Relaxing in Bali

We arrived in Ubud, Bali late Thursday evening. Our hotel staff greeted us with a cool drink and brought us to our room. The room is very spacious and nice, with woodcarvings on the walls and a very comfortable bed. We were shocked by how much we were getting for our money. We stayed in that evening and rested up after a long few days of travel.

In the morning we woke up, walked through our garden and headed to breakfast in the hotel's open-air restaurant. Then we headed
out for the day. A couple from Italy, Aldo and Gabriela, went into town with us. We spent the day exploring central Ubud and the Monkey Forest together. The forest was quite an experience. There were wild monkeys roaming around freely within inches of you. The truly brave brought bananas with them, but were soon hounded by the larger, more aggressive monkeys. We walked along the paths and came to the main temple. We both had to wear sarongs inside to be considerate of Balinese tradition. Inside the temple there were a lot of intricate statues and a gold-encrusted monument. After walking around the temple we headed back into the city center, where we each got an hour massage for $5.50. We then headed back to the hotel to enjoy a quiet dinner. It was a very relaxing first day after weeks of hectic preparation.



Aldo playing with one of the monkeys



Temple in the Monkey Forest



Statue of a Monkey Deity

Today we met up with Aldo and Gabriela at breakfast and then headed to the local botanical garden. The garden was actually a path through the jungle. We spent a little more than an hour walking around viewing the tropical plants and animals. Then we headed into town for a roasted pig lunch. Many people pointed us in the way of the restaurant so we decided to try it. I loved everything, but London was a little apprehensive about the meat and skin. It was good to have a meal in traditional Balinese style.










Eating lunch at the Balinese restaurant



Our meal: Pork meat and skin, rice, and veggies



A narrow lane in Ubud Market

Right now, we are at the hotel, sitting on our patio overlooking the garden as we wait for our dinner and Balinese dance show. We have arranged an island tour to several temples and a volcano for tomorrow. Even though we have only been in Bali for two days, we can already tell that we are going to miss it.

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Location:Ubud, Bali, Indonesia