Day 4: Ubud

Market day! We got up at 5:15 in order to leave for the market at 5:45. Once at the market Erica and I explored around, checking out the fruit stands, bread bakeries and offering makers. We ended up buying a few things from the bakery, not really sure what they were but they were pretty good. When I asked the woman she said that they were coconut, which may be hugely accurate as coconut seems to be everywhere. My favorite thing was very similar to a sesame balls in Chinatown, although instead of red bean paste it was..coconut? Didn’t really taste like anything.

After the market we drove out to some picturesque rice paddies, the thing I have been looking forward to and bought intense Keens for! The view was absolutely breathtaking, but I was EXTREMELY disappointed that we did not walk through the paddies. Nevertheless we were able to learn more about rice (if you haven’t noticed I am quite interested in rice paddies), and take some good pictures! We ended up at the Gunung Kawi Temple and were able to make an offering and meditate a bit before eating a bunch of rice snacks! The temple was built in the 9th century and had the most picturesque wet stones and moss. There was even a waterfall!

We then returned to the Homestay, and after bringing our laundry to the laundromat (they are washing 1 pair of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 5 shirts and a pair of socks for $1.50) we went back to yesterday’s dinner place and ate lunch. I got nasi goreng, Indonesian fried rice, which was delicious! But the drumstick like ice cream thing that we got from the convenience store after was definitely the best part.
Post eating a few of us wandered around the city and visited some amazingly talented woodworkers who own shops. Many of you may be getting woodcarvings as Bali souvenirs, send requests if you want a particular animal/figurine! Also saw some spectacular artwork that will hopefully be in my JP home next year. The most difficult thing in having a month of traveling after my month of traveling is that I need to postpone buying every cool thing that I see. Luckily my cheapness also helps me restrain buying inpulses plus the fact that I don’t want to carry it all around since we are returning to Ubud at the end of the month.

In the afternoon we went to the community classes and learned to play the Gamelan, which is sort of like a metal xylophone, as well as dance a traditional Balinese dance called Legong. I use the term ‘learn’ very loosely, as pounding at a metal instrument, and swinging your head back and forth doesn’t really qualify as learning to play and instrument or dance.

For dinner we out in our traditional sarongs and headed to Mengwi to have dinner with Agung Prana who founded the Global Coral Reef Alliance. The drive was long but when we walked in the door the amazingness of the place was immediately apparent. The bar area looked just like a tropical resort and the staff greeted us with fresh watermelon juice. As we sat down to dinner Agung greeted us and talked a little about his organization. Based in the north, the project strives to stop the dynamiting of coral reefs, and also works to promote reef growth through the sinking of artificial reefs. The organization only hires local Balinese, which helps to maintain employment for those who may no longer be able to continue fishing through destructive practices. For his work Agung is being recognized by the United Nations Environment Programme in Rio de Janeiro next month, in addition to countless other awards he has received in the past.

Agung sat at our table and we were able to further talk to him about sustainability, Bali and the Eco-resort he operates and that we were currently at. Speaking of resorts the food was absolutely amazing! We started off with a bowl of vegetable soup and then had beef satay, rice, green beans, corn fritters, spring rolls, bean sprout salad, fried fish and chicken with potatoes. I did have one beef satay before giving the rest to Greg, and I must say, it was a meat credit well spent. Typically when I eat meat I am disappointed with it but this I could have easily and happily eaten the other two skewers of. But I didn’t! Because I’m vegetarian.

The corn fritters were also extremely delicious, tasting sort of like a crab cake. For dessert we had the usual fruit spread, and actually the same thing we usually have for breakfast: a chunk of papaya, slices of pineapple and watermelon. Papaya is really not my favorite, but at our Homestay they serve it with a slice of lime to squeeze over and that is very very tasty. Another interesting thing is that the pineapples here are about a third of the size of those seen in American grocery stores and are much firmer than a ripe American pineapple. Genetic modification perhaps?

Post dinner we went on a torch lit walk along a rice paddy and ended up at a temple where we prayed and meditated. Can you believe this??

It is actually a little hard to see from bamboo torch light, but nevertheless we made it. I am still working on my meditation abilities, but I was semi-successful for about half of the allotted time. Praying was a first for me, and I wasn’t really sure what to do, but it is a beautiful thing that the Balinese have incorporated into their daily lives with grace.

Overall a long but amazing day. I will definitely be returning to the market and look forward to improving my mind cleaning meditation abilities in the future.