After so much non stop sightseeing in Japan, we were really looking forward to a chance to slow down and relax a bit in Bali.  I sent an email to Wayan, the owner of Bali Gen Bungalows which was the same place that stayed in 2006.  Baligen is secluded, family-run group of bungalows in Ubud, which is the cultural capital of Bali and is located near the center of the island.  They are beautiful bungalows with a nice pool and they are located in a very small village in the rice paddies, from the hustle and bustle of downtown Ubud.  We got off to a bit of a rough start though.

When we arrived at the airport, Wayan (who was supposed to pick us up) was nowhere to be found!  After waiting for a half hour, a wandered over to a small shop and bought a SIM card so I could call him.  Turns out he had been waiting in the parking lot but he thought he was 2 hours early!  He came right over and got us and then we were off to Ubud.  Shortly after we left though, there was a motorcycle accident just in front of us.  A man and woman started wobbling and then hit the center divider.  Their helmets flew off when they hit the ground, but the girl right up.  We never saw what happened to the guy because he wouldn’t stop because he thought the police would severely hassle us.  I think the whole situation really rattled us because Japan had spoiled us with everything being so neat and orderly.

For the next few days we pretty much just chilled.  We slept in, went swimming, read, edited photos, and went for a lot of nice walks into town.  Mandy discovered a new drink that she loved called the Coconut Killer.  The food in Bali is really fresh and delicious.  We had avocado milkshakes, lots of tempeh and sate, black rice and coconut milk pudding, a delicious smoked duck dish at Casa Luna that we had to order a day in advance.  We went to a place called Ibu Oka that we had seen on Anthony Bourdain’s show No Reservations. Supposedly the coconut oil marinated suckling pig was the best in the world.  I think I agree.  It was incredible.

On one of our strolls, we came across Taro Gallery, the store where I had bought my wood rocking chair in 2006.  I wanted to show the beautiful shop to Amanda but we were sad to see that it had recently closed and was under construction.  This was a good analogy for a lot of the Ubud area.  It seemed as if the entire city was under construction as they rushed to build as many cheap restaurants and souvenir stall as possible to meet the exposing tourist population.   Even in the few short years since I had been there, the whole place had changed a lot.  We went to another shop next door where I had bought a necklace, and this time a small yellow chicken came followed me in then hopped around and followed me around the store.  I think it thought I was a mama bird.

The next day, Wayan took us around for a day of sightseeing and we saw some beautiful temples, rice paddies, twin volcanic lakes, and Tanah Lot, the famous beach temple.  Mandy participated in some sort of blessing and they put rice on her forehead and a flower behind her ear.  Then we went to go see the famous Kecak Dance where dozens of dancers make a “kechak kechak” sound and dance around fire.

On our last morning, Su,  the daughter who takes care of a lot of the bungalows came up to our room and cooked us a beautiful good bye breakfast/lunch.  She had been preparing temple offerings (she makes several dozen every morning at 5am and takes them around town), for a special festival and wanted us to eat some of the special food before we left.  Su had taken really good care of me, last time I was here, and was great to see her again and catch up.  We sat around and talked for a while then we set off on the drive down the coast so we could check out the beach.