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So Bali....hmmmm, when we got here we tried the ATM for money as we needed a visa on arrival. Card one did not work, nor card two, three or even four. Oh dear. No money no visa. Katie started to panic, but me being mr possitive, i kept smiling through. Katie asked some bloke advice as I chilled in the 1m by 1m smoking room. He said the cash point we used was dodgy and we could use a different one. Phew, sorted, well after an hour and a half in the visa line that is. Some kind porters then helped with the bags......and then proceeded to try taking money. Our tight side surfaced again and they gave us the look of death after we refused to cough up. So outside for a taxi to Denpasar. We were told if you ignore the airport taxis and go through the carpark you can get one half price. Bulls***. We collered a bluebird taxi for 35k for the trip. Bulls***. The price went up every corner untill he stopped to get someone to translate better. We explained he agreed to 35k (about £3) then changed his price to 45k, 65k upto 150k His fellow cabbie mate was not happy with him at all and explained he should not have done that and so we would have to pay 150k or get out as it was metered by law. Again the tight side surfaced and we got out about a mile from the airport. It seems everyone in Bali is a taxi and we ended up getting one all the way to ubud for 200k. Cheap as chips as it was 50km further than Denpasar, even though I stuffed all my money and cards into my sock as I thought I was actually going to die. You see, the guy we got a lift with was not a licensed taxi, as most, I now know, and he got some young lad to come with which to me seemed dodgy. I was gonna do them in mesen but there were 2 of them so I let it slide this time. As the journey went on it became clearer that they were just trying to make a living and were quite chatty so I relaxed a bit. We got there in one piece and then the search was on for a hostel. The problem was it was dark by now and we had no idea where anything was. Turned out too that there are no hostels in ubud. Not a bad thing as instead there were templeesque houses! A young lad pointed us in the right direction and in the end we found a lovely bloke by the name of Ugung who dropped the price of his room by 200k just because we were nice and polite but said unfortunately he could not provide breakfast for that price. We didn't care as he and his late father built the house them sens and it is a magnificent building. Every piece of wood carved with intricate patterns even the concrete has a modern art feel to it. You have to see to believe but honestly, you would pay hundreds a night in the rest of the world for this place. We're paying about £7. Bargain. So the artist Ugung and his lovely family have not only provided us with a wonderful room, but he is showing us the best places around Ubud and further afield. Tonight he took us to a local dance where we watched in awe at the precise moves of the hundred strong troop including 7-77 year olds. No instruments, just the voices and claps of the performers. Chuffin brilliant it was. Got videos like, for the family n friends.
The food here is also excellent! Still on a very tight budget, even by Balinese standards but still the quality is there.everything has the word Goreng in it though which hopefully doesn't mean intestine or something.
We're loving Bali though so far, tomorrow Ugung is gonna show is the local museums and then we're off t monkey forest. Wonder what's there....
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