2004 - Bali, Indonesia
20 November 2004 - 25 November 2004

Day 5 and Day 6: Exploring Ubud
We decided to spend our last two days exploring the town of Ubud, a remarkable town in the middle of the island of Bali. For more than a century, it has been the island's preeminent centre for fine arts, dance and music. While it once was a haven for scruffy backpackers, cosmic seekers, artists and bohemians, Ubud is now a hot spot for literati, glitterati, art collectors and connoisseurs.

After spending some time, walking through the quaint town of Ubud, we decided to eat lunch at a local warung/food stall, "Warung Babi Guling" (pic below). This warung in particular may be found in the mountain city of Ubud and is located opposite the Ubud Palace at the north end of the Monkey Forest Road. A definite favorite amongst locals, "Warung Babi Guling" came highly recommended both by our waiter at Made's Warung as well as by the Lonely Planet. The dish they are most famous for serving is Babi Guling, or spit-roasted suckling pig, which is also the best-known Balinese dish. As one can see pictured above, a mouth-watering order of "babi guling" comes with a side of rice while the pig itself is stuffed with a mixture of chopped herbs and local spices; the skin of the pig is anointed with diluted tumeric juice before roasting over charcoal. Since this was the only thing they served, ordering was easy and the pig: succulent. This was both the second best meal we had in Bali as well as the cheapest at $2 total for two people.

After the delicious lunch, we headed over to the Sacred Monkey Forest where we spent the afternoon feeding the monkeys and running for shelter once a quick rainstorm hit. For dinner, we decided to eat at Dian Restaurant, located on the edge of "Central Ubud" at the southern end of the Monkey Forest Road. Dinner (pictured below) consisted of a healthy (yet delicious) vegetable and rice sizzling plate for Florence while Paul feasted on a spicy seafood (fish) dish followed by intermittent sips of ice-cold, refreshing Bintang Beer (also a local Balinese and tourist favorite). Dessert (pictured below) consisted of a warm and sweet traditional Balinese red bean rice-pudding dish topped-off with a freshly brewed, flavorfully strong cup of Balinese coffee.

We enjoyed spending the day at Ubud so much that we decided to return the next day to purchase some trinkets for home and eat lunch (again) at Dian Restaurant. For lunch (pictured below), Florence decided to deviate from her favorite mie goreng and opted instead for yummy "nasi campur" (steamed rice topped with a little bit of everything...in this case: a tenderly marinated chicken drumstick, a healthy serving of vegetables, and sate). Florence also ordered a refreshing papaya fruit shake while Paul ordered a mixed sate rice dish and a freshly blended honeydew fruit shake.

To view a bigger version of the pictures below, simply click on the thumbnail.









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