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Hey there, this is our last report from Asia. It's been an amazing couple of months. We feel privileged to know this continent a lot better now. One thing that really sticks out is the incredible dynamism of the economies here, mixed with, paradoxically, how chilled the majority of the people remain; particularly in South-East Asia. The mingling of tradition and modernity is sometimes a bit coarse, but ever-present. Nowhere has that been more obvious than in Bali, where we've gone from the Aussie ritual of watching the footy in a bar to strolling the beach and seeing large groups of Balinese sitting cross-legged watching a priest making offerings while a band plays xylophones in the background - surreal. But it's emblematic of the globalizing world we live in, and hopefully the harmony we've seen here, and not the past problems that plagued this island, will continue. Of course, we've also done a variety of tours in Asia which aim to lead you further from the tourist trail - during this trip we've seen a variety of indigenous villages where only the old way of life continues. The sense of spirituality is compelling. There's a cognitive dissonance you feel when confronted by seemingly happy people in such a spartan existence. Our next destination is Africa where no doubt we'll feel more of the same. There are no neat answers in this age-old debate on progress; so on we go to the details of the most recent part of our trip.
After Thailand we headed to Singapore, where Geoff stayed one night with friends Karin and Steve Motteram before moving on to Kuta Beach with Steve for a boys' surfing weekend, while Gi hung out in Sing with Karin. Geoff got bloated from too much beer, disappointed watching the Wallabies, and a cut foot from a miscalculation surfing a reef. But it was a lot of fun. Gi and Karin got manicured, pedicured and everything cured. And went to some styling establishments with Karin and daughter Sophia. Cool.
Our protagonists then met up again in the romantic surrounds of Bali airport on Sunday night, before taking a car through Denpasar and suburbs into the hills of Ubud. Yes, we ate, prayed that we'd survive the driving, and loved (enough information! we know). We stayed at a beautiful hotel in a traditional bungalow on stilts sat on a pond with lots of fish and lily pads, surround by rice fields. It was very relaxing.
We spent our first day in Ubud walking around the beautiful town itself. Ubud has, because of its beautiful mountain forest setting, been a popular retreat for Western artists for a hundred years now. You oscillate frequently between little urban areas full of shops and temples and then valleys with rivers surrounded by palm trees and other flora. It was idyllic. We also visited the Neka Museum, a beautiful house with a great collection of Balinese art which gave a sense of the rich history and culture of the island, and attended a Balinese dance evening in Ubud Palace complete with full Balinese gamela orchestra which was less tranquil, but interesting nonetheless.
Our second day we did an eco tour which was amazing. We visited a coffee plantation where we sampled the Luwak coffee made of the beans defecated by the Luwak cat (very rich, and expensive, very good though). We visited a traditional compound, the walled family residence style where in four corners of a quadrant are a temple, family accommodation, ceremony hut for births and deaths, and a kitchen. At the back was a bamboo plantation and sheds for livestock (cattle, pigs etc). We also saw a guy shimmy up a coconut tree (at least 20 m high) to cut coconuts which fell to the ground with a heavy plop. Luckily he didn't do the same but merely shimmied down again. And we got to the foothills of Mount Batur, a volcanic mountain with a tempestuous past (it's still surrounded by lava from an eruption in 1963, as well as a beautiful lake). Then we got bicycles and coasted 25km back towards Ubud through beautiful countryside, stopping occasionally to say hello in communities where we got mobbed by school kids for pens, and to walk through terraced rice paddies where the paths were so narrow one guy fell 6 feet into the next terrace (but was ok except for a bruised ego). It was a serene experience.
The next day we relocated to Seminyak where we stayed for 4 nights in a beautiful villa with private pool. As with our other beach destinations (except Hoi An) the cultural experience there was low key (unless you count drinks on the verandah at Ku De Ta while watching the sunset). But it was a nice way to round out a trip in Asia, to get some sand between the toes, a few waves, and to watch the Pies snatch the match from the Hawks. There's some photos for you as always. Catch you next with hopefully pics of the Big 5!
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