Arrival in Ubud, Bali

The word for the day is “arrival”. We finally made it to Bali after the glitch in plans three days ago. Bali is part of a 13,677 island chain that links South-east Asia with Australia. It lies 8 degrees south of the equator. The heat here is oppressive, however the wind coming in the vans windows helped a bit. AD spotted a Mc Donald’s right off so that was our first stop. Our drivers name is Nyoman and you will hearing more of him later as he has offered to be our driver while we are in Ubud.

Ubud is located about 16 km inland from Densapar the capitol of Bali and is surrounded by lush fields filled with rice patties. The town has a typical Asian feel with multiple temples, fierce statues and pagoda style buildings. Streets are lined with shops selling paintings, sarongs, jewelry and the typical tourist trap souvenirs.

We walked around the town to get a feel for the place and soon found our clothes drenched in sweat. A quick dip in the pool resolved that for a short duration. Luckily we came across a restaurant with cheap happy hour beer, $1.50 for a large bottle. So we spent the evening playing rummy and drinking ice cold beer. AD chose to have a strawberry shake which turned out to be quite good. As the sun sets the temperature improves slightly and another quick dip cooled us down for bed.

Jan.17th - Bicycling to the Monkey Forest Temple

We went to bed too early last night but with a 3 hour time zone change and the heat we were exhausted. In addition, there’s no TV or A/C at Oka Wati Hotel. Bob Mitchell had suggested the hotel from previous stays. We feel it’s “gone to seed”. Bali is in an economic depression, so a property owner has no money for investment. The Balinese people are starving due to an Al Queda attack in October 2002. Tourism literally disappeared and is slow to return. Hotels are set with views of rice paddies and lily ponds. We can sit and watch the chickens forage in the fields for their dinner. (before they become the same!)

The streets are empty and so are the hotel rooms. We rented bicycles to ride around the town. It was much better than walking. The air cooled your body as you peddled. We avoided the uphill routes. On the bike trip we stopped at Monkey Forest Temple. It’s set in a rain forest and inhabited by 300 very aggressive monkeys. One Japanese tourist had a monkey jump on her and grab a bag of candy out from under her jacket! Stupid tourist. The signs warn you not to carry in food. When you enter a Hindu temple, you have to wear a sarong and waist belt. Most entrance fees cover the cost of the garments.

Our day was spent in and out of the pool. We’d take a trip and then come back to the pool. Some of the poolside entertainment is watching the staff cut the grass with hedge clippers. Then they sweep it up with a broom. Can you imagine? Happy hour repeated itself with a few Bintang beers and a milk shake. Another place down the road shows recent movies for free. We watched “Calendar Girls” and drank another beer. Dinner was at a quiet place “Arie”s Warung” The owner is a magnetic guy boasting his Lonely Planet recommendation. DW feasted on smoked duck for cheap.

The ceiling fan cooled the room as we tried fitfully to get a nights sleep. Sometime during the night AD crawled in the middle of our bed. Fortunately, it’s a king size.

AD Journal

Today for breakfast we had pancakes that I didn’t like but my parents did. Why I didn’t like them was because they were green in color with grilled bananas in them. It was horrible. Would you eat green pancakes? We then went for a walk and I got scrambled eggs and bacon.

Next we rented 3 bikes and went to see the Monkey Forest Temple in Ubud, a city in Bali. Bali is an island that is part of Indonesia. When we came back to the hotel we went for a swim in the pool. We are so wet in sweat because it is 105 degrees F. Then we had lunch.

Bali

Bali

Bali

Ubud, Bali

Jan. 16th - Arrival in Ubud, Bali

Jan.17th - Bicycling to the Monkey Forest Temple