| Jul 8, 2005 - Bali Bagus (means Bali Good)
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 | Terraced rice field on eastern Bali
| | sunset at Ullawatu, Hindu temple (southern Bali)
| | One of Paul's birthday celebrations ;)
| | Seaweed farmer on Nusa Lembongan
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 | | | | | Balinese woman making Hindu offering
| | Paul on the edge of Batur volcano
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| We have celebrated Paul's birthday since our second day in Bali. Bali is a great place for a birthday or any special occasion (they celebrate tooth fillings.) The Balinese get so excited and make such a fuss that I had to tell everyone :) We went to Jimbaran beach (a long white sandy crescent beach known for great seafood) and choose a beachfront table lit by candle. We ordered a seafood smorgasboard which included lobster, two kinds of prawn, two whole grilled snapper, potatoes, rice and sauteed spinach and tropical fruit plate (all for $10 each!) I mentioned to our waiter that it was Paul's birthday and the next thing we knew the owner and Balinese mariachi-type band were at our table playing a couple of songs (including, of course, Happy Birthday.) The owner was a very cheerful woman who is descended of royalty on the east side of Bali and offered us her holiday bungalow for a weekend as a gift to Paul. We haven't taken her up on it yet, but stay tuned...
We spent our first few nights in Legian Beach (the next beach over from Kuta where the terrorist bombing was in 2002.) The weather is great and the surf vigorous.
We made the mistake of renting a car on our first full day here (I think we forgot we were still in Southeast Asia for a minute.) Nevertheless poor Paul set himself up to drive a stick on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road with scooters, buses and cars all incessantly honking and bullying their way down the narrow roads. He has nicknamed me "Magellan" because with all of the stress of potentially hitting a stray dog or sacred cow (this is Hindu country) or even a person my usual keen sense of map reading and directions has failed me getting us a little turned around here or there.
Wouldn't you know about 10 minutes into our road safari of Bali we got pulled over by the police! He wanted to see Paul's international driver's license (check.) the officer actually looked disappointed. Next thing we know he asked Paul to get out of the car. (I immediately smelled the Mekong fishfood again ;) and began fumbling for the camera.) I got out of the car to see what was happening and the officer began asking Paul if he was wearing his seatbelt (we both were) he also asked Paul what the fine is in California for not wearing one (clearly, the officer is looking for bribe.) I interrupted and said there was no fine and Paul tried to send me back to the car. I think that action actually got him off the hook with no bribe! We made it through the day without any casualties or damage to the jeep, but after this lesson we have hired drivers.
We went to Nusa Lembongan (Bali island off the southeast coast) for two days to do some snorkeling and diving. The island is so peaceful, mainly because the focus of the residents is on seaweed farming (as opposed to harassing tourists to take a taxi or buy postcards.) We waded out past the seaweed farms and took a little snorkel. Amazingly there was some colorful coral, an assortment of tropical fish and we even saw three eels. The dive the following day was amazing on a larger scale I've never seen so much live coral in such brilliant color and in such quantity!
We are currently in Ubud which is the cultural heart and soul of Bali. It is a vibrant little town in the center of the island surrounded by hills of brilliant terraced rice fields. This is a very inspired place for the arts with many art galleries displaying paintings, brightly colored sarongs, silver jewelry and the area is also known for wood carving and furniture making. A great place to chill and do some shopping.
Yesterday we got up at 2:30a.m. to trek Mt. Batur. This is the most recently active volcano on the island. After an hour drive out of Ubud we arrived at the base and met with a guide and his flashlight. I felt like the blind being led up the steep climb for over an hour. About an hour after we arrived at a shack just below the summit the deep orange and red colors started showing through openings in the clouds. Sadly, the fog has followed us not only from San Francisco to Hong Kong but now to Mt. Batur. We waited for over an hour hoping the wispy white fog would evaporate and give us a view of the surrounding volcanoes, but no luck. We climbed and slid along ridges of the volcano through deep black coal sand, turning to bright red to brown to gray and black again. You could feel the warm ground on the ridge and see it steaming from the interior. Our guide took a couple of our breakfast bananas and put them into a shallow hole in the ground for about 5 minutes. When he returned them they were steamed through! We got some great views despite the fog.
We were disappointed to hear about the bombings in London. (We were having another birthday dessert for Paul at the Amandari resort - where Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall were married- when we found out from the general manager who came by the table to say hello.)
Hope this finds everyone well. |
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