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| The tricky corner |
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| View down from the bridge |
Simone was a bit jet-lagged today so it was a little late before we headed into explore Ubud. Penestanan is about 20 minutes by foot from the centre of Ubud and involves a steep descent to the bridge across the steep valley and then a climb up the other side.
At the bottom of the hill is a sharp switchback turn which many drivers and scooter riders have difficulty negotiating. Always a scene of chaos with vehicles heading in all directions.
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Mural showing tourists being attacked
by monkeys |
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| Statue on a street corner |
On the way down we pass a long mural depicting monkeys attacking and hassling tourists - which can occur in Monkey Forest where monkeys can get pretty aggressive. Ubud is considered the cultural centre of Bali with many of the atrts practiced here - painting, carving, dance and music. The Balinese also have a good sense of humour, and of the many statues the streets, homes and temples there are ones that seem to poke fun at passers by as well as functioning to scare away evil spirits.
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| The lotus pond |
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| Simone |
As it was around lunchtime when we arrived, we went into the Lotus Cafe on Jalan Raya almost in the centre of town. It's right next to Puri Sariswati the first accommodation we stayed at 13 years ago. It has hardly changed, but is relatively more expensive now because of its central location.
The Lotus Cafe restaurant itself overlooks the lotus pond in the temple and has a beautiful ambiance. Simone wasn't feeling too adventurous, and had a toasted BLT sanwich which was quite good.
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| Tempura Styled Prawns |
I decided on the Tempura Styled Prawns with a relish of leek, bell pepper, onion, coriander (!) soy and oyster sauces and vegetable fried rice. Absolutely delicious, especially the sauce which was perfect with the prawns (there was more than the little dollop on the plate). I must say that photographing the food can sometimes be trying - trying to deal with awful lighting (for photography), tables crowded with all of the accoutrements of eating, and companions embarrassed by the process. Sorry Simone.
After lunch we went shopping, first along Monkey Forest Road and then into the main markets. Simone bought some silver rings, and I bought some Balinese chillout CDs - what else. Feeling a bit thirsty from the heat of shopping, I thought I'd try the Jungle Juice, made from soursop fruit. It tasted a bit like a cross between lychee and custard apple juice - not bad.
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| Chicken Brest Stuffed with Mutton |
In the evening we decided to go to Indian Delights restaurant. The food was pretty standard fare Indian food, but each dish was done slightly different to what were used to. Their distinctive special dish though was Chicken Brest Stuffed with Mutton. It sounded so intriguing that we had to order it. It was essentially as described, grilled chicken breast surrounding a very tender mutton filling, with a meringue topping! As interesting as it looked, the taste was not that exciting, and the meat was quite dry which needed the assistance of the Chilean Shiraz with copious amounts of ice to wash it down.
