Immediately when we arrived we knew we would love the staff. It was dark when we checked in, but were told to expect a view of a beautiful temple across the river in the morning. Sure enough, Gunung Lebah Temple, along with a view the hotel pool, and surrounding greenery were exquisite. The visiting monkey, the people at the temple decorating for an upacara, cooking, eating and waving back, the extremely friendly and happy-go-lucky staff, and even the man outside the hotel who always had a different sob story to try to guilt Kenric into buying one of his wooden boxes made our stay most enjoyable. Of course, the locals we encountered along Jalan Subak Soh Wayah trail which I’ve yapped about nonstop also made us feel very welcome.

Spend More Time in Ubud

So, after staying for a week we decided to cut short our stay in Jogja so that we can spend more time in Ubud, more specifically, at Ani’s Villas. When Kenric went to the front desk to book our second stay with Gusti, he made sure she knows we are very appreciative of the hospitality shown by everyone at Ani’s. Gusti must have been brimming with pride. She’s one of those people you can immediately tell does everything with determination, pride, efficiency, and doesn’t see work as work. During our stay, we’ve seen her climb up the wall to fix the WiFi routers, carry a guest’s baby to their room while the baby’s Mom followed with the luggage, and climb back up from the river after retrieving a guest’s special prescription glasses that had fallen over the edge while the guest was lounging by the pool.

The Best Thing We’ve Eaten

When we returned from Seminyak after a week, we brought the hotel staff Nasi Campur Babi Guling (Suckling Pig Combination Rice) from Warung Pak Malen in Seminyak. One of our guides, Ady, had brought us there previously after confirming that we really wanted something local and can eat spicy food. It was the best thing we’ve eaten in Indonesia, and much better than the highly recommended Ibu Oka of Ubud. It was so good that in seven days, we went there three times, and on two of those days, we had it for lunch, and the takeaway for dinner. Even our other driver who had recommended Ibu Oka said he would eat at Pak Malen whenever he is in Seminyak from now on after having lunch with us there.

Showing Our Appreciation

When we told Gusti we had brought Bali Guling, we were so glad to hear that she likes Babi Guling. She told the rest of the crew about the surprise lunch when they came to give us our “Welcome Back” drinks and to wrestle our luggage from us and take it to our room. They were happy about the surprise too. Then, Gusti had a surprise of her own. She told us that our room had been painted. We were excited to see it. She insisted on walking us to the room. The ceilings in the bedroom, bathroom and kitchen were sealed, and the place was repainted and much brighter. Yay! No more random tiny creature droppings. She was genuinely happy to see us marvel at the renovation. We were so glad we brought the Babi Guling because it allowed us to show her and her crew our appreciation.

Wishing the Best for Gusti

She will still be working in a villa, but in a different role. She’s most excited about learning new things and acquiring new skills and experiences. I really applaud her for her courage to leave a job she knows like the back of her hand, where she loves everyone including the villa owners whom she said are very nice, in order to advance herself. That’s fearless and very admirable. Today is her first day at her new job. Kenric and I wish her the very best in this new adventure, and in achieving all her other dreams. As promised, we will keep looking out for a mini Kenric who is good enough for her!

Map of Places Visited