Oh, Bali... I want to go back....

I will now show you a little bit of our holiday in Bali. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back with great longing. It's the heat and the friendly people, the smells, the delicious food and beautiful things to see.

And because it is a cheap place to have a holiday, it's also the feeling of being able to do luxurious things, like eating out for every meal, and having a massage, and staying at a hotel with a pool, that makes you feel- well -like a rich person! And compared with the Balinese, who are mostly pretty hard-up, we are of course wealthy. But they'd fall over backwards if they would have to pay for a loaf of bread here. It's all relevant in the end.

Now don't forget to click on the pictures if you want to see it enlarged!

Bali from the plane. We were feeling very excited now!
We travelled with the sun and it had been a long day with 2 breakfasts and 2 lunchtimes already, and still a long afternoon to go, with a crazy ride from Kuta to Sanur.

Early morning overlooking Mt. Batur's crater lake, ready for our bicycle ride down the volcano, zooming past little villages and rice paddies. But first a breakfast of fresh fruits, black sticky rice pudding, and a banana pancake or 2. And don't forget the strong black Bali coffee.

Morning market in Ubud. Busy people, lots of talking, too much to see all at once.  People bringing offerings to the main shrine there (100s a day), spicy smells, strange fruits and smiles and greetings from everyone.

The carved balcony of one of our hotel rooms, where we sit at night with a book, a cold bintang beer, smiling at the little lizards chasing each other on the ceiling. We listen to nightsounds: frogs, crickets, dogs, a spirited gamelang performance further away with spooky chanting, and so now and then a firefly ambles by, blinking on and off.
Absolute magic...

And the food! Here some peanut sate chicken. And all for  just $2. We went completely Balinese, never ate western food. And it never disagreed with us .

Travelling with 3 other gardeners and landscape designers meant that I saw a lot of beautiful details and designs.
 But I didn't mind that in the least, because I got to see a lot of flowers, and gorgeous insects. Photos of which you will see in another post.

Cycling down a little rural road. Children calling out hello and wanting high-5s, mangy dogs lying in the sun, chickens scurrying off. So now and then a stop to have rice-paddies explained, try our hand at thrashing rice, learn about the trees growing in peoples gardens: bamboo, coffee, cocoa, clove-trees and fruits. How their communities are organized and the lay-out of their homes. A brilliant day!

Did I mention the food?
A rijsttafel, or a rice-table. 23 different dishes with this one.The trick is to eat slowly and relaxed.
Wash it down with ice-cold beer or delicious fruit juices. While listening to the live band (we came on just the right night! and were serenaded! ) and laughing a lot!                           

Mr and Mrs looking tanned and super relaxed in the grounds of another delightfully gardened hotel. Most restaurants and hotels have outdoor dining rooms and seating areas, so a breeze can go through. That way you can also hear the birds and cicadas sing.

Just a quick shot out of the window of the car, of the beautiful scenery in the north-east of the Island.
A quick break from my map reading duties ( 1 of my more useful skills) .We had rented a car and travelled through many backroads and mountain gullies. The roads were in a much better state than we had seen in the past.

 
 Although I am very much in love with this gorgeous place, and I could rave about it  for ages; this is where I will stop for now. But I will show some little series of pictures in other posts.