Power Shopping

We spent only one night on Bali's North coast. The area was beautiful, with black sand beaches and a fantastic sunset over the Java Sea. We left in the morning and drove across the mountains with a brief stop at a spice market. The merchants were especially ready to bargain since those tour buses don't hang around too long. They were a hoot, giving us those lines that made us want to spend our cash, like, "Special morning price", "this one special for you", "you want this one". Supy warned us not to pay more that a third of the asking price, and we took his advice to heart. Roger, your new shirt's asking price was 250,000 rupiah, and I paid 50,000. That's about five bucks. worth every penny, I'm sure. Aren't you proud of me?

Now we are in Ubud, and we have a lot going on. This afternoon, we took a short walk from the hotel to get the lay of the land. Bargains grabbed our attention and a new line, "This one perfect for you" worked on Gail. Hey, so she bought two sarongs today. She lives at the beach. She NEEDS sarongs. The cute little lady then tried to short-change me 10,000 rupiah, but I caught her. We shared a friendly laugh afterward. These people are adorably sweet. Even when they try to cheat you.

We are in an incredible hotel perched over rice fields- the setting is breathtaking. The room is beyond plush. It makes other places I've stayed look like the Yorba (not that there's anything wrong with that). If ONLY I could share my photos with you! Curses! In addition to being lovely and cushy, this place offers interesting activities. One that caught our eye was Balinese dance and dress class. That will be a real photo op! Tomorrow we head to a traditional village to learn about their method of weaving. The day after that, we visit a big batik manufacturer that exports to the US. Busy, busy. I hope we have time to lay around this hotel!

We have spent a lot of time in a bus on this trip and have made every effort to do outdoorsy activities whenever we have the chance. A couple opportunities are located right here in Ubud. The first is a birding hike, led by a well-known bird guy. Gail is an avid birder, so she knows this stuff. The second activity is a bike ride down the side of a volcano. Now this trip sounds like a lot of fun, BUT, I am quite a cowardly biker. Gail, on the other hand, bikes long distances on a regular basis. So, I do have a few concerns before we begin. Can I do this? The flyer says it's good for all ages, but is it REALLY? It's downhill, but what if it's too steep? What if I fall? If I fall and start crying like a four-year-old with a skinned knee, I'll be REALLY embarrassed. Ahhhh, what to do? There's only one way to proceed, I know. Say "Why not?" and go for it. I still have a few days to chicken out. Let's hope I don't!