So late getting started because too relaxed to worry with blog! We flew from Denver to Tokyo non-stop; a pleasure since I surprised Lance with an upgrade to business on the Dreamliner! We had an overnight layover in Narita, a wonderful dinner at a local soba house, then took off the next morning for Denpasar, Bali. Picked up by our driver, it was a bumpy 2 1/2 hour drive up to Tabanan, in the mountainous, rice-paddy-filled area about an hour west of Ubud. And it’s already late Sunday night!
The resort was small, with just 5 bungalows, and 60 percent of its power from the fierce spring running by our spot, the Spring Water bungalow. As you can see, it is a beautiful setting:
and after a great night’s sleep, we enjoy eating breakfast while the local workers improve the rice paddy (from the thai word pad, meaning “rice”) right outside:
After breakfast, we hike the red trail with Bagos:
Bali is a Hindu oasis in the midst of Muslim Indonesia. Some people say it isn’t really Indonesia at all. Anywhere you go, and all along our hike, there were family and village shrines and temples:
and hopefully at some point, we will be lucky enough to stumble upon the offering ceremoney for one. The schweddy hikers:
We hike along a muddy trail, past the local school (and Bagos tells us that when he was growing up, it was 70% boys. Now it’s 80% girls):
through local rice paddies:
and back again for lunch. The trails are so muddy from the afternoon rains, that each day we end up removing our shoes and washing them in the spring creek:
We spend a lazy afternoon relaxing in our room:
and have a lovely dinner before calling it an evening.