Back in the mountains

That evening we were treated to a home-cooked meal in the home of a local friend of our tour director. The food was fresh and delicious. After that, we enjoyed another jam with the band at the restaurant.

We had a home-cooked dinner in Lovina, Bali. The lightbulb was burned out, so we ate by candle and lamplight.

In the morning, we began our return trip to the southern part of the island, with a stop at a waterfall and a famous temple along the way.

The waterfall was certainly worth the trek and some of us decided to cool off.

Our hotel for the night was a collection of cottages high on a mountainside. It was raining when we arrived, and the air was cool and misty. We had a fireside dinner at the hotel restaurant, then entertained ourselves with an evening of playing pool, darts, etc. with the members of our group. When our tour director told us the plans for the next day, which would have us in Ubud in the early afternoon, we asked if we could instead stay put a few extra hours, sleep in, and relax in the cool peace of these pretty cottages. That would still leave us time for souvenir shopping, massages, and a night on the town in sweltering Ubud.

View from our Strawberry Hill hotel - that mountain almost looks like a pyramid! — View from our Strawberry Hill hotel – that mountain almost looks like a pyramid!

It is so interesting to return to a place that seemed so alien the first time you saw it, confusing and full of perils, and find that it now seems comfortably familiar. It hasn’t changed a bit, yet seems so different! Obviously, it’s my perception that has changed after 12 days in Bali, in Asia, having seen and done so much.