Day 4 and it's raining again.
So far I haven't made any art. I saw Agung in the car park for the first time since he brought the flowers. So (he being an artist also) I bite the bullet, admit to myself I'm slack, and give him my fine art papers that I brought with me from Australia to draw on.
Also give him my only brush.
Rain eases, so I head for the market. I always try to shop upstairs at the Ubud market, because I think the sellers get less business. It's not so pleasant now. Some of them are quite desperate. I used to be a ruthless bargainer (with a lot of laughter & chatting) but not any more.It's not a game any more. So I buy very little and get out of there. Very sad.
Head to Cafe Nomad for a cool drink. YUM! While I'm looking at the menu they bring me something delicious I can only describe as 'tempura leaves'. This encourages me to have lunch there as well.
Later in the afternoon I go to Batun Waru Restaurant, near the football field. I get chocolate cravings. and order Black Bottom Tart. When it arrives I make friends with a table of women from the Gold Coast who want to know how I'm going to eat it all. Chocolate!
The Ubud Festival starts this evening on the football field. It's to encourage tourists back to Bali. It was only luck that I was there. There's a Grand Parade - starts at 3pm (jam karet). In fact it's a series of little processions, each from a school or a banjar, or a business. The criteria are set out in the program I have. Traditional costumes of various sorts required. Gong performances happening meanwhile. Beautiful girls in costume posing for photos and it's not quite dark yet. Once it gets dark I go to Ibu Rai for a Bintang and watch the processions go by there. Have dinner there as well.
The MF Rd is a sea of motorbikes, parked 4-5 across. Many ppl in uniforms directing traffic, and the football field is a sea of people, many tourists but mostly Balinese. What a time to be in Ubud. Lucky!