Day 3.
Awoke at 5am - never mind, its 7 in Aus. Laying in my comfortable bed waiting for it to get light. About six am, heard the faintest sounds of bamboo gong instrument in the distance - am I imagining it?
At 7, up, shower and OUT. On the advice of my artist friend Agung (he of the flowers) I head for Jalan Bisma as the nearest place to take photos of early morning ricefields. Up the MF Rd, along Jalan Raya, and down Jalan Bisma. Past the Honeymoon Guesthouse (so THAT'S where it is) and on to where the asphalt gives out and Jalan Bisma becomes a track. As the crow flies, I'm probably directly across from UVH or perhaps Dian Restaurant. Sure as eggs, rice fields, and it's got that morning-of-the-world look, Take lots of photos for drawings and paintings later on.
Head back. Offered coffee by Surya in the main street, who I've known since Visit One. But I press on for my UVH breakfast of 'the works'. Great breakfasts these days at UVH - I remember way back when they didn't really have the hang of toast.
In MF Rd, one of those magic Bali moments. I stop to talk to my Balinese son. I haven't mentioned my son before. He adopted me, oh, at least 10 years ago. Entirely his idea. And then he proceeded to go through an extended silly-boy period, which he has thankfully now pulled out of, and now he's a son you'd be proud of. So I'm talking to my son, and along comes Agung in his car & calls out the window 'did you get the flowers?'
After breakfast I decide to bite the bullet and go for a massage. Many visits to Bali and I'm a Bali Massage Virgin. I've checked out Bliss and Verona, both recommended on the forum. Decide on Verona, as the girls there seem keener to do business than the girls at Bliss.
So - the massage. I have nothing to compare it with, so can't really comment. I guess it was good. It felt good, though it didn't make any spine-cracks, and that's pretty easy to do with my spine. An hour, that's a bit long for me to keep still - I'm too impatient. Too little time, so much to see. I guess I'm just not a pampering person. But I DID like the ginger tea and fruit they gave me afterwards. My skin felt WONDERFUL from all the oil. The thing that Massage Virgins should be prepared for (and I wasn't) is that the hair doen't look so wonderful from all the oil. I was heading off to Campuan for a chat with Pak Kumis, and it wasn't a good look - so under the shower again.
About this time I get though Extreme Bali Mode, and into a more severe condition I call Ubud Paralysis Syndrome. Symptoms: do nothing, get home to Australia saying 'why didn't I?, 'I should've'... Discuss this with Pak Kumis. He says NO, it's Indonesian Paralysis Syndrome and I myself have a very severe case. I always leave my visa renewal till the last minute and it's a panic.
This JBR is long enough for now - but people going to Ubud should know there's a festival on in the football field - started last week, but goes on until sometime in August. I have a day-by-day program. It's been wonderful (I'll report if you're interested)but some of the 'events' coming up may not be what you'd expect.
I asked if I'd imagined the music at 6 am & was told that sometimes the security guards at the hotel, when it's cold & they're tired, get themselves a coffee and play some music to keep themselves warm. So it wasn't imagination, and it was so quiet that it would NEVER wake you up (unlike the honeymooners the following morning) and I feel very lucky just to have been awake to hear it.