Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 34 of 58

the Setting for our Kajane Romance Dinner

February 10, 2010

Learning Moment: Bali, Indonesia

Romance can be bought. Richard Gere did it, so can you.

In Bali, however, it will cost you a lot less.

Angie and I had a great day. I got a lot of work done on 'SMART as Hell'. We had a great breakfast by the pool. We witnessed a temple festival in downtown Ubud (music, dance, prayer, sarongs, incense, shadow puppets, and throngs of people - Asia in an hour). We had a great lunch at Ary's Warung. We watched dance, while listening to a Bamboo orchestra (jegog). And then we had the romance dinner served to us at our villa.

Above, you can see the 'make-over' the wonderful Kajane staff did to our patio. Flowers strewn about. Colorful cloths draped across our furniture. Candles turned our pool into a reflection pond. Music filled the air (and mosquitoes did not).

The food was excellent, the service perfect, the weather Balinese.

The price? US$45.

Of course, you need a villa - and someone beautiful to sit across the table - first...

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 33 of 58

Tuesday, February 9th

Learning Moment: Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

As part of our package, our hotel - the Kajane - included an 'adventure' outing of our choice.

We decided to trek in the rice fields.

So, we woke up early, ate breakfast, and joined our guides for a personal tour. The weather was perfect; sunny and relatively dry. We got up close and personal with the rice paddies, and also saw a large variety of trees and plants.

During a snack break, a local farmer scurried up a palm tree for us and brought down two fresh coconuts. He then sliced them deftly with his machete and handed us one with a ready-to-pour spout. Coconut is one of my five favorite food/ingredients, so you know I loved it.

A we continued our hike, we spotted cows, water buffalo, lizards, herons, dogs, and cats. We passed through a jungle ravine and emerged at a small village.

As part of our package, we received one-hour massages and a traditional Indonesian lunch. Tonight, we'll head to the palace to watch dancers perform the Ramayana.

Just another day in paradise...

Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 31 of 58

Ary - a Balinese Dancer Unmasked

February 07, 2010

Learning Moment: Bali, Indonesia

We spent the morning relaxing in our villa. Private pools are, for me, one of the best reasons to come here. Bali is one of the few places on earth where a normal human can afford a villa with a private pool. And, with the humidity, you want to swim every day.

So, we ate a late breakfast, swam in the pool, and did some reading.

In the afternoon, we headed to ARMA - the Agung Rai Museum. There we viewed the art collection, ate dinner (nasi goreng, with a glass of arak), and had an almost private viewing of a legong dance.

There were six audience members in a small hall for a full gamelan and dance troupe. It was like hosting a show in your living room. Before the show, I happened to meet Ary, the dancer pictured above. It was the first time I have seen a Balinese dancer out of costume. We talked a bit and she let me take her photo.