Today as we were moving on from Lovina to Ubud we decided to have breakfast in our room so we could finish packing and enjoy the last couple of hours in the villa.
We were being collected at 10 so once we were ready we headed up to settle our bill and await our driver for the day.
Our driver was held up by a ceremony so was a little late, today we planned to see some of Bali's lakes and a couple of temples. It was sunny as we set of on our sightseeing transfer. Our first stop was Lake Tamblingen. As we pulled up at a roadside viewing point and climbed out of the car we both noticed how cool it was. It felt like being in the UK looking down at a Tarn, Loch or Llyn. I guess we should have known it would be cooler as we had driven uphill continuously for the past hour.
It was a pity to see all the rubbish at the side of the road where people had stopped for a look, and left empty lunch wrappers behind. Our guide Arri said it was picked up everyday but didn't stay clean for long. After a brief stop we set off for Lake Bratan and the temple Pura Ulu Danu, this is one of the iconic temples in Bali and is much photographed and many Balinese come to worship here. It is set in a park and it was interesting to hear from Arri that it is popular with couples as a dating venue. As you can see in the photos it was overcast and almost cold, Arri was especially cold. Talking with Arri about his life and everyday life in Bali provides some of the best parts of our visit. It was especially interesting talking about relationships and marriage to see how things are changing here too. Apparently living together is now encouraged by parents and it is wise to get your partner or yourself pregnant before you propose so you know a family is possible.
From there we moved on to view the Jatiluwih rice terraces, where we had lunch. The views were impressive but the food was just ok.
After lunch we set off to Pura Luhur Batukau, but first we called in at a coffee plantation to look at how coffee is processed and to taste some tea and coffee. One that we tried is Luwak where the beans have first been through the digestive system of a civet. It is the best apparently as the civet only eats the best beans, digests the skin and passes the bean which is then cleaned and processed as normal coffee, it was okay but we didn't buy any.
Along the way we saw many sights and images that were so Balinese you could swear they were staged for tourists. We saw ladies carrying things on their head and not just offerings on the way to the temple; I mean things like bags of cement and containers of soil that were filled on the head from lorries. When we asked Arri about this it is the norm for women to be labourers for builders, men and women are equal so there is no differentiation. Talking with Arri about his home life he told us he gets up at five each to clean the house whilst his wife cooks the meal for the day. Each day the food is cooked in the morning and that is the food for the day, there are no set meal times as you eat when you are hungry and have chance.
We drove through the forests up to Batukau and once we had donned our sarongs and sashes, and Arri had explained the reasons behind the rules we were guided around the temple.
Rules 1 & 2 are due to the child not being a complete person, so they are still an incomplete part of the mother.
Rule 3 is because the child is now a separate person but is still incomplete in the eyes of the gods.
Rule 4, 5 & 6 are all due to being unclean. If you have recently suffered a bereavement your thoughts are unclean, and the sarong is to cover the lower half of your body which is classed as unclean.
We left the temple to set off for our next hotel, the Wapa Di Ume in Ubud. Upon arrival we were greeted with our now usual cold cloth and drink, this time it was young coconut milk. The hotel is a complete contrast to The Damai, all light wood, overlooking the rice fields and complete with a sexy bath tub as described by the member of staff who showed us to our room.
As it was quite late and we were tired we decided to order room service and eat on our balcony overlooking our view for the next 4 nights. We had Mia Goreng and Nasi Goreng, both traditional dishes comprising either noodles(Mia) or rice (Nasi) with vegetables and chicken topped with a fried egg. I am not sure these are quite traditional as the chicken is separate from the rice or noodles but the egg and crackers are do usually sit on top of the dish.
An early start tomorrow as we have lots of things to see and experience.
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