3 days in Bali! — Mika's Photos

A gorgeous 3-day weekend in Bali. Also, Jakarta Week 15.

Jakarta's domestic terminal, although small, is also super-modern. It opened exactly 2 years earlier! (15 April 2009)

Free-for-all boarding on Air Asia.

As we approach Denpasar airport, Mt Agung pokes out of the clouds.

Touchdown on Bali. Blue skies, red wingtips.

The entrance to our homestay -- a typical multi-family compound that all Balinese live in.

The entrance to our room! Shut with a padlock.

The sitting area outside our room. Ornate doors!

The view from our back balcony, overlooking a small valley.

A view of the alley next to our homestay. Lots of family compounds are built wall-to-wall.

And looking north.

An ornate building in the middle of the compound -- the "deluxe suite" that's basically a house.

Their new swimming pool and yoga deck.

They also have a wood-carving door workshop on the compound.

Their big dog seemed to smile every time we passed by.

The compound's temple. The temples are always in the "north-east" corner. But to the Balinese, "north" is defined as the direction toward the mountain!

An ornate shrine inside the compound's temple.

Just outside our homestay's walls, a rice paddy!

An alley next to our homestay that leads down to the ravine.

Throughout Ubud, the locals leave offerings EVERYWHERE. In the middle of the sidewalks, on vehicles, on shrines. It's impossible not to step in them at some point.

Brick transport. I guess boxes haven't come to Bali yet.

Along Ubud's main streets, old meets new in a single building.

My, what big teeth you have.

Lots of alleys connecting little streets, with compounds coming off in all directions.

The entrance to another family compound.

A granny and her little shop.

Hand-made metal fish ornaments for sale.

The Ubud market -- caters mostly to tourists now, but some locals still shop there too.

Women still carry heavy things on their heads. This woman takes her offerings to the temple.

At Ubud's central temple, women make their afternoon offerings.

The offerings pile so high they spill over.

Did I mention there were lots of offerings?

I'm sure there's a significance to putting them on the ground in front of the entrance.

Each offering seems to have some flowers, an incense stick, a small snack, and shreds of something.

Nearby, a woman makes the offering baskets for others to buy.

The 2nd floor of the market overlooks the central part of the town.

One of the market's many stalls. Baskets!

And colorful sarongs.

An ornate golden face peeks over the walls of a family compound.

More modern shops and galleries on the ground floors of traditional (or made-to-look traditional) buildings.

Mr Grumpy? Guess he's having a bad moss day.

Local Lunch #1. Actually, the Balinese are big on fresh vegetables, tofu and tempeh, and reserve meat for special occasions. So it wasn't hard to find vegetarian food!

The dish in the foreground is fresh vegetables mixed with toasted coconut -- a local specialty.

Lots of street dogs -- but almost all have collars thanks to a well-run foundation that supports them.

The entrance to the Ubud Palace. The royal family still lives here.

Resemblance?

Visitors are not actually allowed into the part of the palace where the royal family lives.

This dog certainly thought of himself as royalty!

All the stone statues wear sarongs. I feel under-dressed.

He may be mossy, but at least he's dressed for the occasion.

Peeking inside another temple off one of the main streets.

Stand back, he's ready to swing at the pinata!

Starbucks Ubud gets into the local mood! (But not to the extent of offering local prices.)

A grand pond of lotuses leads up to this temple.

One of a few lotuses in bloom.

More ornate protectors.

It's hard to take self-portraits with the DSLR!

Crossing over the same river that passes behind our hotel. Crazy steps!

This is one of the town's most famous museums (Puri Lukisan). Apparently this excavation site used to be a beautiful garden!

A statue on the museum's property becomes one with nature.

One of the three main buildings. The museum houses Balinese art, divided into pre- and post-war eras.

Stopping for a foot-rester.

This was painted on the wall outside one of the buildings. Otherwise, photography was not allowed inside.

Just like our hotel door, they lock the museum with a padlock.

Stopping for an iced tea break. A theme was to include one free beverage with your museum entrance fee.

Parallel profiles?

More local ladies carrying heavy things!

This street dog was stopping for a drink -- in a fountain outside a craft store!

The local kids found it as funny as we did.

This woman's carrying a box of knives on her head! Good thing she's using one had for support.

A local game of football across the main road from our hotel.

Guess what's up ahead?

The main road heads downhill, toward the Monkey Forest. (We'll return there tomorrow.)

Decent slope!

Monkey Changer?

Giant statue of you-know-what outside the entrance to the Monkey Forest.

Huge lily pads (or are they lotuses?) as we continue south out of town.

After an approx 2 km walk, we arrive at our destination: the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA).

The museum was constructed as such by Agung Rai in the 50s. It's home to both traditional and modern Balinese art.

Twins!

These ladies looked chilly.

Stone, but alarmingly life-like!

The museum had beautiful, open grounds.

The stage on which they do gamelan performances.

A shrine to we're-not-sure-whom.

The main museum building has ornate doorways that border on creepy.

Inside, two stories of traditional Balinese paintings. A few legends are common themes across the paintings.

The museum cafe, at which we (again) were allowed a complimentary drink.

Enjoying his iced tea in a serene setting, as the sun set for the day.

Photos in the rice paddies.

If you hadn't guessed yet, we were using two cameras!

The rice was wet -- evening dew, or a recent rain?

The cafe owner -- and guy who took this photo -- turned out to be Thai! He came to Bali a few months ago to open up a restaurant.

More photogenic rice.

A street dog finds comfort in the doorway of a convenience store. A theme?

All the traditional buildings look nice at night under spotlights.

Our room had a big ol' mosquito net. And lots of natural light to wake you, since there was no curtain over the glass doors to the balcony!

Breakfast, included in the room rate: Australian-style pancakes and fresh fruit.

Off on our bike tour! We stop, on our drive up the mountain, to see the photogenic terraced rice paddies.

The beautiful rice paddies that surely feature on travel brochures for Bali.

It's young rice -- still very green.

They use terraced paddies to conserve (and re-use) water.

Finally, we reach our highest destination! Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too agreeable.

We're supposed to have a clear view of Mt Agung and Lake Batur. Oh well...

The locals said the fog was going to lift around 2pm. We didn't have time to wait around.

Oh well! You can imagine it's beautiful on a clear day!

The fog does make for some neat shots, though.

Spider caught some morning dew!

Still haven't gotten on the bikes -- the tour takes us first to a mini-plantation, which has examples of various Balinese crops. Here, cocoa pods!

Our guide shows us a coffee bean that he's just plucked off the tree.

This is one of the civets that help make Kopi Luwak (aka civet coffee). These guys sniff out the best beans, and then "process" them one time before roasting.

Here, the guide points out the difference between "male" and "female" coffee beans. (It's the shape.)

And a local demonstrates how they roast the beans by hand in a special pan that maintains a given temperature.

Roasted beans!

A healthy papaya tree. I guess we have plenty of these in Thailand, too.

Before we leave, they let us taste-test 6 drinks: 3 types of coffee, a cocoa, and 2 teas.

Daintily enjoying his sip!

A local brand of matches. Could be smelly when lit!

The guide shows us a yellow cocoa pod -- the individual beans are purple when ripe.

Photogenic fountain on-site.

There was also a fruit-tasting. This was the only novel one to us. It's like a bitter tomato.

Looks just like a tomato from the outside! But the skin is much thicker.

A fruitful offering at the plantation.

Big dew drops on a huge leaf.

And we're off on our bikes! Down-hill, most of the way. We were a group of 10.

There were 2 from New Zealand, 2 from Switzerland, 4 from Germany. We represented Asia.

First stop -- a traditional family compound in the countryside. Here, a woman splits bamboo to make weavings that will be the ceilings in homes.

The compound was home to 5 families, and this dog who liked to perform in front of his audience.

One of the kitchens in the compound.

The start of a weaving they make with the bamboo strips.

The dog followed us, and started to play in the weaving as we stood around it.

You can see all the small buildings inside the compound. Each compound is 200 square meters exactly.

Pooped, after putting on a show for us.

A collection of cocoa pods, some a little riper than others.

A giant spiderweb shimmers in the mid-day sunlight.

The family chickens.

Back on the road -- passing school boys who are done their 1/2 day Saturday.

Next stop: a rice paddy where the locals are harvesting the rice.

Freshly-cut!

The rice is ready to be cut and removed from the stalk.

We jumped right in with the women -- interrupting their rhythm for sure.

They remove the rice by whacking bunches against this board. The grains collect at the bottom.

We were pretty pitiful by comparison!

The "emptied" rice stalks are carted off for some other use.

Action shot!

I think they're used to a tour group stopping by daily. I hope we don't disrupt their production too much!

Rice (still in the husk) and some stray stalk strands.

Not sure what this tossing does. It must be to get rid of something!

And back on our bikes we go!

More terraced paddies. Looks like a giant knife just swept over them in one fell swoop.

Here, sorting the rice -- still not de-husked. But they have machines to do that.

Scary, indeed!

Shocked by all the bicycles? Luckily, she didn't drop anything.

This kid hams it up for the camera.

They like to dry out the rice in the middle of the streets. Bad, when you're trying to drive along the streets!

A few obstacles: potholes and a motorcycle with a wide load.

Hello, she says.

The locals sit outside and say "hello!" as we pass. I guess this is a daily occurrence for them!

When she saw the camera, she stood bolt straight!

Lots of kids stand on the street to wave or get high-fives.

High five!

A friendly gesture, I hope.

More scenic rice.

Next stop: a HUGE tree that's rumored to be over 500 years old.

You could stand inside it and look up. Way too tall to capture in a single photo.

Looking up the tree from the inside.

It was like it had long, straight hair. They cut the dangly roots before they touch the ground.

Back on the road, and through the fields.

Stopping again -- to see what this time?

Slow driving as we navigate the rice in the road.

Spot the duckies?

Looking pretty empty back there!

Once we're down, the tour provides a late lunch overlooking -- that's right -- more rice paddies.

A vegetarian feast!

Tempeh (a local fave) and veggie rolls with the infamous peanut sauce.

Hope he didn't drop something.

Back in Ubud, a trip to the Monkey Forest.

As advertised, lots of monkeys!

They look cute and innocent, but they love to steal sunglasses and digicams.

This bug-eyed baby knows where the good food is.

Show some manners!

Food coma!

The local trainers ("monkey experts", they were called in the brochure) really are the monkeys' buddies.

In the temple at the heart of the forest -- where everyone must wear a sarong.

They try hard to keep the jungle outside the temple's confines.

Ornate enough?

Doing what monkeys do best!

Oooh, that feels good.

Have some decency, guy on the right!

Stream flowing deep through the jungle.

Picturesque bridge, swamped by another giant tree.

This was once the bathing pool.

Surprisingly moss-free!

Back on the street, some colorful local paintings were nice candy for the eye.

Afternoon coconut delivery!

Back at the hotel, suddenly the volcano was visible!

Hello down there!

Local crafts that I thought looked just like the Mexican ones!

Dramatically lit at night.

Attending a traditional Balinese dance. They're performed at night, with a full gamelan ensemble.

The band looked like they were enjoying themselves all night.

When they're playing these instruments, the men look like machines! You hammer maniacally with one hand, and use the other to dampen the vibrations.

The first dance of many. There were many different styles. Even their eye movements are choreographed!

This dance supposedly depicted a warrior, afraid to go to battle.

This guy played music as part of his performance.

These 3 were kids! The 2 in green looked like twins.

Scary face!

In a more humorous piece, a mythical creature was introduced.

And then a modern-day creature joined the fun.

And then, suddenly, I was part of the show!

More creatures.

After the show, a late (but tasty) dinner at what must be the slowest restaurant in Ubud.

Breakfast the next morning. (Can wear that red shirt cuz he's not in Thailand.)

I got a "jaffle" -- the Australian word for a sandwich-maker sandwich.

Heading out for a morning walk, following a route suggested by Lonely Planet.

Apparently local bikers know of this route, too.

It led us up through hills of elephant grass.

Not at the top yet!

Finally, getting there, and looking back at the valley from which we came.

We're not the only ones out taking photos in the morning sun.

Drying the grass. They use it to make roofs (among other things).

360 degrees of beautiful views.

Still signs of a morning dew.

Another awkward group shot, thanks to the DSLR.

The path was perched beautifully up above two valleys.

Another local cuts fresh grass and lays it down to dry.

Collecting yesterday's cuttings.

In the distance, more terraced rice paddies.

To the west, lots of new villas and resorts going up.

More local ladies, this time carrying construction materials to a posh new house that's going up.

He couldn't have picked a more conspicuous place to lie.

Why, it's more rice paddies.

Then we stumbled on a little village, also perched high on the hills.

We found an artist whose family has been painting in Ubud for generations. (I guess they get French tourists.)

We decided to get a painting from him. It's similar to the abstract ladies hanging left of the doorway.

Wrapping up the canvas for safe transport. He said there are lots of new resorts going up, which is good for tourism, but bad for the rice industry.

He also does egg painting.

More rice paddies. Will these soon be gone?

Anybody lose their rooster?

Another village a few kilometers later, and more rice in the street.

More lotuses. (Lotii?)

Back in town, our last Ubud lunch at another small shop house.

The decor here was quite homey!

The one on the left is a jack fruit curry. Delish!

Strolling once more through the market -- doing a final pass for souvenirs.

Feel like you're being watched?

More abstract paintings. Similar to, but not as nice as, the one we bought!

More stares!

Mini jack fruit! Look at the size relative to the cukes in the upper right.

Another interesting take on the traditional woman.

As we were walking home, we passed a ceremony underway.

For the afternoon of our last day, we hired a driver to take us around the southern parts of Bali.

First stop: Sanur Beach, which faces east. It's known as one of the quieter beaches in Bali.

These fishing boats have some personalities.

Loungers in front of the Bali Hyatt's property. Too sunny for me!

Quite windy right at the water, which helps to cool off a bit.

The water is *extremely* shallow at this part of Bali, thanks to some reefs way out there.

Spider boat!

Fishermen stand in the clear water, trying to catch... not sure what!

The funny spider boats were anchored down and scattered along the shoreline.

There were also lots of these slimy ocean weeds! Extra evident in the low tide.

It was refreshing to walk along the water, although this beach also has a paved pedestrian path at the top.

Interesting patterns in the sand.

Near the entrance to the beach, the boats are much denser. You can see how clear the water is.

Spider boats, row boats and motor boats all park together.

Our van for the afternoon.

Next stop: the cliffs of Uluwatu, the southernmost point of Bali.

To access the view, you have to enter a temple. Hence, the Swedish sarong.

Very beautiful, but the sun couldn't have been hotter!

How picturesque! I imagine the view from below is just as nice.

Another awkward group shot!

See the slice of rock at the bottom of the photo?

There's a walkway along the cliff that allows you to walk to that part that juts out.

A view looking back, with the temple at the edge. (Doesn't the cliff look like a face?)

The temple was filled with aggressive monkeys. This guy was extremely defensive about his chips!

Final stop: Jimbaran beach (which faces West), famous for its seafood dinners overlooking the sunset.

It's also quite close to the airport, so you can see all the planes queuing up to land.

Later in the afternoon, this beach seems to be a popular soccer spot for the locals.

How many people were playing at one time?

Stopping for a rest.

Sun's heading down for the night.

Local kids seem to like to dig big pools for themselves, and then lie in them.

She wonders why hers isn't so big.

The sunset was, as you can imagine, extremely picturesque.

The waterfront tables are all filled up! Shadows are long.

Busloads of tourists (mostly Chinese) were dropped off here to photograph the sunset and eat seafood.

See what I mean?

I guess we were one of them!

These restaurants must do great business!

How pretty.

People are still swimming as the sun itself dips into the water.

Nice sky.

See the streaks in the sky?

Finally we give in, and join the hoards for dinner. No seafood for us, though!

Hmm. What did we order?

Good night and good-bye, Bali! Off to the airport now.