SE Asia - Ubud, Bali - 1

Bali Days 1-3, January 9-11, 2014

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

After a 16+ hour flight from LA to Hong Kong then a 4 3/4 hour flight on to Denpasar, Bali we were happy to be met by our local guide, Tri, and driver at the airport. All ten of us arrived on the same flight. It turns out all but one couple either live in Arizona or are there part of the year. The other couple is from Denver.

Our Welcome dinner was at the hotel where we enjoyed a sampling of local food, beautifully presented. The weather was very hot and humid, but I guess we had better get used to it.

After a good night's sleep we were ready to greet the day. First we got some money changed then off to a number of interesting stops.

The first stop was a visit to a puppet master where we saw hand puppets being made. Our guide, Tri, explained what the master was showing us and then the master put on a show. Since we were told the story ahead, we could understand what he was depicting. The family grandmother was setting out the small offerings around their compound. Bali is predominantly Hindu.

Another stop was to a master mask maker, which is a family business. It was very fun to see the three-year old grandson working on his own mask. Many special skills like this are passed down through the generations. The master demonstrates how some of the masks are used in a show. 

The final stop before lunch was the art museum. About then we were treated to a thunderstorm and lots of heavy rain. For lunch we went with our guide to a special roast pork restaurant. This was where the locals go and the food was very good. From there we walked back to the hotel as it was not raining very hard. 

After a rest in the afternoon we attended our first "Home Hosted" dinner. They were a lovely family of three generations. The parents have five children, several married and the third is in college studying to become a nurse.

After visiting the house temple and having our picture taken with the father we started helping with dinner preparations. I sliced some soybean product and then went into the kitchen to fry the pieces in a wok. Most of the group took part on the prep work and then we all sat down to a delicious meal.

It was a very interesting day and we look forward to a long hike tomorrow to visit some new areas and villages.
That's it for now. Grace and Paul