Eat Pray Love & The Medicine Man

TRAVEL is one of my passions...I started when I was 18. I've been to about 25 countries & plan to travel to another 25 in the next 5-10 years.

I've been fortunate enough to visit Bali 5 times (as a single woman). So in July, 2010, when my family & I visited it was a whole NEW experience. I actually did some serious sight-seeing and saw quite a lot of the magical island.(partying hard & hang-overs & shopping frenzies where pretty much the itinerary for the first 5 visits)

I remember seeing an interview on Oprah with Julia Roberts about a movie she had done called 'Eat Pray Love' and it sounded awesome. I heard about the popularity of the book and how many women had poured themselves into it...& I wanted to as well.

It just so turned out that I coincidentally started to read the book a week before our trip to Bali and that REALLY excited me. I told my husband Anan that i just HAD to meet 2 of the characters from the book Wayan & Ketut Liyur (Medicine Man)

Our trip to Bali was actually to celebrate my 40th Birthday. I was very VERY lucky & blessed to have one of my best friends Nicole join us, as well as her hubby Brian and Nicole's Mum & Dad also came along. We had a blast...it was sooooo much FUN...my BEST birthday ever! And when they all returned to Australia, Anan, Rhianna & I continued our 3 week journey of Bali.

We traveled up North to an area called Lovina. It was gorgeous, the black sand beaches, stunning sunsets, exotic foods and just the relaxed atmosphere. We did so much in the 5 days we were there...the most memorable experience was visiting the Helen Flavel Foundation and donating clothes and bags of rice to the poorest villages of Lovina.

Then we moved on to Ubud...the place where the movie 'Eat Pray Love' was filmed. We only passed through Ubud...Anan wasn't to keen about visiting Ubud for the reasons I had explained BUT it's something I just HAD to do...I was a bit nervouse actually...I have never really met REAL people from a book I had JUST finished reading lol...I just cound NOT want to meet them!!!

If you have read the book or seen the movie you remember a character named 'Wayan'. he was the healer with long black hair that had a daughter named Tutu. We managed to find her shop and i thought it would be a good idea if I got her to sign my book.

So I walked into her small shop/restaurant and instantly noticed her. I asked her for a menu and I suddenly felt her negative vibrations. She must of thought 'another bloody woman wanting an autograph'. I felt really uncomfortable...and pride got the better of me and I left...I was pissed off as well!

I told Anan that she was a cow! I know that Anan had no real 'connection' to it all and begged him to go in and get her to sign my book and of course my amazing husband did:)(thanks babes)

Then we moved on the the Medicine mans residence. It was EXACTLY what I expected...the book was so descriptive and he was sooooooo LOVELY! He hardly had any teeth...his English was very broken (but after my experience of teaching English in Japan it was easy for me to understand).

As soon as I sat down directly in front of him he noticed I was holding a copy of the book. He took it from me and flicked through the pages...then he asked me to find a page where he could see his name printed on it, then he asked me to read a little.

After some small chit-chat we got serious and he did a healing session with me and read my palm. I was with him for about 30 mins and made a donation when I left.

This is what he said;

- Anan is a very lucky man to have me as his wife.
- i am a very strong and powerful woman.
- I am a very kind and loving soul.
- I will be successful in anything I pursue.
- I will have 3 children.
- I will not get Breast Cancer.
- I will not suffer with any other serious disease.
- I should slow down when I drive.
- I will run my own school someday in a poor country.
- I will travel the world & help as many people as I can.
- Anan & I will be married until we are old & grey & until he dies.
- Once again that Anan is a very very lucky man to have me as his wife.

We kissed, we hugged & we took photos.

And I smiled for the next 2 weeks...I was so happy...I really believe he has some special magical powers...and I will visit him each time I visit Bali.
What a beautiful, wondrous, extraordinary, magical man:)

So if anyone plans to visit Bali, I strongly recommend a trip to Ubud, not only for the amazing experience you can share with Ketut Liyur but Ubud is a very stunning town that just oozes culture & arts (with lots of 35+ women floating around holding Elizabeth Gilmores amazing book)(YES, I noticed them lol)

EAT PRAY LOVE...I DO :) Love Linda

p.s. Yes, I have stopped speeding lol