Ubud

---

After a couple of days in Ubud, I am beginning to make contact with the amazing Balinese culture which is all around me. The arts abound. with music, sculpture, music, and cuisine. Wanderings today along the streets and paths (again, much to the curiosity of all of the taxi and "transport" providers) soon lead me away from "the tourists" and into just the start of my travels into "the real Indonesia". I am struck first just by the "feel" here; as Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, you expect to have people around you. This is certainly the case. Motorbikes seem to be the preferred method of travel, with also Bemos (mini-bus) and the still persistent taxis (do they ever give up on me? 😊 ) I'm having Fantas on the local shops, just seeing who comes through the doors and headed off "lost" on Bali. I am wandering through the terraced rice fields, coconut trees, and very much at peace. I notice the "offerings" everywhere to the gods, some just laying on the street, and some perched up on posts. Hindu temples abound, but I do not have the appropriate clothes to enter. I observe from the gates as I watch the culture and the locals partake. There is nothing (in my humble opinion) like traveling on foot, modestly, and just hitting the street to understand where you are and where and how the local culture lives. My walk today through the countryside was truly magical, and the images of the rice paddies, the people, the temples, are etched in my mind. I want to spend a few more days here away from the "tourists" and understand more before I head across more of this incredible archipelago. I am moved and definitely "in travel mode" ...

---