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Published: August 26th 2018
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Today, Kristy had us scheduled to go to a batik class where we would learn to make the
traditional Indonesian fabric which is used for decorations and garments. We had breakfast at the Sthala then took a grab to
Widya’s Batik Studio. We ended up getting there late for the 10:00 class because the studio was on the other side of Ubud and we got stuck in traffic.
When we arrived, the class was already working on their creation. Widya gave us a quick crash course in what we would be doing to craft our masterpieces. The first step was to select a pattern. Second, trace the pattern onto cotton cloth with a pencil then again with hot wax. Next, fill in the traced pattern with watercolor paint. Finally, the batik needed to be color-stayed by an acid bath and boil.
After perusing all the pattern options, Brad selected
Ganesha and Kristy decided on a volcano and beach landscape. The pencil tracing step was relatively easy. The wax tracing was considerably more difficult. Each of us received a practice cloth to try the wax while the pro’s wax traced our actual project.
The simple painting was not terribly difficult because the paint
did not penetrate the wax border and bleed into adjoining sections. The artistic painting was much more difficult. Between the difficulty of our patterns and running behind the rest of the class, we received loads of assistance from the pros. Our lack of artistic talent may have been a factor as well. We were more than happy to allow the artists to step in because they were doing a fantastic job.
When the painting was done, we dried the fabric in the sun. After drying for about 20 minutes, the batik was off for a chemical then hot water bath. The colors changed and became more vibrant after the chemical bath. The wax melted away in the hot water revealing sharp white lines. The final product was beautiful thanks to our copious professional assistance.
After class, we took the provided shuttle into Ubud. Kristy had read about
babi guling which is a local suckling pig dish and we wanted to try it. We went to
Ibu Babi Guling’s for an early dinner/snack. Apparently, babi guling is mostly a lunch dish and patrons are required to get to the restaurant early (
similar to some BBQ places in the US). We did not have to wait because we showed up
in the late afternoon. The pork was pretty good, but probably not worth the hype.
After sampling the savory swine, we wanted to do a little more souvenir shopping at the street markets. Brad wanted to get elephant shirts and
pants while Kristy wanted to get some batik fabric and a mortar & pestle. We braved the crowded roads before entering a side-street market. Immediately, we came across a lady selling mortars & pestles. Kristy led with a super lowball offer and managed to purchase a nice one for about $7. Next, we negotiated with some elephant shirt vendors. Brad eventually purchased an elephant shirt and matching his and her elephant pants. Later, Brad would learn that the pants were too restrictive for his thunder thighs. We purchased a few other items and grabbed the shuttle back to the Sthala.
That evening we went to the rooftop bar at the hotel for some drinks and dinner. We were still pretty full from the babi guling so we only ordered some calamari and nachos. The calamari was fantastic while the nachos were subpar. Hard to impress a South Texas girl with Mexican food from Asia. We washed that down
with a few happy hour priced Bintang and went to bed.
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