A beautiful day and lucky me, I'd arranged to go out for the morning with Agung in the car. He is the kind kind man who bought me the huge bunch of tuberose (sedap malam). In case any other forumites would like to use Agung as a driver (and chance your luck on getting flowers too) his name is Agung Tirta and his phone is 081-246-99620, or he can be contacted though Ubud Village Hotel.
I just wanted to go a few places close around Ubud, so we headed up the hill past Campuan. I'd forgotten that I meant to go to Museum Neka - it was one of the 'shoulds' - I always have to go to galleries at home, so I was being a bit slack. Agung reminded me, and I was so glad he did. He is an artist himself; in fact his teacher has work in the museum. So Agung was able to tell me about all the different painting styles and his English was even good enough to tell me which ones were influenced by Cubism etc. It is a wonderful museum now - seems much larger than the last time I went. Some beautiful art there.
Next stop was a recommendation from the forum - I think maybe Filo's site. Cahaya Dewata. I LOVE saying that. Cahaya Dewata! I was taught how to pronounce it in Indonesian a long time ago, and it's one of those things that it's a pleasure to get your mouth around. So I went there to look at the view and I wasn't disappointed. It certainly has the best view I've seen in the Sayan area. There is a huge restaurant looking out on a wonderful view on three sides. There was nobody there but me, until an Italian couple came with their Balinese guide. The girl just kept saying 'che bello, che bello!' in this absolutely enchanted voice. And it was ...BELLO, I mean.
The next stop was the new Ubud Village Resort, which was just wonderful. I had a look around & saw one room (villa, house, whatever). They couldn't show me any other rooms (there are three types) because they were FULL. But I talked to the owner and he said that they are having 'soft opening ' at present, and they are giving rates a good bit less than the advertised rates. So contact them direct if you're interested.
In the afternoon I went shopping at the Padangtegal end of the Monkey Forest Rd. I'll have to do an Ubud shopping JBR later.
The festival was continuing at the football field. In the program it said that the cechak dance (with 1000 dancers) was on between 3 and 7 pm. Some other Australians at the hotel and I, kept catching up going & coming to see if it has started yet. (I probably didn't mention that they were rehearsing the evening I arrived, and when 1000 dancers went home on 500 motorbikes while I was sitting in Ibu Rai, it was like the Revenge of the Bikies.)
So, Balinese-style, nothing had happened yet by 5.30, so I guessed at 7.30, and guess what, it was at 6.30 and I missed the whole thing. Still, there was dancing on the stage, and so many many Balinese around - the football field was packed and the streets also. A Balinese man in formal costume (who I'd met before at the Bianglalah Restaurant) stepped out of the dark and took me by the wrist to find a good spot to watch the dancing. So nice! I'd had a fish sate at Bianglalah earlier and it was so yummy - a really dark sate suce, neither very chilli or very peanutty. And he gave me MORE. It is down an alleyway off the MF Rd, and looks over the rice fields. Very peaceful and simple but yummy yummy food. Fresh mango juice also.
Shopping report coming eventually!