these little "plates" otherwise known as offerings, placed outside of almost every establishment in Bali - watch where you walk!!!!We grabbed a cab and headed to "Ku de ta", a trendy hot spot by night but very relaxing ocean side restaurant by day. Again passing security guards with poles sweeping the bottom of the cab, we entered what was to be our oasis for the afternoon. Great food in the shade and a wading poo for Ariana. A security guard watched from the steps to beach, protecting the patrons from the very aggressive peddlers seen everywhere in Bali, selling necklaces, kites, postcards, etc. We sat through a leisurely lunch and then had to pry our then naked child (Bali seems to make everybody shed more than their inhibitions) out of the pool.
The ride back to the hotel was the bumpiest I have ever experienced. The driver thought it would be faster to go on the side of the road (think crater filled moon surface) rather than wait in the traffic. I think the only rule of the road here is that there is none. We saw motorcycles all around us, some with babies - no helmets:
see all four heads on this one? one little one is in front, the other sandwiched between his parents - children's services, where are you??It was truly frightening (the babies with no helmets being held in their mom's arms) and nauseating (the bump-bump-bump of the road).
We tried Cafe Butang on the beach for dinner, which had the freshest fish cooked in coconut leaves and amazing spicy shrimp. "Didi" had continued to make an appearance thanks to a stuffy nose and cough. The waitress came over, picked her up and started walking and singing to her, quieting her immediately and allowing us to enjoy the food. But half (ok, most) of me was nervous about some stranger in a strange land holding my child. As grateful as I was for the break, I was also remembering the little girl who disappeared while her family was eating dinner in Portugal and so we kept our eye keenly on her the whole time.
Tuesday we met Edy, our driver, who took us to the Elephant Park in Ubud. Through the single lanes of Bali, we passed row after row of stone carving stores, then the shacks where stone carvers worked out in the open with their entire families there and finally, just green. We climbed aboard our rides for the afternoon - Ariana and I were on Nimby; Arny had Rama all to himself, and proceeded around the park. Swaying back and forth, who knew riding an elephant would be good for your stomach muscles - mine were sore for a day or two after. Ariana was alternatively enjoying it - "look, elephant poop. They stepping in poop. Why they stepping in poop?" (for those of you who remember the book "Everybody Poops", the elephant's is depicted quite accurately) - and wanting to go home. She perked up when we got to the water and got to go swimming with the elephants. I was glad we were not actually in the water, as there were several workers fishing elephant poop out of the water.
After a quick lunch, we went to see the elephant show, where they did tricks, painted a picture and Arny's favorite (not!!) - squirting the audience with water.......More on Bali later, for now..............Happy New Year to All!!!!
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