bali 2010

[paulgila]

just monkeyin' around.

while heading to dinner at the resto across the street i noticed this palm trunk i had walked by 12 times already & finally looked up.

jess lookin' saucy with aforementioned palm.

lotus pond at nite.

[paulgila]

just noticed the people behind is making hand gestures.

stupid tourists!

we could hear the ducks in the rice fields but could only see them with the cameras flash. kinda creepy to be surrounded by an army of hungry ducks--especially since i made it my personal mission to eat as many of them as possible.they wanted REVENGE!

[paulgila]

"all gone."

my version of the uncle sam "i want you" poster.

back at the hotel i got some more pix of the palms with the silvery leaf undersides.

heliconia flower seemed to mock me--

"go ahead,try to grow me in your homeland."

[paulgila]

the next day we visited the "spring temple," not far from ubud.

"nice kitty."

[paulgila]

[John in Andalucia]

Paul, I thought this was a really good photo of you and Jess, so I applied a little paintbox magic to it!

[paulgila]

thanks,john.we have already cropped this pic exactly like the one you did & have had it printed for framing.

great minds etc etc.

[John in Andalucia]

thanks,john.we have already cropped this pic exactly like the one you did & have had it printed for framing.

great minds etc etc.

Ah! But does yours still have the tourists in the background?

[paulgila]

nope,no tourists in ours.

jess works in a photo studio.

[ixigena]

much better!

[John in Andalucia]

nope,no tourists in ours.

jess works in a photo studio.

Why, that's just typical!

[Jeff Searle]

this guy knows how to SELL some masks!

nice sweater,too.

in bali.

in 90 degree weather.

with 95% humidity.

wondering why i chose the shops on 2nd floor!

lunch later at another one of my favorite restos--"nasi ayam."

Dewd,

Still enjoying the great scenes! I couldn't help but notice the tall, slender trees in the background, called Polyalthea. It's a great tree and we have here at the house.

But, what's up near the top of that pic. inside the store with that pink color ?? Hmmm..looks like a large...

[Kim]

The volume and variety of photos is keeping me well entertained. I get a kick out of all the foodie photos and what's that look on your face in all those photos with smiley Jess, eh? Any more moss-covered carvings? Those are always cool... The reflected palms and the butterly on the carving in post #165 are great pix, among many others.

[paulgila]

jeff those trees pretty cool for "non-palms." we have one in socal & i believe you've seen it--in the hothouse at the huntington bot.garden!

hendriks i put ALL the sambal i could find on it

saya senang pedas!

kim i believe i took the reflected palms pic,but i dont think i noticed the palms till after

glad yer enjoying the foodie pix--more to come!

[Jason Baker Portugal]

Looks like fun there or at least when the 2 of you are there it does. Are the hotels children friendly? Jason

[paulgila]

jason we saw plenty of kids there. australian kids. with no shirts.

[paulgila]

hardly any tourists.

[paulgila]

[paulgila]

you need a sarong or a sash to get into the temple.dunno why it takes 3 dewds to pass em out.

next stop was a coffee plantation a little farther up in elevation.

they had a sample garden out front growing many of their raw materials,like this chocolate.

[paulgila]

and coffee,of course.

here is the palm that snakefruit comes from.

dangerous to harvest!

wayan holds a leaf from a cinnamon tree,another big local crop.

[MattyB]

I see Wayan is sporting a local San Diego t-shirt.

[Mark_NoVA]

Another fantastic Bali travelogue--thanks!

That Elphant Temple is spectacular. It's interesting you hadn't been to see it before--just another Bali temple, they're all spectacular...

[paulgila]

for some reason i didnt think it would be that cool,mark,but it was well worth the visit.

thanks for stopping by!

[paulgila]

multi-tasking.

the little critter that is responsible for kopi luwak.

coffee/tea sampler with cinnamon sticks.

sooooo wired after sampling this.

[paulgila]

young man whose family owns the place.he sat down with us for a half hour or so & we chatted pleasantly about life & spirituality.

famous rice terrace.one of the most-photographed places in bali.

farmer working his fields.

& roadside hawker plies her trade.

[paulgila]

after a LONG day of driving around we stopped at a small warung in ubud that specializes in traditional balinese food & it was SOOOOOO tasty. lots of coconut & spices.

street scene in ubud right after sunset.

that night we met up with my pal kadek nick at the resto across the street from the hotel for a few drinks.

nick is all growed-up.i am so proud.

[paulgila]

goofing-off for the camera.

i am starting to look as brown as nick.

well,almost.

[paulgila]

the next day we left ubud to spend our last few days of the trip in sanur,near the beach.

we got a villa at the parigata hotel,one of my faves in sanur.

private pool.

having a drink with lunch.

taking a nice stroll along the beach in the late afternoon.

characteristic local fishing boats.

[paulgila]

"arrrr."

it was a beautiful evening.

balinese family enjoying the off-season quiet & gentle sea breezes.

[paulgila]

an awesome place to watch the sunset.

this is the kinda thing that makes the long trip worth it.

[paulgila]

archetypical tropical sunset.

even the street vendors stop to take it all in.

[paulgila]

we started to miss a few things after eating all indonesian food for almost 2 weeks:bread & cheese.

heres jess clowning with breadstick.

pizza at a wonderful italian place in sanur.

yes,i said "italian!" & it was really excellent!

part of a delonix regia flower on the ground. i usually come in spring & miss them in bloom.

palminess at the hotel.

[paulgila]

some shots from around the hotel.

canna leaf.

they always put the "pool works" underground so it doesnt ruin the garden scenery.

2010 "ugliest palm" winner.

dont look into the sun.

oops.

[paulgila]

going to the local supermarket(a fairly recent "invention" in bali) by bem0-way cheaper than a cab but its a little more "adventurous" & you never know exactly how much they'll charge you.

here i am chatting with another passenger & gesticulating mildly.not "wildly"--thats bill sanford territory.

i didnt see any takers.

"same-sex" public displays of affection(M or F) are considered normal,but the opposite are frowned upon.

hey,its their culture,they can do what they want with it.

the sign says "its raining money" so i started looking for some puddles but all i found was old gum wrappers & cig butts.

[paulgila]

we walked back from the supermarket & found a nice cafe for the morning caffeine fix.

clever light fixture.

jessie at the main hotel pool.we needed some cooling off after the walk back from supermarket.

[paulgila]

i really admire the garden design in bali so i always take lotsa pix.

maybe i can steal some ideas.

cool stone-carved garden light.

the way they used natural stone in the pool construction was amazing.

areca catechu looking perfect.

[John in Andalucia]

Epic, mega-post Paul! Thoroughly enjoyable! I will just say, the lady wearing the "womens rights" T-shirt with the laundromat on her head - you maybe shouldn't have taken that photo.

[paulgila]

she WAS a little pissed off at me for taking a pic & not buying anything,but i suppose you have some other reason to say that...

[John in Andalucia]

she WAS a little pissed off at me for taking a pic & not buying anything,but i suppose you have some other reason to say that...

No, not at all! Just pullin' yer leg as it's my B/day tomorrow. 46 in 37 minutes from now!

[paulgila]

happy birthday!!!