Bali part 3

October 14 -17 days 11 to 14

Our second week in Ubud we did a lot of relaxing, swimming, reading etc. Sometimes we would walk into town now and then and go for another amazing lunch somewhere. We did a bit of shopping but I pretty much just bought some jewelry. Most of the tourists here are between the ages of 20-30 and size zero. Earrings always fit.

One day Lana and I decided to head to the Ubud Aloha Swing which is where you sit on a swing and they push you out high over the Telleganan rice fields. You have probably seen young girls and their instagram posts of this but we decided to have some fun and do it as well. We did the full meal deal with the dress and flower crown and all. Doug was very patiently waiting with Eka our driver.

Kumulilir coffee plantation was our next stop. We had a tour of all the plants and herbs grown and learned how the coffee is roasted in the small villages. They grow arabica beans but they also have a small animal, a Kopi Luwuk who eats the coffee bean, partially digests the outer part and then poops out the bean. This bean ends up being roasted and is the most expensive coffee in the world. You may have seen the movie ‘The Bucket List’ with jack nicholson playing a millionaire enjoying his special coffee when Morgan Freeman tells him it’s Poop Coffee. (Great movie if you haven’t seen it).

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Doug tried a cup and said it was not that special. Maybe even kinda shitty. Ha ha

We had a tasting tray of teas and coffees. We each ended up buying some tea. We enjoyed lunch but it was the spiciest meal we have ever had.

The next couple of days were very rainy, torrential. We hung around at home, I read a book in two days, we watched the Earth Chanel, documentaries and did not much of anything else, there were rain warnings . Looking at all the beautiful photos of home and the great weather on the island right now makes it harder to take.
Apparently the weather has never been this bad here in October
I did go next door for an amazing massage. 1/2 hour for 70,000 IDR ( $6.50 CDN)

Tuesday October 18, day 15
Another rainy day. We went off to the Puri Lukisan museum to see some paintings and art, some dating back to the 13 th century. Very sad though, the buildings are not in great repair and I don’t know how this art survives the high humidity.

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We were in the last building and going to head for the restaurant when the skies really opened. I have never seen rain like that before. We waited inside the building for about 45 minutes and then decided to go anyhow. The water on the sidewalk was mid calf so we walked barefoot, the water rushing and pouring down the stairs. We are drenched, our small travel umbrellas not offering much cover

Lunch and warm tea were welcomed while we waited it out. Eventually the water receded and the rain was just a normal medium downpour.
We had hoped to go to the grocery store but the main road was blocked off, we saw a fire truck and front end loader heading down the street to deal with a landslide close by at a school. A wall collapsed. We heard that no one was hurt. It was a soggy walk home, stopping off for take out dinner on the way.

Wednesday October 19, day 16

Breakfast was prepared for us this morning by Wayan and Putu again and is was delicious as usual. The weather was good so we took advantage of it by swimming in the pool for a few hours and reading our books.

The skies opened at 2PM but only for an hour.
The farmer next door is plowing up all the fields. He does it barefoot as it is so muddy. The white egrets and ducks follow after him looking for the good stuff he is churning up. The fields are planted twice a year. It doesn’t matter the season, just every six months .

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We have lots of critters around and in the evening a few come inside the house, frogs, toads, lizards and geckos. That we know of. Could be Others.
The other morning I woke to a very loud “OhOh. OhOh”. Not sure what that was, I think a gecko of some kind but it was in our bathroom for a while.

Doug went to a sound and meditation session and Lana and I walked over to Sweet Orange again for some late lunch and take out dinner, trying to avoid the rains. It was a lovely late afternoon

Doug really enjoyed his sound and meditation.

October 20, day 17

Lana and I headed down the hill at 8am as our little area was just waking up. We were picked up by our transfer in front of Starbucks at 8:30AM and there was another woman in the front from Amsterdam. She was around our age and we were all off to spend the day doing batik. I had booked this the night before to take a class at a place called Five Art Studio which was located twenty minutes out of the centre of Ubud in a beautiful rural area.
We were joined by another couple our age from the US, a younger woman from France and a young Japanese couple. None of us had any batik experience so we were all novices ready to learn and there were five young men ready to help us.

We each chose a drawing that we liked and then traced it onto cotton fabric.

Now came the hard part. A small utensil was used with a well for hot wax and a sharp end to paint the lines. You had to hold both the pen and the design at a 45 degree angle or you would drips large blobs of wax on to your cloth.

There were lots of happy accidents that ended up being part of the design.

When that was done we went downstairs to apply the dye and paint our picture. The studio was located in such a beautiful setting with orchids and wonderful vegetaion everywhere.

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After the wax was removed by the heat of the sun, the fabric was sealed with a glue and we were all finished. The entire process took about four hours and was a lot of fun.

Lana and I asked to be dropped off near the palace and walked to Sami’s Warung for some of the fabulous jackfruit tacos we enjoyed so much a few days ago. Doug was there waiting for us.

Lana bought another pair of pants and a dress and I bought some pants and a carving of a flying angel who will grace my office.

The rain held off but OMG it was so humid I was melting. We could not get into the pool fast enough. Kasey, the owner of our villa, came by for a couple of hours and we had wonderful visit. She has been everywhere in the world and so she was a lot of fun to talk to.

October 21, day 18. Our last day in Ubud.
This morning was clear and offered a decent sunrise. I sat on our deck at 6 Am for an hour or more.

Putu and Wayan made us our last breakfast as we leave Ubud tomorrow. It is going to be hard to get used to a regular place without a private pool and staff. We have been so spoiled.

The morning was a spent at Kasey’s, the owner of our villa and five others close by. She is in a four bedroom unit , villa banana, a short walk from us and it is stunning.

The rains came again this afternoon, we had hoped to go for a hike but it was a no go, but at 4PM they stopped so we were able to head into town and go for dinner to Lazy Cats Cafe, a vegetarian resteraunt. The food was amazing. I am turning into one of those people who takes photos of their food 😁🍵🍔🥗

Across the street was Pura Dalem Temple where we watched a Kecak Fire and dance show. It was great and very different from the other show we saw.

At the end a fellow was running into the burning embers and flames of the burning coconut husks. It was quite a performance.

The rain held off all evening and we even had a dry walk home. The last time we need to walk up that steep narrow path dodging the scooters.
Tomorrow morning we will make our way east to the beaches of Amed. Ubud was a wonderful and relaxing two week stay, but now on to the next chapter.