Ubud & Nusa Dua, Bali
UBUD
We could have easily spent a few weeks here!
As the cultural center of Bali, it boasts nightly traditional dance shows, exquisite architecture, Hindu shrines and temples, terraced rice paddies and traditional crafts for sale everywhere you look. Add in to the mix a monkey forest, spas galore, yoga everything, excellent food at a fraction of the cost of what we found in Thailand (if you can believe it) and people who welcome you with open arms, it was hard to decide what to see and do every day
The family compound where we stayed took James in as their own and impressively enough, he reciprocated
RICE PADDIES – so very impressive, but even more so were the women working under the hot mid-day sun!
HINDU TEMPLES & SHRINES – I was struck by the extent to which traditional Hindu customs permeate daily life in this bustling city. Daily offerings are prepared and put out 2-3 times per day. The traditional family compound where we stayed welcomed women from the community every morning to help prepare for the annual cremation ceremony in July
MONKEY FOREST – a large protected forest filled with monkeys, monkeys and more monkeys. Roaming free and interested in any food or whatever you may be carrying, we were careful to keep our distance, but a couple simply couldn’t resist the chance to take a ride on Pablo’s backpack!
CRAFTS AND MARKETS – something to buy at every turn. Their craftsmanship is definitely something to be admired
We ended up extending our stay in Ubud. With so much to see and do,we just couldn’t leave!
Happy to relax at the resort in Nusa Dua by the beach, we arrived a day later than predicted
NUSA DUA
We thought we would see some of Nusa Dua, but the downtime at the resort was too hard to leave
After a week in Bali, our trip has almost come to and end, and what a trip!
After an overnight layover in Taipei and then in Chicago, we will be home!