New Year EVE Party.

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Some of my most cherished moments watching Mallee explore.

Nusa Penida... 10 Days at the FNPF

Arrived back from the Island of Nusa Penida yesterday. An account of the 10 days will run over the next few posts. What a fantastic place, a community that we will forever be publishing books and articles to try and re-create. I felt so blessed as well as Mallee has changed into a worldly little creature, he had received so much love. The foundation has many exciting projects on the go and the community and natural integration is inspirational. My heart will fill with so much love when I think of our family on the island and I hope that Mallee and I can return one day.

DAYS 1 and 2

Boat trip, was fine, Mallee thankfully wore his life jacket and eventually fell asleep in there. The swell was not bad at all and we arrived safely, then some how my luggage was on one motorbike and Mallee and I were on another. There goes out the window one of the things that I would never do with Mallee in Indonesia, he was squashed in the middle of the driver and I on the back.  Go with the flow!

I was hit with a lovely vibe entering the Nusa Penida FNPF and the first friendly face that we saw was Mike, who has been at the foundation over 6 months, he is involved with community and educational development, we had a great tour of the garden and nusery and the grounds and I finally saw my first Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) very small agile little creatures. Mallee bonded with the resident cat on the grounds and received a freindly warning scratch about pulling its tail. Our first night sleep was broken with Mallee scratching his bites and throwing him self around the bed. 

Early next morning up at 5.30 took Mallee to the markets in the sling on the push bike. Bad idea for someone who suffers with back trouble. The locals were laughing all the way along the road at the bullae with a baby half hanging of her back. Finally made the 1/2 hour ride and come across a spectacular and fragrant market with fruits, fish, spices and anything that someone wants to trade. I managed to do some weeding while Mallee slept and clean up the art/toy library. Mallee enjoyed meeting the children in the area. So first few days were the foundation of a beautiful experience. 

I never imagined that he would wear the life jacket let alone fall asleep!

Mallee conversing about the days trade at the markets.

Mallee being introduced to the cat and Nengah who I think turned out to be Mallee's favorite friend, when Mallee said goodbye he gave him a very special hug, I think Mallee knew.

If you try hard to not look at the rubbish all the time it really is paradise.

Mallee with his friends who had so much enthusiasm with him it was very warming, He called the man on the left PAPA from this picture on.

The foundation office. All local bamboo.