Seminyak & Ubud Excursions

We have been so busy.   The days are full and just seem to fly by.  Thursday we went to Seminyak for the afternoon.  It is north of Densapar and known for the higher end shopping.  It is very busy and much different.  There is a lot of tourism, hotels, shops, spas and restaurants.  The one thing I can’t describe sufficiently is the traffic congestion.  A two lane road becomes three with a jockeying of position between vehicles, tourist buses and mopeds.  If you lack patience, you would absolutely go insane.  Hopefully some of our pictures capture this madness.  I am glad we have a hired car.  But more importantly, I am really beginning to appreciate our quiet surroundings in Uluwatu and hope the development craze does not change it. 

Friday morning we made the truck to Ubud which is north east of where we are staying (approximately  1 ½ hours).   We made four stops before ending up in Ubud.  1) Kris dance to watch the traditional Barong dance, 2) the batik center which educated us on the process of making batik. And yes we may have purchased some pieces   3) a silver production company and 4) the rice terraces 10 minutes north of Ubud.  I think our favorite was the batik.  We all loved the batik and the labor involved in creating each individual piece.  Prior to our final stop in Ubud, we stopped for lunch.  Suckling pig was the call.  My sister Nancy gets s the gold star for her adventuress nature and willingness to try everything, including the blood sausage.  Not my cup of tea. 

 I can’t begin to tell you the volume  of shops that exist here.  Talk about over retailed. Honestly, I don’t know how they survive.  It is an endless row of shops from one village to the next.  On the way home, we noticed they seemed to be organized by product type.  Statues/water features, Silver & Gold, Woodwork, Glass,  etc.   This area can’t be explored thoroughly without spending several days.  There is so much to see and do and we did not even touch the surface.  The goal was to give the family a feel of the area.  Mission accomplished.  The final comment once again is the traffic.  Our driver today was Nyoman.  He is great and you will see a photo of him in the pics.  As mentioned earlier, he would be considered in our country the mayor of Uluwatu.  Today instead of Mr. Toads Wild Ride, we called it Nyoman’s Wild Ride and we mean it with great respect to the Mayor.  He knows the ropes!     In Balinese there are four names and they are given to you based on where you stand in the pack.  If there are five kids you go back to the first name.  Here's how it goes  1st Wayan. 2nd Made.   3rd. Nyoman and 4th. Ketut.  Stay tuned......tomorrow is a Balinese cooking class at the Four Seasons Hotel in Jimbaran Bay.



Mom- Queen Bee



      





Christy, aka Ketut

Michele aka Nyoman

Nancy aka Wayman

   Click here for pictures