Day 11 Thursday
Now we are wearing Rings
Uluwatu Temple
Eating Fried Fish in Jimbaran
Shopping for Arjuna mask
Indus is Fancy
Today is the first day of wearing rings. I have never liked rings, and as Beth and I were trying and looking for rings none ever felt comfortable, including the ones that we picked (that picked us). Today the ring feel totally right and comfortable. It’s almost ringless.
Wearing the rings, Beth and I, with Charles and Andrea and our driver Wayan ventured from Ubud to Uluwatu, the temple on the cliffs in the southernmost area of Bali. Uluwatu is also a famous surfing area. The monkeys here are really aggressive, and we were witness to a few locals and tourists snuck up upon, climbed, and robbed b monkeys. The monkeys then bargain, or rather, they ransom, the stolen glasses or hats or earrings for peanuts or eggs.
Wayan took us a little north to Jimbaran beach after Uluwatu where we had fried grouper, grilled snapper, chicken, and rum. No, but we had ordered brem and they brought us rum. We sent the rum shots back in exchange for arak attacks! Arak is the Balinese local spirit. They mix it with various juices or drink it straight. Of course, most Bainese don’t drink much at all. And nearly none eat out. Restaurants are for locals mostly.
Back in Ubud (this was a long and full day) Beth and I went to see the Wayan who interpreted for our palm leaf art exchange. This Wayan is an incredible mask carver, dancer and laugher. He’s just a riot, and we wanted to buy a gift for Greig from him. Greig had carved his own mask with Oka, the famous artist in Ubud. His mask was the opposite of Arjuna, and represented Greig’s shadow. We wanted to get him the light.
We finished up the day with the entire Patten group at Indus, the upscale sister restaurant of Casa Luna, owned by the author of Fragrant Rice. A phenomenal experience, though not very Balinese. Their Coconut Killers were killer!
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| 2-14 Valentine, Uluwatu, Indus |