Okawati Hotel Ubud

... studios from some of the many artists and craftsmen in the Ubud area. Really lovely walk and if we'd been the sort of people that collect things instead of experiences then we'd have no trouble at all shopping here :) We'll probably end up buying something small to take home but maybe not until after our time on the <br>Gilis.<br> <br>Finished up our walk with visit to ...

... s in full festival mode: women are dressed in their best<br>lace shirts, the men are in full dress as well wearing these huge<br>gigantic rings. There is no crying at the cremation ceremony &#8211;<br>lots of music though. A bull is built and decorated to hold the<br>body. The cremation tower, representing the Balinese universe is<br>also built with tiers similar to those on the temples. The bulls are<br>carried to the temple by a ...

... us to Bali culture but it has also showed us true human altruism. Hanging out over at Nyoman's has allowed us to meet a ton of locals and connect with them on a level that was practically impossible to do in any of the other places we have traveled to on this trip. Anytime we see this man we leave with a smile. Meeting people like Nyoman makes me believe in how much good there is it in this world, no matter where or who you may be. Despite all the **** that ...

... encountered. Whilst I was surrounded, a local old man got on my bike and cycled off with it! He was kidding around with me and soon came stopped after I chased him a bit! Brilliant. To get away from all the sellers, I cycled up the hill a bit before returning to the same viewing spot to get a few photos - the hawkers (sitting across the street) blissfully left me alone the second time! On the way back to Ubud, a man waved at me and asked me if I ...

... Me and my guide then went to the lava fields for an other walk. I didn't go for the peak with Eric &amp; Sebast. because my knee is still recovering from Rinjani Volcano. Now we are back to Kuta, we relaxed by the pool this afternoon and we will try to go have a bebek dinner tonight. Bebek is a duck cooked underground in banana leafs. After a really needed nap, we will go out to party for our last night in Bali! We are flying tomorrow to Bangkok, Thailand.

... s the end of it. I was seriously considering how I could get decent medical care as I was pretty certain that I was dying. Luckily, that appears to not be the case, but I'm really at a loss. No mosquitoes in Korea at this time of year, I didn't eat any food from roadside stalls, and I haven't even looked at a beer since Dave's birthday last Saturday. Maybe the flu? Plan for the next few days is sun, sandy beaches, books, and that's about it. Maybe a surfing lesson? Ken

... surf, there is absolutely nothing for you to do, but nothing at all. There are no beaches really as it is all rocks, cliffs and reef. It makes the landscape and the views absolutely stunning but prevent you from swimming. By 9 pm, everybody is sleeping to make sure they can enjoy a have an early start for a long surf day the next day. I have to say the surf is fantastic though. The little houses, ding repair places, surf shops and cafes perched on top of the rocks ...

... think, "cockroach". Usually roaches react to light by skittering away. Not this guy. He just stood there on the vanity, watching me with his beady insect eyes. While I object in principle to harming innocent life, and have been known to trap a spider and escort him unharmed to the back deck, I have never been averse to stepping on roaches. Roaches are evil incarnate. But this guy was way too big to step on. Too big to whack with a tennis racket, even if ...

... and then all of a sudden this mass clean-up operation begain to happen. As if from nowehere about 50 locals descended on the beach with homemade bamboo brushes and bins and they began clearing up all the ****! One guy told us that at this time of year it washed in from neighbouring islands due to the really strong current. If we came back in July, he told us, it would be "a lot more beautiful ...