Poppies Cottage

jAN 12 2010 arrived in Bali.

To be collected at the airport in Bali is a human welcome but to step into a car and sit on seats that have freshly washed white cotton seat covers
makes one feels special. Today is the 37th anniversary of the opening of Poppies cottage, a truly unique place that is beautifully elegant from the overall design, the gardens ,the pool ,the individual cottages down to the smallest detail of the tiny ceramic frog on the handle of your coffee cup.
The peaceful nature of Balinese culture has been captured not only in the structure of Poppies but also in the way the staff treat you. It is the anticipation of your needs, such as a cold cocktail, served on a carved tray with hibiscus flowers. It is actions and not words that are impressive. Coming from a culture where tv commercials scream at you, street signs obstruct you vision , brochures with the clichés of benefits delude you, Poppies has to be experienced to be understood. While I have been writing at 6.30 in the morning in my elegant bungalow with the door open, bananas, hot tea together with a small bowl of frangipani flowers have been placed on my porch, I did not hear even the rustle of a sarong or the scrape of a sandal on the tiles.
It is only when I walked out to the porch did I notice the change.

Now to revisit the streets the warungs and the people.