4 days in Bali April 16, 2012 A 4-day visit to the Indonesian island of Bali, anchored in Ubud. View fullsize Dinner on the first night -- apologies to the others, I was the last to arrive in Bali. (Do I make up for it with my native gear?) View fullsize Dinner at a local mom-and-pop shop that features lots of vegetarian dishes. View fullsize Jackfruit curry! View fullsize Lots of little geckos came out at night. We felt right at home. View fullsize The next morning, this little guy was crawling his way over to mum and dad's room. View fullsize We stayed at the same home stay as last year. View fullsize We had a local king with us for the duration of the trip. View fullsize Breakfast on the porch of mum and dad's ornate room. View fullsize One singing local resident knew how to say "hello". View fullsize Checking out the hotel's little pool and yoga deck, in the bright morning sun. View fullsize Something about these beds could be made a bit more ergonomic. View fullsize Which of these two vehicles would be more practical to rent? View fullsize At the local temple, many women come to give offerings throughout the day. View fullsize They sprinkle water from flowers that they hold in their right hands. View fullsize A familiar reflection in one of the many, many motorbikes about town. View fullsize Two women stop and chat, despite the heavy load. View fullsize Walking along a shaded street to... View fullsize ...the Neka Art Museum, home to Balinese, other Indonesian, and foreign art. View fullsize A statue of a Garuda (the mythical bird, not the airline) welcomes visitors. View fullsize Her knees? View fullsize Someone was working on a drawing. View fullsize This owl looks shocked to be in the painting. View fullsize Family portrait: three people and a moss-covered statue. View fullsize A neat local painting. View fullsize Hello, from afar! View fullsize The inner ceiling of one of the buildings at the museum -- made of woven bamboo strips. View fullsize One of the many dried-grass roofs you see throughout Bali. View fullsize As mum said, a modern Balinese musician. View fullsize Tourist! Tourist! View fullsize This little green guy was waiting to greet us for lunch. View fullsize The view from the restaurant: of the adjacent valley, and ridge on the other side. (We walked along the ridge last year.) View fullsize Can't have lunch without a quality cold beer to go with it. View fullsize Mum and her pineapple smoothie. View fullsize A delicious vegetarian lunch: pumpkin curry, greens, and nice red rice. View fullsize Enough said. View fullsize Caution: low-dangling trees. View fullsize This mass of bamboo has become too heavy for itself, and is perched precariously across this road. View fullsize A river that flows far beneath the main road. View fullsize Many shades of hand-dyed cotton at Threads of Life. View fullsize Two ladies stroll down the street in their templewear. View fullsize After a warm day, a late afternoon dip in the pool can help cool things down. View fullsize Strong as bull. View fullsize Two refreshed travelers, ready for a night on the town! View fullsize This village seemed to specialize in wood carving -- specifically, frames. View fullsize We went up to the village of Petulu to see the area where the herons of Bali come to sleep at night. View fullsize Look closely, and you'll see a tree filled with white birds. View fullsize We waited in a nearby rice field, with the few other tourists who were curious to check out this phenomenon. View fullsize Who let this group of loonies out of the birdcage? View fullsize Lots of white blobs up in that tree. (Unfortunately, they also release a more deadly white blob, too. So watch where you stand.) View fullsize As the sun was setting, hundreds more herons were still flying in. I guess these guys were coming from farther away. View fullsize Dinner at the slowest restaurant in Ubud. At least it was tasty! View fullsize Another breakfast on mum and dad's posh porch. View fullsize Our cycling tour starts off with a beautiful view -- of Lake Batur and the surrounding mountains. View fullsize Mount Batur, seen here, is an active volcano. The dark in the foreground is volcanic rock. View fullsize Couldn't have asked for a more picturesque breakfast (number two of the day). View fullsize Continuing up the mountain; obviously, we haven't yet gotten our bikes. View fullsize Our guide points out to our group various local plants and vegetables. View fullsize This yawning civet cat is angry that he was woken up from his sleep. "WE'RE NOCTURNAL, FOLKS!" View fullsize Tasting 3 different types of coffees, two teas, and a cocoa -- all local to Bali. View fullsize Too much warm liquid right before a bike ride. View fullsize Mum sips her very expensive cup of Civet Coffee -- you know, the kind where the beans have been swallowed and pooped by our friend the night cat. View fullsize Finally, ready to ride! Some helpers help equip the two kids in our group with their safety helmets. View fullsize Ready? Steady? View fullsize Blue skies, rice fields, downward slope. What more could you ask for? View fullsize We stopped at a family compound, where the families make a living weaving bamboo mats. View fullsize Reflection of a rambutan? View fullsize This woman separates two layers of the bamboo -- each layer has a different use. View fullsize The kids get up close and personal with the family cow. And a cleaver. View fullsize On Bali, cows are sacred and people don't eat beef. Unlike poor pigs, however. View fullsize We continue along. I think we might've even had to pedal this stretch. View fullsize A little girl waits in her family's compound doorway, to watch the strange foreigners go by. View fullsize I can't think of many worse things to carry on my head. View fullsize A stop for a stroll in the rice fields. View fullsize Green group shot. View fullsize The family carefully navigated their way through the rice. View fullsize More beautiful sky and beautiful downhill driving. View fullsize Lots of local kids were out to play football... View fullsize ...at the base of a 500-year-old Banyan Tree. View fullsize We also stopped at a wood carver's workshop. He specialized in doors and door frames. View fullsize Too bad it isn't easier to take a door like this back to Toronto! View fullsize Tools of the trade. View fullsize I want that one! View fullsize Almost time to say goodbye to my two new friends. View fullsize This guy, on the other hand, is not my friend. View fullsize A monkey and a hare... sounds like there should be a fable about the pair. View fullsize Standing at the bridge down to an old temple in the ravine of the monkey forest. View fullsize Obviously this stone carver had taken a lesson or two from Madonna. View fullsize Yes, I'd trust these two to guard my temple, too. View fullsize Peek-a-boo? View fullsize How come it's the ladies who are stuck carrying a stack of a dozen bricks each on their heads? View fullsize I see you up there, you little rascal. View fullsize A beautiful floating flower arrangement outside a restaurant. View fullsize Yes! This will be my future ride. View fullsize Time to cool off -- again! View fullsize Remind me again -- why the ladies? View fullsize A guy and his dog sit together to watch the soccer game. View fullsize Tonight, we're out to watch a performance of Kecak Dance. View fullsize In this Balinese dance form, there are no accompanying instruments. View fullsize Instead, the men make all the musical noises themselves. View fullsize The cast of characters was very similar to the more traditional dance that we saw last year. View fullsize This dance performance ends with a man who can walk on (and kick) fire. View fullsize Dinner that night was at, of course, a Cuban restaurant. View fullsize Dad's going to drink that sangria all by himself. View fullsize No evening is complete without a scoop on a cone. View fullsize The next morning, a car trip outside Ubud to other interesting areas of Bali. View fullsize At the Elephant Cave, or Goa Gajah, there's a bathing temple with carp swimming around. View fullsize These two were satisfied looking at the bathing temple from above. View fullsize The entrance to the cave is "a relief of various menacing creatures and demons carved right into the rock at the cave entrance." [Source: Wikipedia] View fullsize Offerings inside the cave. View fullsize A really tall tree. View fullsize The grounds of the Elephant Cave extend into a valley, with lots of moss growing all over everything. View fullsize [Cue ray of light music.] View fullsize Creepy tree roots. View fullsize More meandering through the valley area. View fullsize Stone carvings at the side of the path that you'd likely not notice if you weren't looking. View fullsize Pretty lotuses in a fairly reflective pond. View fullsize I think this guy needs to make an appointment with an orthodontist. View fullsize A very picturesque stepped rice paddy. View fullsize We had a comfy car and a driver for the day. Now, we're stuck in traffic on our way to Bali's second most important temple. View fullsize A boy helps get his little brother in order. View fullsize We're going to see an annual festival at Pura Ulun Danu Batur, and we have to dress for the part! View fullsize He looks convincingly local, no? View fullsize The two men, in their best temple gear. They'll blend right in! View fullsize This father and son had already paid their respects, and were heading home. View fullsize People come from all over Bali to attend this ceremony, which spans about 4 weeks. We went on a Sunday -- the busiest day of the week to go! View fullsize Can you spot the foreigner? View fullsize Can you spot the statues? View fullsize You had to be aggressive to get in through the main entrance. View fullsize People arrive throughout the day; the women bring offerings on their heads. View fullsize Group shot. I'd say we fit right in. View fullsize This was the crowd waiting to enter the praying area. They let people in in batches. View fullsize A gamelan, the members of which looked like they'd rather be some place else. View fullsize This little boy looks like he's also wondering what he's doing here and when he can leave. View fullsize The crowds wait patiently to enter the prayer area. View fullsize Did I mention that people come from all over Bali to pay their respects during this time? View fullsize Here's part of the crowd, within the prayer area. Everyone is seated. View fullsize This boy has on his best camera face. View fullsize Praying together, toward the end of the ceremony. View fullsize Here, people walk up to the front to give their offerings. View fullsize This guy's gotten a monetary donation. View fullsize I suspect that, from the right vantage point, there should be a good view of the lake and the volcano. View fullsize This guy guards one of the doorways within the temple grounds. View fullsize A group was performing with spears. Better not stand too close. View fullsize Another group of dancers waited outside, to perform after the other group. View fullsize Lunch at a warung, a basic mom-and-pop shop. View fullsize Our final stop of the day was at Pura Puncak Penulisan, the highest temple on Bali and one of the most ancient. View fullsize At the top (1745m) we were above the clouds. View fullsize And we only had to climb up 333 steps to be afforded the view. View fullsize It was nice and cool up there! View fullsize One's camera-happy, and the other camera shy. View fullsize The white specks all over the hillsides are clusters of houses. View fullsize A stray flower on the wall of Pura Panarajon, the temple at the top. View fullsize This temple, too, had succumbed to the force of the Balinese moss. View fullsize These ladies dutifully guard the temple and overlook the rest of the island of Bali. View fullsize Another view of the lake in the crater. View fullsize Back in Ubud, the daughter of the owners of a batik store was very smiley and friendly. But she looks shy for the camera. View fullsize Now she's smiling. And confused why there's a stranger on the floor with her. View fullsize Girlie drink! View fullsize A Balinese feast to celebrate the end of a fun visit.
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![[Cue ray of light music.]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57a5b670e6f2e1f140d28fbd/1513741245241-M8IU9W1LB63JAN9C6AP3/112.jpg)
