Day 2 Ubud -“The Village Guest House”

Day 2 Ubud -“The Village Guest House”

Woke during the night to the sound of rain and then roosters but luckily went back to sleep until 7. Up and tidied the room and saw a man putting new flowers near the various statues around the place despite the pouring rain. I also discovered that there was a pool right outside our rooms. The whole place is just delightful. They currently have three rooms and are building another 6, which will be completed at the end of the month.

Breakfast begins at “8 ish” . WOW! My kind of cup of tea in a bucket sized cup.  The most delicious fruit salad- never tasted banana quite like that, so fresh. I asked for boiled eggs- slightly too hard, but ok. Served in the most delightful egg cups A pineapple and orange juice- freshly blitzed and so good. 

After breakfast Sandra went for a swim and I wandered through the garden taking photos, after the rain stopped. By 10 am the rain had gone. The rest of the morning was spent catching up on my diary and chatting with the others listening to the pool fountain- feel the serenity. We met the owner Yanik, who took our passports for registrations and returned soon after telling us about the community cremations on July 26. People are buried and then exhumed to be cremated and the ash is sent on its journey in water. Yanik was telling us a little bit about their beliefs/ religion based on the philosophy of respect for self, others and the environment. We even met his son- what a cutie.

Soon after we walked down the street to get some lunch. My camera was VERY busy taking shot after shot of the sight and the people. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch “Nomads” – Everything was absolutely delicious and yes you can get GF here, but you have to ask and there aren’t many items on the menu but food is great. Very fresh. 

After lunch we set off to find the local market and wandered through the stalls sometimes stopping to buy and always bartering. Unfortunately so many stalls carried exactly the same things as many others, so after a while you just kept walking. Items were definitely cheaper in the market than even the nearby shops. While we might not have walked very far, it proved to be quite hot (just right for me) and stopped for a drink at a small café. I ordered hot black tea and it came in a tall glass loaded with sugar! But I was thirsty, so down it went. We continued to make our way through the market to the next major road, where we found a shop for manicures and pedicures.

They was both relaxing and funny and included foot and hand massages. Mine cost the equivalent of $17. We definitely kept the girls doing the manicures entertained, despite the language barriers. We also had a chat to a Danish midwife who was on holidays. She was originally an Iranian refugee who came to Denmark 26 years ago with her family.

After we had all been “done”, it was out into the streets again. Getting into a shop is QUITE an effort, with at least three enormous steps to climb up/ down and walking along the “footpath” is slightly problematic. You need to be watching the whole time for holes in the path, sudden dips/ inclines, obstructions- like cars/ bikes parked in the way or that the path just disappears into a wall!

On our way home we stopped for a light dinner. I chose nasi goring- yep GF, but it had so much chili in that I lost all feeling in my mouth and throat before I realised. 

As we got to the guest house, Yanik met us and took us up the road a short distance, where the local boys were practising for the upcoming Cremation ceremony. On our return, we found Pauline and Val waiting to get into the rooms, which were locked. One of the Yanik’s aunt’s tried to ring him and  I walked back up to the band practice but he wasn’t there. When Yanik returned he showed us that the keys were on the table where everyone was sitting! In their defense the overhead light was not on, so it was very dark. He showed me where to find all the things we would need to make a cup of tea- great.

We sat around and sipped tea/ “other”, listening to the nearby frogs and geckos. While there might not be any mosquitoes there are definitely biting bugs. The rest of the girls sewed/ read while I typed and downloaded photos. Ah the serenity. An early night for most at 9:30, and after last night possibly warranted. I still had to upload. So I was up latest. 10:30 before I went to my room. Listening to the cacophony of frogs, geckos and other animals- sounds like a donkey right now but probably frogs again. 

It had been a lovely day with so much to see.