Ubud……. street scenes and a nite for the performing arts

A “free” day for some window shopping and lazing around so here are some street photos and a few comments …..peeked into this compound and couldn’t resist the Ganesh:

…..around the Monkey Forest area a sign you won’t find everywhere:

……there is a mix of boutiques featuring mostly high-end women’s fashion, international labels, higher end art and silver jewelry and of course lower priced general merchandise, a somewhat eclectic mix. The higher end shops are fixed price and for the rest …try your luck !!!:

…we also saw two shops which try to foster traditional weaving and dyeing methods by Indonesian artisans…not cheap, fixed price but some very nice items:

….everywhere you see (mostly, but not exclusively) women making offerings in spots where they feel the deities need nourishment:

..for you bikers out there: check out this ride on the internet:

…and, for Cuba bound tourists, a little preview:

if you fancy a cold refreshment you can’t go wrong with this ice cream parlor:

For lunch we found an out-of-the-way warung (in the interest of full disclosure, it was written about on Tripadvisor) > a tiny place with a smiling/happy chef owner > basic local fare …with 2 soft drinks the bill came to 6.50 Cad

…. the Ubud Art Market has a good produce (organic once or twice per week) market mostly for locals and a lot of stalls selling tourist items: clothes, handicrafts etc. >> a hagglers paradise > ” meester what is your best price” “no so low…my children need to eat” or just overpay !

 

Tonite is our date night….an early supper at Warung Melting Pot as we have no reservations……..2nd time just as good as first > went for curry with coconut milk asked for medium spicy and got MEDIUM ….cold Bintangs not an option !! Thank god they feature:

This place is only a few minutes away from Ubud Palace and we went early to score some good seats for the performance of the Legong of Mahabharata > the story of two branches of a royal family struggling for the throne of Hastinapura. An action story, very dramatic with precise hand and foot movements and intense facial expressions. Arrived super early armed with bug spray and water > it is staged outdoors in a courtyard of the palace. Price for all tickets is 100m Rp or Cad 10 each. Perfect seats in the first row on the side but you can also sit on the ground around the stage which is actually at ground level. Need not have bothered with the water as beer, water, soft drinks were readily available, A full house and at 19:30 the kempul gonged and the 1.5 hour (no intermission) show started. Hard to do it justice with pictures, but following are some snaps ….the show was great, with a light breeze and stars overhead and no mossies:

A nice walk back with no rain and the end of an excellent evening…….tomorrow a new adventure !