Pertiwi Resort And Spa Ubud

... shirt/mass age?" every single step of the way. I was having fun with it on my first few days – but by the end, my patience was running out.

We spent some of the time organizing our flight to Flores on 24 Oct, and hiring a car for travelling around Bali for about 8-9 days.

Have wheels, will travel!

A basic, cheap 3-door Suzuki Katana goes for 100,000rp a day – about NZD$15 standard price. They are basically tin cans on wheels ...

... are for) we were sold on the price and gladly accepted the key.

Next we found a restaurant on the main road and sat Indian-style on pillows at a low table and enjoyed a chicken-coconut dish that we had never tried. After exploring the city and a trip to the Internet cafe, we were back in our humid room, attempting to stay cool enough to fall asleep under the overhead fan. Wednesday we woke up and headed down to Monkey Forest, which in essence is a few tree covered ...

... to go to was a Kecak dance (pronounced Kechak). This one is known as the monkey and fire dance and one which we ended up having to pay for ($7.50 a person) and it was worth every penny. This dance is one which deals with evil spirits and malicious characters and the music is composed by a hundred men who chant, clap, yelp, bark, and use their bodies to create an effect which gives you goosebumps.



The main characters dance to the sounds created by the men who surround ...

... selling coke).

We descended the rest of the way sans guide through forest and farms to the lakeside village of Toya Bungkah. We had an uninspiring lunch (but welcome cold beer) at the hotel with a pool fed by the hot springs by the lake. Andy then commandeered a ride on a scooter (for an enormous sum) to retrieve the car on the other side of the mountain while Duncan swam and Maddie and I recovered by the pool side.

On another memorable day we went on a ...

... Nice cold white wine. So, couple of hours later and a bottle of wine done we head out feeling most satisfied.

Following morning we make our way to Ubud View Bungalows which is far better, minus the swimming pool! The view from our room is fantastic with a postcard image of paddy fields and palms.

During the day we visit the local highlights and do some shopping at the market. A monster of a storm keeps us on our balcony late ...

... Brahma), Sustaining (Vishnu) or Dissolution/Clearance (Shiva). Perhaps new seeds are budding within us and we are in an active state of excitement and creative growth. Or maybe we are in a state of contentment and feel even or stable with what's going on. And then there are those whirlwind times where everything crashes and things seem to be desperately wrong, but we're really just in a state ...

... was a well deserved relief for any backpacker after trekking through OZ and NZ! Yippee! After literally 'dropping our bags' at the homestay we caught "transport" to Jimbaran Bay where we enjoyed some serious sun time. A video of us carrying our backpacks, purses and souvenirs through the narrow sidewalks from point A to point B would have been hilarious. The natives tried to offer us a ride, aka "you need transport?" maybe 30 times. They must have taken note ...

... day. The monument is really tasteful and list the names and countries of the victims. Found somewhere to eat in town and had a wander. The place is one big party, haven't been to somewhere like this for quite a while. Looks like most people are here on their holidays, so late nights and lazy days on the beach are probably the norm. I reckon it's not a travellers place at all, I think it's the Australian's ...

... at when you cannot sleep. apart fron the Tomcat. When I come back in the room, Dr T still has a bad ear ache. I find the t.ts of the neighbor on the balcony. Should I tell her? We spend a couple of very nice hours at the swimming pool. Afterwards, we walk to the city. I buy myself new fake sunglasses: 2,5 Euro, they asked 40 Euro and I think I still overpaid. For me, Kuta is too pushy. Thousands of 'shops' want to sell you their junk. Dr T is right: it is always with a ...

... perfect. The day ends between 5-6 and I'm on the beach watching the sun-set before it gets dark at 7pm. There is a real difference between LIVING in Bali and visiting Bali...and the locals can tell you apart. THere is a large expat community, filled with famous people, old hippies, the artsy farsty type and ofcours the environmentalists and conservationists (a category that I now belong to!) I met Ed Norton (Sr) and his wife Ann, on my first Sunday in Bali! Ann ...