Once again the morning starts with us sharing our toast,
well to be honest I sat at the back and didn't actually share mine :)
I'd read about Campuhan temple on TripAdvisor.
Ubudpuppy had mentioned it and I liked the sound of it straight away.
I did feel I was pushing my luck a little after our rice filed walk, but ubudpuppy had made it sound sooo pretty, I 'really' wanted to have a look.
I did my best to make it sound interesting and everyone agreed we'd check it out, on the condition it wasn't a 30 min hike.
It wasn't!
Agung could drive the car almost down to this little bridge,
we just had to walk across to the temple.
Looking over the bridge
I only had shorts on so I just walked around the outside and looked in, I'm amazed at how quite this little temple was. It is so pretty and within walking distance to town.
There was a set of sweeping stairs that led down to the river
I couldn't resist!
It was lush along the river bank and I love some of the photos I took. While I was taking this photo I heard a voice behind me, scared the life out of me.
It was a local guy asking me if I was going to go for a swim !
Um ... no, the river was running at a deadly pace, I can swim but I'm not that good. I did wonder what kind of crazy stuff he has seen tourist do!!
This is where two rivers become one.
I knew the girls were at the top of the stairs, still.. I felt a little isolated and uncomfortable with this guy just staring at me. I was glad when he took off up the river bank.
New buildings been built
New buildings been built
Sometimes I'll read a comment about about how Ubud is now just like Kuta/Legian.
Hmm I don't think so... all you have to do is take a walk 15mins sideways in Ubud and you are in another world.
We wandered around the area for a while taking lots of photos. I'd like to come back and do the Campuham Ridge walk that starts here. Mum thinks this is the river that she has read people go swimming in, up stream near Tjampuhan Hotel?
So we jump back into the car and get Agung to drop us off at the markets
This is the pottery stall at the Monkey Forest road entrance, I like the highly glazed pottery better.
Lisa bought an ashtray
Typical Ubud market stalls
Tarps up because of all the rain lately
Along side all the other tourist we navigate our way through the narrow lanes, trying hard not to look interested in things.
No thanks, no thanks, just looking.
I had bought a sarong the first day we arrived and wanted some in other colours, so did Joanne.We found a stall out front that had some wonderful colours but there was no one selling? We waited around for a while but when no one appeared decided to go back to the stall under the stairs where I bought mine. I'd bargained hard to get it for 30,000 then as I walked away another lady had said I have the same for 25,000 so we assumed we'd only pay 25,000.
Up here, around to the left and a few steps into the dark.
We find the shop but she doesn't have nearly the range of colours that the shop out front did. We buy a couple anyway, after lots of words we pay 25,000 each.
The Psychotic Ubud market lady
I was going to make light of this but I'm not, it wasn't funny at the time, it's not funny now.
Mums waiting out near the bikes, Lisa has gone across the road to get water. Joanne and I are walking out of the building with the intention of going back to the shop out front to get more sarongs.
We are just about to pass those stairs you can see in the photo below, when a lady says "I have same, same price" I realise she is the lady who called out to me when I bought the first one and feel mean just walking past her again. Not wanting to give even the slightest indication we might buy, we hesitantly walk the few feet to her small stand, saying we are "just looking"
So we look, we hold a few up talk to each other hum and ha then decide we like the colours out front better.
"No sorry" we say with our biggest, most sorry smiles. Joanne walks away first and as I turn to leave the lady grabs my wrist.
I'll put up with the smart ass comments from the Kuta boys
I'll put up with the Sanur girls telling me off because apparently they saw me yesterday and I "promised"
I've had endless locals trying to rip me off, taxi, money changers, restaurant change....
But grabbing me?
I stopped in my tracks, looked her in the eyes and said "let me go" she didn't. She held on and insisted I buy the sarongs she was holding in her other hand. I reefed my wrist out of her hand, "don't touch me!"... as I walked away she yelled at the top of her lungs "F#ck You!" I turned around and said "what did you say?" "F#ck You!!" she repeated, " Same to You!" I yelled back. Wish I had thought quick enough to yell "Sama-Sama"
I'm not so big and not so tough, she was tall and scary looking with grubby clothes and a dirty beanie.
I walked quickly to catch up with Joanne who was now standing in front of the stairs with mum. They were still waiting for Lisa and hadn't heard a thing! So we are standing there and the crazy lady with her yucky beanie on is crouched down on her heals behind the bikes, staring at us. Her lips are moving while her hands gesture towards us.
I tell mum and Joe what happened and they are horrified, we all feel daggers in our backs. We have to wait here or we'll loose Lisa
The crazy lady is behind these stairs, right up against them.
Now Lisa comes back, unlike me she is tall and she is tough! I tell her what happened as we walk away and she's ready to go back and tell the crazy lady off, but we convince her it is wiser and safer to stay away.
In my blue book I have an entry from that morning, it says.
"Oh my God, I love Bali. I feel like I'm in another world, like time has stopped. I just relax and have fun, with no feelings of guilt at leaving the kids at home, it's really strange, how it it possible? What is it that effects me in such a physical way?"
I dislike the crazy lady for taking that away from me on this morning.
When we got to the next shop they wouldn't go under 40,000 for the same sarongs! Next shop same story in the end we bought some for 30,000 then as we walked past a stall Lisa saw a colour she liked and said "25,000 same as I already paid?" "yes okay" is the reply. Cheeky little bugger she hadn't done any of the work and got it for the cheapest price! She does that a lot:)
The now infamous sarongs
We go upstairs to see Della again and I buy the most gorgeous scarf's for 12,000rp each, wish I bought more. Saw them in Hardys for the same price so probably could of gotten them cheaper? I was happy with the price.
I finally find a silk top that fits me.
I love, love love it!!
100,000rp was walk away price and no one would go cheaper anywhere else.
I buy more things and start to feel a little happy again.
I'll do a shopping page to show what we got.
We decide to go to OOps for lunch and mum tells me I'm very brave walking past the crazy lady. Not really, I looked around the corner noticed she had her back to me, so took off while she wasn't looking!
I'll probably have short dark hair again by the time I come back in July, so I should be safe!
Oops for lunch
my Ubud sunrise on the right.. YUM!!!
Chicken Saytay Yum
Prawn Caesar salad ...Yum Yum!!
By now it's really hot, we sit out the back under shade, they have one of those mist things that sends out a fog of water now and then.
Every time a slight breeze sends it our way I subconsciously hold my breath and look at my food. I figure the water molecules are so small that the spice in the food will sterilize any germs.
Silly...I know :)
Time to go back for a swim, we agree on a price with the first driver who approaches us, then have to laugh at his 'car'
I meet Joe at the pool, we are the only swimmers and instantly revert to our childhood. I must say I am very good at dog paddling, it would be my strongest stroke.
Pool towels are scarce at Champlung Sari, Joanne had grabbed Lisa and I one. Lisa isn't coming down so when Joanne sees a lady looking for a towel she calls out to her that she can have our spare one.
Now where were we, that's right Joanne and I are at this moment approximately 10 years old. There is no one else in the pool so we are doing 'water yoga' lessons. With fits of laughter we take turns instructing each other on how to hold your arms and twirl your body.
Yes we are making fun of me:)
"Now you hold your arms in the air like this and put one leg out, then twirl around " says Joanne
Bali is a bubble, Bali is not the real world. We laugh so much I nearly pull my back out on one particularly hard twist Joanne is trying to get me to do!
The towel lady calls "excuse me"... we stop being silly and look in her direction " can I ask do you just stay here?'" "sorry?" " do you just stay here at this hotel or do you move around?" ..um "we move around, a lot, why?"
We float over in her direction. The lady's name is Deane and she want's to stay on a beach somewhere, she says she has been on TripAdvisor looking and can't make up her mind. We talk to her for a while about Amed, Kuta, Legian and deicide Sanur would be her best choice. She loves Champlung Sari so I suggest Griya Santrian, they have a similar feel I think.
Joe and I float around for a long time then decided to go shopping again!
Joanne jumping in the lower pool
.JPG)
We go back to our rooms to change, this is mum and Joes room
Nice view
Walking back to my room I take some photos of rooms that don't have a nice view
they just look at a wall.
Mum and Lisa are going to swim now so Joe and I head out to shop, no aim in mind just enjoying the company and the air we breath.:)
I love this shop
Foot path out the front of Champlung Sari,
bottom of Monkey forest road
Joanne has a fit
I find another silk top that I love almost as much as the one from the markets and pull it on. I'm looking in the mirror, Joe says "it's okay, the colours are a bit dull" in a non interested manner. I'm surprised because I really like it.
I ask the lady if I can walk outside to see the colours, as I walk out I look back and here is Joanne standing behind the lady doing the thumbs up. She is nodding her head up and down in a very direct manner while her mouth moves big and wide, mouthing "I LOVE IT".
It looks like she's having some kind of silent fit and it was all I could do not to burst out laughing.
I buy the top!
When we leave the shop she tells me that she really liked it but didn't want the shop lady to know ( you know how it is) the problem was she'd gone over board and almost convinced me not to buy it.
Since I am now yoga nut I 'really' want to get something for yoga, just so I can remember this trip whenever I use it. Joe says she'll come with me, we get a driver and head off to Hanoman Street which Joe has nick named Yoga Street.
Walking around we see this sign, so many places to stay!
Joanne says since I'm an Ubud DE it's my obligation to check it out!
Hmm we walk up the lane a little way but loose interest quickly, maybe some other time.
My daughter Tannalee hasn't eaten pork or red meat for almost 12 months, she wants to save lives:)
Joe had seen an apron for her in this new place, so we went back to look. It's full of organic healthy things, there is a restaurant up the stairs. The street looks like it will soon have more shops and restaurants.
I bought the apron
Looking through a door way
The life of a Bali dog
Loved the clothes in this shop I bought a skirt
Skirt 150,000 rp
and finally I bought a yoga top from the Yoga Shop
I refuse to say how much I paid,
it's just to embarrassing!
Where to go for dinner so many choices, we throw names around, among them Murni's, Three Monkey, The Pond ?? then mum says The Jazz club!
We have never been there, it's one of those places that we hear about but it's never really appealed to us.Tonight is the night to give it a go.
Well now I can say.. been there, done that. It was nice, food was nice, staff were nice, music was nice. I'm glad I went and we had a great night, but I won't be back
We ask the waitress to phone Agung for us but she says there is no answer.
When we go outside he's there waiting for us, he must of waited out there while we had dinner :)
The next morning we wake up, have breakfast with the monkeys and head back to our room to pack. Lisa and I go to Sanur today, mum and Joe will meet us the following day.
I'm packing my bags when Lisa calls out "the monkeys are coming!"
Lisa said last trip the monkeys were on the veranda every morning, so far they hadn't visited us.
Lisa points to the distant restaurant roof and says" look, the monkeys are pulling off the roof tiles and throwing them on the ground!!"
click on the picture to enlarge it
Naughty Monkeys!!
Monkey in the tree near our veranda
Monkey on our veranda!
Me being very brave because I wanted a picture with a monkey:)
Not long after this photo more monkeys started heading our way, we ran inside and shut the door. Time to go and I didn't want to open the door to the stairs. The majority of monkeys were heading around the back and you could tell it was a large troop. I opened the door took two steps out and ran back in. There were monkeys everywhere!
Lisa said I had to go, so I had to be brave, the scariest part was walking along the back veranda where my face was monkey height! I could imagine a monkey jumping from the tree onto my shoulder and grabbing me as it slipped!
Do monkeys sense fear like dogs do?
When we got to the bottom of the stairs there were about twenty monkeys outside the little doorway. I was so scared that the bottom of my feet were slippery with sweat!
Lisa says just pretend they're not there, oh yeah right. I tell myself to act like I work here, they stay clear of the staff so I try to walk with purpose!
We make it to the lobby in one piece, that was not fun and I never want to do it again. Next time I'll ring the desk and ask for HELP.
Monkeys in the foyer
Hugs and kisses all around then Lisa and I set off for Sanur
To the hotel that looks like a gaol, what terrorist? and the time Lisa nearly drowned, idiot!
Leaving Ubud
