Staying put

I had set the alarm for 0640 so I could have breakfast at 0700.  That would give some time for brekkie to settle before yoga at 0800 at Yoga Barn.  With 4 nights in Ubud (three full days), I thought I’d get myself into a routine of daily yoga.  It’s not often I get to stay put on my travels.

The large gorgeous facility was only 5 mins walk from the hotel.  I had found a Vinyasa class which would probably be OK for me.  Having had no exercise for a while, I had some doubts.  But I did well, including holding a bakasana for about 8 seconds (up from 1-2 seconds) and pushing up into urdva dhanurasana (full backbend bridge).

Unfortunately with no air-con on, I sweated badly even before the class started.  So it didn’t take long for me to be completely drenched.

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I have a list of local food to tick-off and Babi Guling hadn’t been done yet this time.  So, I wanted to go to Ibu Oka.  Unfortunately, Grab and taxis didn’t cooperate and it was just easier to go tomorrow and walk to the Padang restaurant which was a little nearer.

Warm from yoga despite having showered, I was drenched by the time I got there.  We got some rendang, fried chicken and some fritters.  The rendang was tasty but not as good as our previous in Sanur.  One piece was tough while the other was good.  Kim was feeling grumpy from overheating.  We grabbed some juices in another place before heading back.

I took a detour at the supermarket to stock up on sambal and various meal sachets, before we rested indoors away from the afternoon heat.

After a cool dip later, we took a walk in the nearby Monkey Forest.  Entrance was IDR500000 (NZD5) which was a little pricey for Indonesia I thought.  But once inside, the forest, stream and the temples were gorgeous.  The gigantic trees with their air-roots and green mossy temples and statues made it all very Angkor-like but it was only steps away from our hotel, roads and shops.  For me, the monkeys were just a by-product.

For such a stunning place, I found it surprising I had little recollection of it from 18 years ago.  I just remember plenty of greenery and the monkeys.  Nothing etched in my mind about the temples strangely.

During our post-dinner walks last night, we saw a few eating places that appealed to us. One of them was Waroeng Bernadette which does local food in a nice environment.  We ordered four snacks to share as a tapas style meal.  All of the dishes looked the part but lacked the punch I’d expect from local food.  Hawkers on the street do it much better and for less.  It is much better than some places though when the food doesn’t even look like its namesake or the real thing!