Bali (Ubud) -- Day 4 -- Monkey Forest

After a quick breakfast at Masih Bungalow (banana pancakes, fruit and kopi bali), I checked out, exchanged the mountain bike I'd rented for a new one and rode on the new rickety bike to Monkey Forest Sanctuary (admission 10,000 Rp). Monkeys are sacred to the Balinese Hindus just as in India and they are revered. (These monkeys are macaques, the name is familiar, of course, to Americans for the macaca comment made by George Allen. That idiot!) For an additional 10,000 Rp, you can buy bananas to feed the animals. The sanctuary is used by the Balinese for religious festivals and is a haven for 115 different species of trees. It is a harmonious mixture of man and nature. The monkeys, by the way, are extremely aggressive and if you are not careful, they can snatch away your belongings. Watch out. The guides are very helpful if you want to take pictures. You can spend a good two hours in this sanctuary.

I retrieved my bike and rode back to Tutmak cafe for brunch (banana pancakes and iced coffee). I don't know, I just liked the pancakes so much, I suppose. Anyway, I took directions to Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah). The maps say that it's 3 kms from Ubud village, but I rode far more than 3 kms, because the signs are poor, I missed my way a few times and the locals don't understand the English term Elephant Cave. After I used the local name, Goa Gajah (Goa=cave, Gajah=elephant from Sanskrit) from Lonely Planet things went a lot easier. Riding through Ubud, you see plenty of artists' homes. Many of them work and display their art on location. I suppose, this where you've to visit to get the real stuff. The lush greenery and the gentle breeze mitigated somewhat the intense heat. I was drinking fluids like there was no tomorrow. After almost an hour of riding including miscues, I arrived at the Elephant Cave.

Elephant Cave: This cave is not readily visible from the street, but once you enter the premises and pay the admission (5,000 Rp), you have to change to the acceptable attire, a sarong, which they will loan you at the temple. Incidentally, a sign there says that women in their menstrual period are not allowed. I wonder how they are going to control that? At any rate, a very helpful guide, in fact one of the custodians of the temple, gave me a good history of the temple. Founded in the 11th century, it is perhaps the oldest Hindu temple in Bali. The deities are unlike what you might see in India. There is not much ornamentation, but on the other hand, you can see the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Wisnu and Siwa -- note spellings) in the same location -- somewhat unusual in India. After an engaging conversation with the guide, I savored some tender coconut juice and went onward with my bike ride to Pejeng.

Pejeng: This is a region famous for its rice paddy fields -- the terraced fields that you see in tourist brochures. It is a sight for sore eyes, believe me. The ride itself took almost 2 hours because of undulating streets and having to stop every kilometer or so to get directions. The locals are indeed very friendly and it appears that you only have to say the word Ubud, and they know how to direct you. Terimah kasih (thank you), you lovely Balinese.

The ride back wore me out completely, not in the least because of the lousy bike. I went back to the rental place, returned my bike and went back to Tutmak for yet another iced coffee. I was tired (again) and this time I went to Adi Cottages, where I was going to spend the night. I was so glad to have a/c that I fell on the bed and snoozed for an hour or two. Feeling refreshed, I walked on Monkey Forest Road for a while and saw this women handing out fliers for different massages. What the hell, let me try a Balinese massage (70,000 Rp), I thought. It turned out that only the name changes, but the massage is the same. Marketing certainly works! The masseuse was very surly, yet grateful when I paid her. Maybe it was due to the lack of business, maybe it was her nature. Who can tell?

I walked back to Putra Bar for a few beers and some relaxing Jazz. I made small talk with the bartenders and learned of their pecuniary situation. Many of them subsist on the largess of foreign tourists who have spent considerable time in Ubud. Tough times! Here I also learned about the Balinese custom of naming children. The names are unisex. The first born is Wayan or Putu, the second is Made or Kadek, the third is Nyoman or Komang and the fourth is Ketut. The cycle repeats for fifth, sixth born etc. Interesting.

Based on the recommendation of the folks at Putra Bar, I went to the neighboring Cafe Bali (every third or fourth restaurant is called Cafe Bali) and had Balinese clear chicken soup and a full grilled red snapper in Balinese style. The total tab was 77,000 Rp; the spices were an interesting mix, but not hot enough for me. I enjoyed it, though. I followed it up with more beer and music at Putra Bar and retired thankfully at the air-conditioned Adi Cottage room. This was the end of my Ubud trip. I shall return!

Bali (Ubud) - Day 3 -- Arts and Crafts!

After a leisurely continental breakfast at the hotel (including of course the intriguing kopi bali), I checked out and left my excess luggage to be picked up later. Ayub picked me up on his motorbike to go to Ubud, the art and cultural center of Bali. Along the way, we stopped for a traditional Balinese dance recital (45,000 Rp) that included tales of Ramayana, however in a Balinese variant called Ramakavaca. The narrators used local Balinese with a few Sanskrit words sprinkled in, that I could recognize. A nice experience indeed. Later, we visited a Batik factory, where local artisans were working on cloth, walls and canvas. I got a painting of Barong on my shorts. I walked through the gift store, and despite the hard-sell, I didn't buy anything.

After a 30 minute ride, we arrived in beautiful Ubud. After hunting around, I settled on Masih Bungalow (located on Dewi Sita Road) and took a single room at 100,000 Rp, no a/c, but with breakfast included. Ayub returned to Kuta and was pick me up two days later at the same place.
To orient myself, I took a short walk toward Monkey Forest Road, where the famous Monkey Forest Sanctuary is located. I stopped at Cafe Bali for some satay and nasi goreng (80,000 Rp). It was not the best food I've had. On my way back I checked my email at an internet cafe (10,000 Rp/hour) and learned that uncle Ramasubbu, whom I had met in Chennai, India took a turn for the worse and passed into the Great Beyond. May his soul rest in piece!

A little down and out, I meandered toward Masih Bungalow and I stumbled into this beautiful cafe on Dewi Sita Road called Tukmak, by far one of the best cafes I've been to. It's somewhat expensive, but well worth the price. I had the best iced cappucino (17,000 Rp) ever. I was to return to this airy, beautiful cafe many times during my short stay. The wait staff speaks excellent English and is always ready with information about Ubud. Don't miss this place.

Just across from Tukmak was this tiny place advertising Balinese massage (70,000 Rp) for 2 hours and I ventured in. The masseuse was a very friendly woman of roughly 30 years, and she related during our limited conversation that she was having a tough time attracting customers -- another victim of terrorist bombings. It was not the best massage, but I was too tired to protest anyway. After a quick shower, I took a nice long walk through the streets of Ubud. My God, the number of arts and handicrafts stores -- hundreds. Wow! From what I gathered, most of them cater to clueless Western tourists and rip them off. The artisans are so good at imitation, it's hard to differentiate between the genuine art and the fakes. Caveat emptor. To get the real deal, go with someone local you can trust. I will definitely return to Ubud in the future just to purchase art (hopefully get the real art). Beautiful!

I had decided to move out of Masih Bungalow, because the heat was oppressive (no a/c) and the noise level from construction crews practically ruled out sleeping in late. On Monkey Forest Road, I hired a mountain bike for the next day's activities (15,000 Rp) and found Adi Cottages, which to my liking had good, clean rooms with air conditioning. A great place to stay. I bargained the price from 360,000 Rp to 225,000 Rp and booked it for the next day. Yes, you can bargain! Don't be afraid. So, I rode back to Masih Bungalow, left my bike behind and had dinner at a very trendy, yet traditional Bumbu Bali restaurant. You have the option of typical Western seating or traditional Bali seating -- a low table with floor seating on cushions. I chose the traditional style, but truth be told, my ankles were hurting after an hour. For victuals, I opted for a Balinese sampler meal (mixed satay, coconut and vegetable soup, gadi-gadi and rice pudding for dessert). Excellent! And by the way, they also offer Balinese cooking classes -- a half-day course for 120,000 Rp. Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to indulge in it. Too bad!

I felt great and in a good mood, I went to Putra Bar on Monkey Forest Road, one of the few places in Ubud to listen to live Jazz and reggae. It's very relaxed, laid back and friendly. That day, two guys played acoustic music and cheerfully took requests from the patrons. Not to be missed. Somewhat tipsy, I returned to Masih Bungalow for a well deserved rest.