Hi everyone,
Well....this is hard...posting IMMEDIATELY after the Pies...never mind...I'll try....
This is Day 2. I came up on Wednesday and we came a different way! This is my 11th trip to Bali and I've never flown this way before. We flew up on the eastern side of Australia (because of high winds in the centre) and tracked along Indonesia. Lucky! It was so clear & we saw Mt Rinjani, then Agung, then Batur, Ulu Watu.
Customs & immigration - no problems. Although two guys with surfboards were queued up at one customs man - one decided to change to the other customs man but I slipped in before him. The customs man beckoned to the surfie - ignored me. We mature age women can get that, - so I waved my form towards him & he took it and then beckoned the surfie again. I said 'so it's OK?' (walking on) - and he nodded vaguely. Then he looked at my form and did a double-take and said 'student???". I said yes and kept walking. So I think it's surfies and students beware, & next time I will remember to put 'tutor' which is also true.
Got to Ubud late - well dusk-ish. The hotel (Ubud Village as always) sent a driver to meet me. Agung - he turned out to be a painter, like myself and 15 minutes in Bali and we get into the 'what is art' conversation. I thought I left that behind in Sydney.
Had a look around to see what has changed as I haven't been back for about 5 years (too broke). A few more edifices, but mainly things look the same. That's what I love about Ubud...in particular in the Monkey Forest Rd.. the small scale ramshackleness of it.
Ate at Dian restaurant - keen to see if my friend Komang was still there - still had a job. It's been a long time to worry about Balinese friends - if they still have work etc. Yes, Komang is fine - married the boyfriend she had last time I came and has a 3 year old.
So Day 1 was jalan-jalan. Cool and rainy but the Ubud Village Hotel rooms have umbrellas in the rooms. So nice to see so many of the staff still there - they laugh when they see me because they've known me so long.
Day 1 tradition was lunch at Murni's. Thanks to forumite Pak Kachang for introduction to Pak Kumis. Liked him very much and we had a jolly good whinge about a certain Australian politician.
Thanks also to the forumite to whom I emailed a photo of myself and my friend Nyoman at UVH, to say hello to him for me, a few months ago. I saw him today & he still has the photo. He is another one that I worried about because he comes from a very poor area. Good friends for a long time.
Last night dinner at Bali Pesto - a forum recommendation - or was it Filo. Thanks for all the info on your website, Filo. Fantastic!
The geriatric calf muscles are getting a workout - those Ubud pavements! And I'd forgotten that Bali, as well as being Island of the Gods, is also the Land of the Low Loos. Well, lower than in Aus, anyway.
Day 2 has been a big day. But gotta stop - this is getting toooooo long. But today a man gave me flowers - I think the last time that happened was about 1982.