Loving Lovina

I have much to say about our two days in Ubud, but the keyboard I'm typing on right now is super sticky and I'd rather describe it all when the words can flow more freely (and when I have my notes in front of me). So come back in a few days for that one. But I will say that we had an amazing time in Ubud, and it is one of the few places that I've traveled to in my life that I want to be sure to get back to some day. Don't get me wrong, I've seen some amazing and beautiful places in my time, but there was something about this town that drew me in and I'd love to go back to. Maybe it was Mario. He. Is. The. Best. If you ever find yourself in Bali, please contact me to get his info because he really made our trip for us and he would be "very happy" if we recommended him. We were very sad to see him go, but he said he would call us tomorrow to say goodbye.

This morning he drove us the 3 hours north to Lovina, where we are now. He brought us to a great hotel where we're each paying about $12 a night. Sure, we could probably get something for $5 or $10, but this is a beautiful place a little separated from the main part of town, near the black sand beach, and would easily go for over $100 a night in the States. And except for the rowdy rooster next door to the internet place and the guy singing Leaving On A Jet Plane with his guitar, it's very quiet.

During our drive north, we went up quite a bit in elevation so had some great photo opportunities of the lush landscape. Laura and I were so captivated by the view, we completely failed to see the two guys standing right next to our car each holding a giant bat. I've never seen bats like that before (and hope to never see them in the wild). One of them was quite flexible. I won't go into detail except to say that men in our country would have to remove a rib or two to be able to do what we witnessed this bat doing. We made a stop a little later on to hike down to a pituresque waterfall, and then finished the drive. This part of the island has more roundabouts and wider streets, but the ubiquitous and colorful offerings to the Hindu gods are aplenty here as well. It's beautiful to see women walking the streets in their sarongs and traditional lacy tops with trays of handmade bamboo dishes filled with flowers, incense, and usually (maybe always) a little bit of food.

Laura and I are scheduled to go on a dolphin watch first thing in the morning and then to spend the rest of the day snorkeling on a little island off the north coast that is also a national part. Budi, the owner of the Suma Hotel where we are staying, has arranged everything, and we feel we are in good hands. We had to pay him up front (as is typical in this part of the world, it seems), but were short on cash. Two of his employees took us on our first motor bike ride (with helmets) to the ATM where I found that my bank seems to have shut me down since I made the mistake of not telling them I was traveling. Note to self: always call the bank. I will call them tonight and hopefully get it squared away by tomorrow. As Mario would say, "No problem."

That's all for now. Tune in later for stories about traditional dancing, Wayan the healer, mongoose poop coffee, and other Balinese adventures.

Thank you for reading!

P.S. Our resident musician has moved on to Sweet Child Of Mine.