gloomy first day on bali

sigh...i am so tired now....and the sky gets dark so early here. it was already greying by the time it was 6p.m. and today, we are based in ubud.....i guess the place gets darker here with all shades of trees in the way as well.

the bali i had in mind was so different from the bali i see now.
the last time i was in bali was 10 years ago and i could still remember the green rustic place it was. ubud was green and fresh. but now, all i see is concrete. concrete buildings on my left and right, cars everywhere. where are all the paddy fields? all hidden i guess behind those new shops they have built.

the airport is new too and it is huge. it has only started operating few months ago i heard and you can still see construction here and there. it was an eye-opening experience landing in the new terminal building.

i had nothing in ind while here in bali. there is no specific place i want to go. i only want to relax....but frankly, today had been rather tiring instead of what i had hoped.

had to wake up at 5a.m to go to the airport to catch the flight scheduled at 9.25a.m. it was on time and we arrived sharp at 12.35p.m. on bali island. there is no time difference here so we did not have to reset our watches.

first stop- lunch. we were famished.

our meal of 4 dishes. there were scores of tourists in this place, so this is very touristy. called ayam tulang lunak malioboro....hmm...malioboro is a place on java island.....no wonder the signature dish was familiar. the chicken was cooked in such a way that the bones could even be eaten. yup, just bite into it, and it will crush and all those bone marrow will melt in your mouth too. it was suffice for lunch.

then we started our journey to ubud....it took forever to reach ubud....about 3 hours because of the traffic. horrendous!

we drove to monkey forest but did not go as it was drizzling....then we decided to go to spa instead. yeah! i was really looking forward to this as my muscles had been aching since i went for 4 rounds of brisk walk around proton city lake on thursday and then shopping in isetan on friday.

we went to sedona spa in ubud recommended by a friend....cheap and good.

see how gloomy and cloudy it was......this was taken at 6 plus. already turning dark.

we all chose balinese boreh for our treatment type and were led to a double room.

A relaxing one hour massages using a combination of techniques.  This is followed by
a Balinese boreh body mask, which helps in regulating blood circulation and
reducing muscle aches and rheumatism. It makes the skin more elastic and assists the
body & recovers from fever and flu. This is not recommended for people with high
blood pressure and pregnant women. Feel the warm and tingly sensation after
application. Finally, you relax with a hot shower.
from sedona spa's website: http://www.sedonaspa-ubud.com/body-treatment.asp

after the treatment, we were given a cup of ginger tea and some fruits.
 

next, it was time for dinner. someone recommended naughty nuri's for their spare ribs and had even said that it was one of the best spare ribs she had ever eaten.

hmm...unfortunately, i beg to differ.

find the stall with the smoke....that was what my hired driver said.
they were grilling the ribs there outside.

local beer...very smooth and 4.7% alcohol content.

our ribs and bratwurst. frankly speaking, i enjoyed my beer and bratwurst more than the ribs.

the ribs were lathered and slabbed with lots and lots of thick barbecue sauce, no doubt the cook's secret and it was not bad. but the taste of the meat was bland and tasteless. the meat had not been marinated long enough and we had a feeling that they had boiled the ribs once before putting them on the grill. only this way could they ensure fast serving on the tables. the meat all came out of the bones as soon as our fork and knife cut into it. that tells you something right?

well, i hope to do some exploring and exploration in ubud. gosh, i will hate the drive to kintamani so much. given a choice, i would rather sit in the middle of a cafe in the midst of the terraced paddy field in ubud and not even venture out. my sister will kill me.

ok, time to get my sleep and let's hop for a sunny day tomorrow.