SE Asia - Ubud, Bali - 2

 

Bali, Day 4, January 12, 2014

Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

This morning started early, at 4:00 am to be exact, because that was all the later we could sleep. I went to the lobby early, before anyone else and managed to get the iPad connected to the Internet and sent out the first message.

We started the day with an hour and a half walk along a ridge trail on land owned by the Royal Family. We could look across valleys on both sides to see lovely homes or resorts amid the lush green tropical vegetation. It was a popular trail as we met a number of other hikers and bicyclers. At one point we stopped at a picturesque spot for drinks and a rest before heading on.

The next stop was at a coffee plantation where we learned about an animal called a Luwak, which likes to eat coffee beans. After the beans have gone through the animal they are collected, washed with hot water and dried, then husked to obtain then clean beans. The beans are then roasted and processed in the normal way. This is supposedly the most expensive coffee in the world. I had a sip and didn't like it, but that was because I don't like strong coffee. We sampled other special coffees, which were delicious.

After stopping at a popular lookout above gorgeous terraces of rice paddies, we all chose to go to a nice restaurant that sat amongst the rice paddies. We were each able to order our own lunch since it was not included in our tour. My chicken skewers with peanut sauce were delicious. It was a leisure lunch and while we ate a thunderstorm hit. It poured for a long time and had only started to lessen when we had to go back to the van. The rain cooled the air making the rest of the afternoon more comfortable.

Back at the hotel it was time to do a little organizing as we would leave in the morning for Jimbaran Bay. In the evening there was an optional cultural dance performance. I went, but Paul decided to spend the evening horizontal. Sounds like home. It was very interesting and the musicians played very unique instruments I had never seen before. The dancers costumes were colorful and the dance told a story. Fifteen minutes would have been long enough, but I'm glad I went.

More from Jimbaran.
That's it for now. Grace and Paul