Today Made drove me to the house of the high school friend of mine who I've mentioned previously in this blog. He ("Vic") has been an ex-pat here (and in other SE Asia locales) for his career since serving in the Peace Corps in the early 1970's. He is also the one that recommended I use Made as my driver.
Made picked me up in Candidasa and we met up Vic for another wonderful warung lunch on the way to Vic's home in the cultural heart of Bali, Ubud. Thereafter we parted as Made continued to lead me on a tour of the Ubud area as Vic had other business to attend to.
I felt like a Peace Corps volunteer when Made encouraged my visit to his maternal grandmother's housing compound near Ubud where they were in preparations for a special celebration for the 3 month anniversary of Made's nephew. As I had experienced in his own home, this was another opportunity to meet family and understand their work, their food and their culture. I'll let a few photos give you a glimpse of my visit -- including tasting some of the traditional foods as they were being cooked:
Preparing the typical Balinese spice:
The kitchen preparations:
Neighborhood kids being kids, catching fish in the irrigation canal surrounding by rice fields behind the family house:
As before, another wonderful exposure to the family culture of Balinese -- and these few photos don't really do justice to the totality of the experience.
Thereafter, Made drove me through the downtown area of Ubud which was populated with foreigners and seemed like a tourist destination for shoppers of crafts and clothes, with upscale restaurants in between. Sort of like Kuta Beach, I'm glad to say I've been there -- but don't really understand or appreciate those who make such destinations the focal point of their travel. I kept thinking I could be snorkeling or diving or meeting familities or even just drinking the local Bintang beer -- anything but shopping!
Enroute to Vic's home, we did also stop at the touristy "Monkey Forest" and enjoyed a leisurely stroll and fun conversations viewing the monkeys up close. Lots of babies this time of year:
And at Vics beautiful home overlooking a deep ravine and lush landscape, Vic had his cook prepare us an amazing meal.
It was great to again reconnect with Vic -- this time in his own home where we chatted the evening away -- with great apprecation for the fact that we share political views and enjoyed watching a recent episode of the new Daily Show with Trevor Noah.
Can you tell by the look on my face that the visit and meal were excellent and my accommodations in his house for the night luxurious.
It's a bummer to hear what Ubud has become- definitely not the Ubud we visited in 2010. We visited prior to the release of the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" which has no doubt influenced and changed tourism there in a big way.
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