Ubud

Today was a day to revisit previous destinations.  We returned to Ubud, walking from the Monkey Forest back up Monkey Forest Road, looking at shops as we went.  This road boasted more new shops and businesses and as such the architecture was less interesting.  The traffic was equally frenetic with motorcycles going both ways even on one way roads.  Crazy stuff.  There is little to do other than shopping, so it helps to enjoy going in and out of numerous shops, most of which sell very similar items.  Even the "art galleries" seem to stock similar work, the quality of which is fairly questionable.

We turned off the main road and cut across to the back streets we explored the day previous and again enjoyed the quieter pace.  Stopped for a drink, had some lunch and generally enjoyed our morning.

One of the things unique to Balinese men and women is their capacity to carry bundles on their heads.  From buckets of building rubble, to trays of food and bundles of banana palm fronds you see them carting gear this way quite often. Many of the women go bare headed to do so.  Those using a round of cloth seem eminently more sensible to me.  That said, there is still some skill involved I am sure.

Dog count for the day was 22.  With 23 dogs for yesterday's count it seems Ubud dog counts are pretty close on any one day.  The security dog at the resort did change today though.  So far this week a golden retriever a gorgeous toffee colour had been on bomb sniffing duty.  This afternoon however a black lab had the honours of checking our vehicle.  Then it was back to snooze until another car came in to request access. 

28.5.13

Pay as you go

One of the things I am struggling to come to terms with is that you must pay for everything. Rice paddies are in abundance - where we are staying there are ornamental, but working fields, and by the roadside they are a common sight. So when our driver asked whether we would like to stop and see rice paddies, take photos etc on our way up the mountain we readily agreed. Only to arrive and be charged a fee to view the rice paddies from a variety of viewing platforms located opposite and amidst yet another, tacky roadside selection of stalls selling crap. These rice paddies are set up as a tourist trap, and while you can see them across the hillside quite plainly, the view is nothing compared to some of the others we have seen while driving around Ubud. Further up the mountain we were also charged to enter the network of roads surroundings e of two active volcanos in Bali. Only problem was it was pouring rain, and with the fog, visibility was nil! What a rip off! Luckily for us we had a great lunch at a traditional buffet styled restaurant. 27.5.13