Ok, so my HNR has somehow become a JBR due to an unforeseen illness that I will explain when required.
Day 5 in Ubud started with the sun shining, the weather warm and the pool looking very inviting. After another epicurean breakfast of Special K and instant coffee, I entreated to the pool for a bit of reading, tanning and swimming. One of my main reasons for spending a week on my own in Ubud was to work on creating/enhancing my website but unfortunately, the internet connection in this part of the world is a little inconsistent and quite often I would lose all of my work as changes could not be saved. Never mind, it can wait until I go home. Instead I will just lie back, soak up the sun, read my books, eat and drink.
I decide I will walk into central Ubud so start the walk through Penestanen, walk down over the river, up the hill past Lala & Lily, down the steps to Campuhan and then ran the gauntlet past Bridges, trying to avoid the sarong lady, the fan lady, the wood carving man, the taxi tout etc. Almost stand on a dead rat whilst walking through the cutting which was a bit yuk. I don't like dead animals in any capacity.
Go for a wander down Monkey Forest Road and marvel at how crazy Ubud has become in the three years since I first visited. The town is teeming with tourists, most walking around aimlessly and getting in my way as I am a woman on a mission. I turn off MF Rd into Jl. Dewi Sita and after another five minutes or so, take a left into Jl. Gootama and then, behold, there is my destination - Melting Wok Cafe. I am so excited about eating here after having read so many fabulous reviews and I almost run to the front entrance. But wait - what is this? Why is the gate closed? OMG - horror of all horrors! It is closed on a Monday!
I regain my composure after a few minutes and accept that I will not be lunching here today. I then head off on a bit of a reconnaissance of the local area and find Dolce Arancia which is an Italian restaurant just south of Melting Wok. I recalled hearing reasonably good reports so decide to give it a go. It is small (perhaps six tables), inside, dark, air conditioned and pleasant. Not an authentic Balinese experience however the food was delicious. I ordered a Bintang & the Spaghetti Genovese (pasta with pesto) and I must say, this meal was as good as any I have had in Italy or high end restaurants back home. The pasta was homemade, cooked al dente, the pesto was full of flavour with a great balance of basil, oil & cheese. I'm disappointed I was not hungrier as I would have liked to try more of their dishes. Initially I was the only customer but just as I was about to order a drink, an Indian group of two adults & two children entered. The kids were immediately given iPads and did not speak a word for the remainder of the meal. I am not that old - only early forties, but what happened to family dinners where people used to sit around and talk? If I had ever been given the opportunity to travel outside of Australia as a child, I would have been like a kid in a candy store, not bored and only interested in playing computer games. Perhaps I am getting old? Perhaps I am becoming my mother after all........It was an interesting people watching exercise, especially when both adults complained that the pasta was undercooked. Perhaps they did get two dud meals but my pasta was cooked to Italian perfection.
Gradually made my way from Ubud back up to Penestanan and spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting on the balcony enjoying a few beers. Still full from my lunch, I make a cheese & tomato sandwich for dinner before settling in to watch a few more episodes of Sherlock which I am really enjoying. I originally scoffed at this program assuming it to be a load of rubbish but the characters are so engaging and quirky I cannot help but love it. Many years ago I lived in London for three years (my bogan backpacker period) and I really love just seeing all of the famous sights that I used to see on my daily commute to and from work. Headed off to bed around 11pm - tired but happy.
Day 6
Up early again this morning and spent a few minutes throwing together a selection of dirty clothes into a plastic bag & then heading into Penestanan t the Agus Laundry. Lovely lady who sifted through my soiled belongings, calculated a price ($3.00) and instructed me to return tomorrow morning. I cannot believe that all of this washing is going to cost only $3.00 - that is just criminal. It would cost me four times this amount in a laundry mat back in home.
Decided to dine out this morning for breakfast and made my way to Kopi Desa. Ordered the mixed vegetable omelette, a banana lassi and a mocha coffee. The lassi was excellent, just like they make them in India with good consistency, not too thick & not too sweet. The mocha coffee was also really good - possibly the best coffee I have had on this trip. The omelette was tasty but not really what I would classify as an omelette. It was kind of like an egg pizza - it was the size of a plate and thin. Savoury pancake perhaps? Regardless of it's appearance, it tasted bloody good so who cares. Lashings of tomato sauce & hot chilli sauced only improved the meal.
Back to the villa for a few hours R&R by the pool, reading & doing a bit of blogging and it is soon time to think about lunch. Today is a 100% dine out day so each meal must be carefully planned to ensure that I don't overeat & ruin the next experience. Walk through Penestanan, down the hill, up the hill, down the stairs & then up the hill again past the Bintang Supermarket. As I am walking past the supermarket, a voice from the taxi stand calls out "Killy, hello Killy". It is Combi, the young guy that picked me up from the airport. We chat for a few minutes & I ask him if he could do a small drive for me on Thursday from the villa down to the palace. Naturally, this is not a problem so I tell him I will give him a call.
Onwards up the hill and I locate the Hotel Taman Indrakila and the amazing Elephant Restaurant & Cafe. Located at the rear of the hotel, looking out over the ravine, this was one of my most enjoyably dining experiences in Bali. I start by ordering an entree of bruschetta which is served with crunchy ciabatta bread, flavoursome tomatoes & loads of basil & onion. Very nice start to the meal. This is followed by a vegetarian laksa that is very good. Beanshoots, puffed deep fried tofu, capsicum, spring onions - all the usual ingredients in an aromatic coconut sauce. Could have done with a bit more chilli but I am a chilli fiend so that is probably unfair of me. Great ambience & terrific people watching. Had a young European couple sitting in front of me who were literally all over each other. People - either get yourselves a room or put a lid on it! If that was there level of affection at lunch, god forbid what they would be like by dinner as this was almost X rated & I am no prude by any stretch of the imagination.
Lunch over, I decide to cross the road to Sedona Spa and see what the chances of a hair cream bath & shoulder massage are. They are good! The place is almost empty so I am shown into a change room to put on my little strapless dress thing & then return for sixty minutes of head and shoulder massaging. I adore having my head massaged and this lady was an expert in her field - even if she did say to me "Your face, it is a very funny face. It makes me laugh at you". Not exactly sure how to interpret this - not exactly sure if I want to.
Feeling like a year's worth of stress and tension has been released from my head, I make my way up the stairs, down the hill, over the river and up the hill to my villa. A few more hours spent by the pool reading and writing before deciding to go out for dinner at Cafe Vespa. No sooner had I arrived that a procession to the temple went by. Men and women all dressed beautifully, gamalan playing, funny looking animal thing like a Chinese dragon but I was too far away to see what it was. The funny thing was, nobody in the restaurant seemed to bat an eyelid. Perhaps I am easily pleased but I find witnessing these sorts of things such a treat. Tonight I ordered the Puttanesca which had been one of several dishes not available on my last visit. Rookie mistake - forgot to ask them to omit the anchovies. Those vile little furry fish overpowered the dish unfortunately, the pasta was overcooked and the olives were not pipped. Completely edible but far from memorable. Even less memorable was the whinging Australian girl (and let's remember that I am an Aussie myself) that did not stop complaining about everything - the food, having to bargain, the people, the heat, why body piercings are better than tattoos and on and on it went. A tip for this girl - don't waste your money travelling if you think it is going to be like home!
Back to the villa for this week's instalment of Game of Thrones - second last episode of the season. What am I going to do with my Tuesday nights from now on.........