On the Road to Recovery-Discovering Sayan

The results are in and I did get a parasite.  The doc said it came from drinking bad water or from swimming.  I only have had bottled water and did little swimming.  Since the parasite takes 7 days to incubate, I can only deduce that I picked it up at my first hotel.  But who knows for sure.  The good news is the antibiotics are working.   I woke up this morning feeling like a new woman and couldn’t wait to order up a plate of banana pancakes.   For those of you that are reading this, you may be saying get the heck out of there Michele.  What are you thinking?  You want to get another parasite?  I get what you are thinking, but that is not my nature.  There is so much to explore here and I can’t let that one incident change my path. 

Before venturing out, the decision is made to extend my stay in Sayan so that I can explore the area as originally planned.   The changes are made for air and hotel without any change fees. That was a blessing.  The ability to change on the dime makes me pause and appreciate the flexibility I have at this juncture in my life. 

The afternoon ended up being a lot of fun.  My driver is very knowledgeable of the area.  He took me to Ubud to visit some of the shops I had researched.   There is shop after shop of teak furniture.  It is overwhelming and you do not know what stores to hit.  I was in search of a teak bed.  Very inexpensive   here (notwithstanding the shipping) but you have to be certain the wood is kiln dried.  I could not find any proof that the wood is kiln dried, so no teak for me.   

My mission after teak was to find some quality placemats at a decent price.  My driver knew just where to take me.  We stopped at the basket factory and I got a quick education.   The baskets are made from the stem of the Ata bush.  It is a lot of work.  The pictures attached walk you through most of the process. 

Last stop in town was to drop in on Katut Liyre.  For those of you who read or saw the movie Eat Love Pray, he is the medicine man.  He really does exist.

Last event of the day was a guided bicycle ride through some small villages and rice fields.  We got lucky and watched a parade of Balinese people heading to temple.   There seems to always be a celebration of some type.  It is enjoyable and rewarding to watch.  The focus on family and spirituality is incredibly strong.  

Enjoy the photos…tomorrow I am off to visit the volcano amongst other things……

Can you guess what this is all about?

Click here for pictures