Well, we've arrived safely in Ubud after a thankfully uneventful and smooth speedboat ride from Gili Trawangan. What a waste of Dramamine.
First impressions: Ubud is the Bali paradise I'd been hoping for. The first hint came upon arrival...we were dropped off in front of the Ubud Terrace Bungalows guesthouse, and decided to take a look at their rooms. It didn't have much curb appeal, but soon a long walk back to the living quarters revealed jungle gardens, a tiled pool, a bridge over a creek, and a guesthouse that looked like some old temple. $15 a night with hot water shower--we'll take it!
There's plenty to see and do here, it's the cultural center of Bali. There are dance performances, walking tours, a monkey sanctuary, rafting, biking, cheap massage, and plenty of shopping for handicrafts and artworks. No partying, though. This town shuts down around 10pm.
We've wandered around, just soaking it in...yesterday we went for a walk through the rice paddies that border the city. It was paradise. I really can't think of too many places I've been that could rival the beauty...we also met a really nice rice farmer who engaged us in conversation, then sold us some tickets to his dance performance tonight. He promises he'll let us take a picture with him in costume.
Today we're going on an animal safari and to the monkey sanctuary, then to see that dance performance. Should be fun. Of course, there are other details from the last couple of days, but I'll save those for a later post or let Alison fill in some details. She promises me she'll be making a contribution here soon...
