Puri Bunga Village Ubud

Very relaxing cooking class yesterday –
we learned all about the different spices that makes Balinese food so
unique and got a chance to make some thing ourselves so that when we
come back we can make a meal for our friends and family! Carla even
got into the mix! The best dish was the Rujak (a sweet/spicy salad)
and we couldn't stop eating the peanut sauce. At our hotel breakfast
is included every morning and we normally get ...

... not just to have something good come back around to you. Another source of inspiration for me on this island are the performances. The majority of performances in Ubud are purely done for the tourists but are still spectacular in my mind. During my stay here I have gone to four of them (three of which I snuck into without paying...karma will probably get me back for that one...oops). The first three were traditional dances with an orchestra of bells, gongs, chimes, flutes, and ...

... obviously directed at Andy, but seemed very rude and probably insulted the waiter; who looked insulted and appoligised. You can't take those three anywhere! [Tom: I was barely involved! My offer of a knife was rejected!] [Andy: I wanted a knife ******mit! And I even offered to get Chris a knife!!!]

Day Two:

We all woke up late and managed to miss our 'free' breakfast; which everyone knows isn't free because you're paying for it in ...

... a great view of the large crater since the clouds had passed through and the lake that had been completely covered was finally cleared up for some great photo shots. We climbed up another smaller volcano to see the smallest of the craters and saw all the smoke rising out of them. Our guide dug a little into the surface and pulled out a hot rock that crackled in the air which was cool. The rest of our hike down was fun as we bounded around in the soft ...

... was one girl who was smart- you can pick those kids out immediately. The class didn't go well... we were ready for our weekend. Our plan was to leave around 12:30 to head up to Pemuteran for the night. It would be a group of us: Suzanne and me of course, Franzi, Tamara (another German girl from Gianyar who only talked with Franzi and they would only speak in German), and another new girl Marlane from Holland. After tonight, we would head over to Lovina for Saturday night ...

... into the shopping centre - thankfully air conditioned - with a pool on my trail - I manage to get into what is the Balinese equivalent of Currys. Asking for aUSB cable for a Pentax is quite simple. The process goes like this....Ask kind young gentlemen for cable, kind young gentleman goes to brand new camera in the box in its shelf, discards packaging, pulls out the accompanying USB cable and gives it to me for equivalent of 20 euro, I say 10, he ...

... hospital... International SOS is a private hospital, who kindly only demand $50 up front before rendering aid to the sick, (luckily for me, as I still have no money left after paying rent!) After an ECG, a chest x-ray and several blood tests as well as a medical exam that allowed a doctor to get so close I'm expecting the flowers and second date phone call any minute now, (oh! Who am I kidding, I'm really expecting the embarrassing moment ...

... in so long, since the last Duet with Alex I believe in Queenstown. The next night Craig discovered another friend was over in Bali named Tom Gillespie. Craig met up with him while others rented DVDS. Good night all round. Chill out day by the pool was in order while Craig had surf. Another Quiet one few DVDs. This is where we discovered an Intermission like DVD called In Bruge. What a retarded funny ...

's Ochtends wordt ik weer vroeg wakker. Is het nog steeds mijn jetlag die me parten speelt of is het mijn sterke verlangen naar huis dat me wekt? Ik kan niet meer in slaap komen en besluit te douchen en een kop koffie te gaan drinken in de sportbar (open 24 uur per dag :-). Langzaamaan zakt het verlangen weer weg, terwijl ik de drukte in de straat bekijk en een sigaretje rook over mijn kopje Nescafe. Ik loop terug naar het hotel voor mijn ontbijt: over een uurtje wordt ik opgepikt ...

... his weeding to pick up fresh red hibiscus blossoms that had fallen on the ground, tucking them behind each ear of the stone man, and one behind his own. Feeling much stronger despite the cigarette, I jalan jalaned over to Baliyoga on Hanoman Road to detoxify from my Bintang binge. It was an airy, bright space surrounded by palm trees and filled with all the same types as on Hornby Island, my favourite summer island back at home-mainly ...