Artini 2

I just love Artini 2. That is where I am staying. I call it my hotel, but it is more like a family compound, only a little spruced up (some of the family compounds I've seen have been pretty shabby looking and usually have chickens and other animals running around).

How can I describe it?

First of all, it seems to be set in a valley or maybe what you would call a ravine? Maybe not so good as chi goes (or air-flow), but it seems fine to me. On one side is a rice field, which is set up at street level, and on the other side is a family compound, I think the owner's, also at street level, so we are below street level.

You walk down a path from the road to reach the reception desk, which is next to the pool. Alongside the pool is the dining area where we are served breakfast, and if we wanted could get food at any time of day.

There are a few cottages above the reception area but further back in the grounds there are clusters of buildings. Each building has maybe four rooms to it. Two below and two above. The bottom rooms have air-con, but the upper rooms, since they get breezes off the rice field, don't (and are cheaper). Of course, they also have a view.

I just love hanging out here, and normally I don't like spending a lot of time in a hotel.

The day starts early, maybe 6 or 7 a.m. I usually hear Made cough, so I know they have arrived. The guys are wearing green sarongs, a dark green one under a lighter green printed one, lime green shirts and lime green head scarves. They are usually engaged in their morning activities, by the time I get up. This involves picking flowers for our rooms, sweeping up anything that has fallen during the night and maybe knocking leaves from trees (they knock down the leaves that are going to fall soon so they can sweep them up). It is amazing how much attention they give to keeping the place clean, but also how much attention it needs. With so many trees, things are always falling.

One guy has been trimming the grass outside of my cottage all week, with shears. He hunches down and clip, clip, clip, all morning.

But when we wake up and make our way to the breakfast area, they convert into our waiters. I think they take turns doing it. They take our order and then hang around until we are finished so they can clear our dishes.

There are two or three women working here as well. In the morning, they prepare the offerings for the gods and go about the complex putting out these little trays of flowers, rice and crackers, which the doves soon devour.

Then I guess they go to the kitchen and cook our breakfast.

After breakfast, the women clean up the dining area, sweep and mop and I guess do other things behind the scenes, like maybe laundry.

The men clean our rooms. Made is my dedicated servant and he usually comes and gets my key if I am still hanging around. Even though there are signs asking us to conserve energy by turning off our fans and air-con, they still are not doing what most hotels do and each day we get fresh sheets and towels. It is really a shame. I could sleep on the same sheets all week.

Once the guys finish with the rooms, they continue with the grounds-keeping, a big part of which is knocking leaves down from trees with a big stick. It's quite a funny thing to see. Right now, it is 3 p.m. and they are still at it. Also one guy is dusting the reception area.

I usually leave by then and don't know how the rest of the morning unfolds, but when I get back, they have usually changed into their afternoon wear. Made wears shorts and a t-shirt, the same shorts and t-shirt every day. The guy who usually cuts the grass wears jeans and a black t-shirt with orange writing. The same one every day.

They seem to have a lunch break during which time they hang out in the back of the dining area and make a lot of noise! Indonesian (perhaps they are speaking Balinese?)is a very staccato language and sounds a lot like chickens clucking. It is amazing how noisy it can get.

Today was quite comical because they were chattering away, several people at a time and all of a sudden they switched to English. One guy said, "listen for me" and the other guy, mocking his mistake said, "ok, I will listen for you" (he meant to say listen "to" me). Then again the chatter was interrupted when one guy started singing and they all joined in. It was a very sweet, beautiful ballad.

When their lunch break was finished, they emerged to continue with their grounds-keeping, and the women just hung around. I guess most of their work was done.

They work so hard and I never see them complain or say "ugh" or even wipe their brows.

Soon they will all change into their street clothes and leave and a new crew will come in. It seems the night crew just sits by the pool and chats all night, but I don't really know.

And of course, there is Big Made who lounges around like a sea lion on a pier wearing a sarong and head scarf and chats up new guests, I guess so he can try to sell them "his paintings" or talk them into a motorbike or tours or whatever.

Aside from all of the people, there are also these beautiful doves that hang around. They start cooing early in the morning and wake me up if I am not up already, and they attack the offerings as soon as they are put out, and then the rest of the day they lounge by the pool, sipping the water, cleaning themselves and eventually returning to their resting areas for the evening. There are some other beautiful birds that fly around and I've seen an amazing lizard hanging out on the wall at the far end of the pool. He is beautifully camouflaged and is mostly the color of the rocks with spots of green to match the little moss growing on them.

I guess at this point I have been here the longest. There are a few other long-time guests. One American guy who looks like he is a police or Army officer. He looks very stern, has short-cropped hair, a big mustache and wears mirrored sunglasses. There is a hippiesh French couple who are here buying stuff to sell in a shop they have in Paris. The woman looks kind of like Katie Segall, the woman on Married with Children (though not as trashy) and the husband has the biggest mullet I have ever seen. His hair looks almost normal on the top, front and sides, but in the back there is a huge party going on and his curly hair goes almost halfway down his back. They sit around and smoke cigarettes when they are not out shopping.

And then there is a great Dane. He reminds me of a golden retriever. He's very friendly and a little high-strung. He is always talking, wagging his tail and visiting with everyone here. I got stopped by him yesterday after my ride on my moto and he kept me talking for about 30 minutes until I told him I needed to get something to drink. He was in the pool and I was standing in the hot sun. He's very nice and also quite interesting, but it amazes me how he can talk about anything.

At first I didn't like him because he was talking about all of the Chinese tourists who you see out and about now. It is quite remarkable. When I was in Europe I was reading this book from my taxi driver in SF that was written in the 70's when China and Russia were still hard to get into, and impossible to get out of. Now you see large groups of Chinese and Russians. I say, "welcome to the world!"

But this guy was talking about how they walk around with their noses in the air and this air of superiority (and he was speaking to the French couple!) and said, they are like American tourists in the 50s. I don't know what he meant by that, but I found it kind of insulting (at that time I thought he was French).

I don't know much about him because even though he talks a lot he doesn't reveal much about himself other than how much he knows. He speaks Indonesian fluently and he seems to be an expert on any subject.

Right now it is pretty quiet here except for the sounds of the guys finishing sweeping up. All of my fellow travelers are out doing something in the hot sun no doubt, the French couple is probably shopping and the Danish guy is probably talking to someone.

And that is life at Artini Cottages, or as the locals call it Artini 2. It is a lovely home away from home, and even though I can't cook or use internet in my room, I think this is by far the best place I've stayed at on my four month travels so far. The people are great, the pool is a nice touch and the price can't be beat!