May 25, 2011 -- Bali

DATE: Wednesday, May 25, 2011

LOCATION: Bali

AUTHOR: Nancy Brown

This was our last full day in Bali and it was a free day for everyone to do as they pleased.

The group split off into all directions and interests including: a visit to the

Antonio Blanco Museum, the Neka Art Museum, the Monkey Forest, a cooking class at Cafe Wayan, hiking, shopping and various dining options.

Mary Jane and I went in search of a hanger for the batik wall hanging that I bought in Yogya. We finally found one and I think it will be perfect. Now I just need to figure out where to hang it. It will be a wonderful reminder of this unforgettable trip.

Thirteen of us met at 4:00 PM to catch the shuttle to The Royal Pita Maha Resort, which is owned by the Royal Family of Ubud -- as is the Tjampuhan Resort & Spa.

The Royal Pita Maha Resort is the epitome of luxury -- absolutely beautiful. I think that perhaps Ibu Atun (the Princess who we met with yesterday) called to tell them to give us the royal treatment. We were guided through the grounds, up and down endless stone steps, along the river and into the various pavilions.  We also used two different elevators to get to the base of the valley. The whole complex is villas, each with a private pool, perched on the sides of a steep walled valley. The guide took us inside one of the villas, which was beautiful too. We were also given a welcome drink at one of the restaurants overlooking the complex. We were all awestruck.



View from the top of the Royal Pita Maha Resort.



Then Mary Jane, Leyla and I went for dinner. We intended to try one of the restaurants that was recommended by others on our group, but when we got there -- after walking quite a distance -- the menu looked very westernize and we all agreed that our last dinner in Bali should be Balinese, so we ended up back at Cafe Wayan, where we and had another wonderful meal. Everything there is delicious. We told our waiter that we had been to Cafe Wayan last night and wanted to order something different tonight, which we did. However, our comment got translated into "this is our last night in Bali" -- both sentences do have the word "last" in them :), and though not intended, it was a true statement, even in its mis-interpreted form.  It all worked in our favor, because they gave us a beautiful farewell desert. It was very sweet of them to do that for us. Just another example of how we think we are being understood and everyone agrees -- only to discover that there were two totally separate, unrelated communications going on.

We took a taxi back to the Tjampuhan and settled in for our last night in Bali.

Next stop, Singapore.