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<\/a><\/p>\nAfter breakfast, our guide, Willie, met us with the driver, and we headed for the first stop on our tour of the Ubud area. We drove through town and up a long hill before the driver stopped. We got out and the driver left. We thought we were going to step out and observe a rice field. Actually we were at the beginning of a two-hour trek down a trail through rice fields and jungle. Willie talked about the rice economy of Bali, all the while pointing out plants and animals we came across as we made our way back into Ubud. It was an interesting way to learn about Bali, it\u2019s history and it\u2019s people.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The beginning of our rice field trek.<\/p><\/div>\n
They can haul anything on a motorbike<\/p><\/div>\n Some of the Ubud community were preparing for a cremation ceremony as we drove by.<\/p><\/div>\n After our hike, we drove through Ubud, back to our hotel. We wanted to enjoy the property, and last night, when we arrived, we zonked out. Willie picked us up in the early evening and took us to a performance of traditional Balinese dance. I posted a couple of links below of the dance performance. The chanting of the men was intriguing, and lasted the entire 50 minutes of the performance.<\/p>\n Balinese Dance link 1 https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/rcfvw475y9il3qf\/15.2.16.Balinese%20Dance%201.MOV?dl=0<\/a><\/p>\n Balinese Dance link 2\u00a0https:\/\/www.dropbox.com\/s\/por6i12undyu3uo\/15.2.16.Balinese%20Dance%202.MOV?dl=0<\/a><\/p>\n After the performance, Willie took us to \u201cMosaic\u201d, one of the top restaurants (and most expensive according to Willie) on the island of Bali. The specialty of Mosaic is its use of local foods, prepared in a French style. Some of the tastes were a little exotic for us. When we didn\u2019t \u201cclean our plates\u201d, we got a visit from the manager after the 3rd<\/sup> course, concerned there was a problem with the food. Suddenly, we were the focus of scrutiny on everything we ate (or didn\u2019t eat.)<\/p>\n We really enjoyed our day in Ubud. We found ourselves wishing we had more days here, and fewer on the beach. We\u2019ll evaluate as the week continues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We started off the morning getting more familiar with our villa. It\u2019s really weird being surrounded by all the luxury appointments, and not having any walls on the buildings. I found time to jump in the pool before we went … Continue reading <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n