Bali Part 2
Trip Start
Jan 28, 2008
1
19
42
Trip End
May 27, 2008
Ubud,
Indonesia
Monday, March 24, 2008
What I said happened on the 18th was really only the 17th. My brain must be on holiday mode as when I count back I can't figure out how we did so much on one day. Well anyways one of those days we (including Sam as in Samantha from Brisbane Australia areas) started off early determined to find more shops including the actual artisans which we directed to by this gay couple from Hawaii. They had purchased some large limestone statues and arranged to have them shipped. $20 for the carving and $250 for the shipping. These are terrific works of art that would go for several hundreds of dollars at home if you could get them. We passed through the next village to the resort (this one specializing in wood carving). We learned later that this village uses softer woods which while still exquisite are easier to carve and therefore not worth as much. We picked up one souvenir and ordered another for pickup later in the day. We had been told to hang a right and follow the road through the rice paddies to the village where the young painter artists work. The road started out as a laneway (12 feet across) and became progressively narrower. About half way we stopped to ask to make sure we were heading in the right direction (there being no other roads that we could have taken anyways). This fellow left his motor scooter there and led us the rest of the way past farmers reaping their rice (3 crops per year) and drying the rice on bamboo mats in the sun on the road/ path. No snakes thankfully but we did see a multi-coloured gecko or some other kind of lizard slink into the underbrush.
Bali Scenery
Eventually we made it to the village and were directed, hot and thirsty (90 % humidity) to what I've sure was this fellow's friend. Fantastic work with prices up to 17 million rupiah ($1700) before negotiation. Out of our budget but we did manage to get a nice original for about $20. Hopefully it will make it home as he rolled it into a cardboard cylinder for us. We rushed to get back to meet our 3 pm tour just as the rains hit. The rain seemed like it would not stop so we cancelled the Sunset Tour again. No sun or so we thought. Bad move as the skies cleared but as it was a 1 ½ hr trip and we didn't know. We did head out later (after a swim) to a very nice restaurant, the Indus, overlooking the other side of the river. $40 for a meal and setting that would have cost $250 or so at home.Thur. Mar. 19th (I'm sure of this one)
We booked a tour to take in the volcanoes and the temples along the way. 7 hours for $55 which we might have had for $30 if we'd dealt directly with any one of the people along the street offering "Transport" however we were pleased with our driver who had been driving tours for 10 years and knew his stuff. The first stop, not far from the resort was the Elephant Caves temple built in the 18 hundreds into the side of a cliff for the local royal family. Bali had several kingdoms in its small size. To enter we first had to buy a sarong. Yes Paul now proundly wears a skirt. Later we visited a larger temple dedicated to the god Vishnu (the destroyer) but also the god of water .
Cheryl and Paul at Temple
Busloads of people including local school groups were there washing their various sins out under the various water spouts. There was a long line up at one spigot but I don't know what sin it was for. I don't think it was for lust as the people seem to be very modest in their dress and no peeping toms except for the tourists when the men or the boys bathe au naturelle in the river below the hotel. Again the rains came (early afternoon most days) so we skipped the ½ to 1 hour walkabout at the Mother Temple (first and largest in Bali) next to the volcano crater and went instead to a plantation with samples of all the native trees and shrubs, sampled their teas and coffees, and bought some teas for our driver. We also went to an al fresco restaurant buffet overlooking the rice fields. The rain stopped and the clouds parted enough to see the sacred mountain. We also went to the black sand beach which had up until a recent storm rice fields almost to the ocean. The sand and the ocean are still there. There's no sign of the rice fields or the end of the road (10 foot drop). Home by 4, a game of pool with some guys from the wedding party that we got to meet and a late dinner in our room watching The Last Emperor DVD. TV, except for the satellite TV in the Entertainment lounge was 10 stations with Balinese, or likely Indonesian shows including what must be their version of American Idol. Actually one night we saw the final 12 performing from the US show with Indonesian sub-titles.Good Friday - started off again with plans to see the sunset. We started packing for a 9 a.m. start the next day and generally relaxed. I recognized snippets of french from 2 couples and learned through their broken English and my fading French that they were from Lac St. John. They seemed pleased to be able to find someone with whom they could speak French and I was pleased that I hadn't forgotten it all. I've picked up a few Balinese words including something that sounds like "sin can can" which means the same as the Aussie expression, "No worries".
