Our third day in Ubud began with a morning walk on a black sand beach. Since Bali is a volcanic island, some of the beaches are made from black volcanic rock. I thought I had seen a black sand beach beach before years ago in the Canary Islands but that beach was grey compared to this one!
Bali's black sand beach
The guys strolling along the beach. Sandals are a must because this sand is hot!
Chris, me and Paul. I swear we didn't coordinate the colors of our outfits beforehand!
This is a very popular beach among the locals. But they don't come here to swim and soak up the sun. They come here pray and purify themselves. In my previous post, I mentioned how important being pure is to the Balinese Hindu people. The beach is another way to wash away impurities. We passed by three men praying on the beach and Nyoman said they probably were down on their luck, so they came to the beach to wash away the bad luck.
Purification ceremony
Purification ceremony
The Balinese often leave offerings in intersections in order to keep out evil spirits. This one was built where the beach meets the access road.
Morning Market
After a stroll on the black sand beach, we hit up the huge morning market in one of the nearby villages. This is actually where the shops in town pick up their inventory at wholesale. Here you can find endless carvings, crafts, jewelry, housewares and furniture at great prices. You have to bargain, but even if you only get a rupiah or two off the original price it's still a deal. I had a hard time resisting shopping here! If we had been going straight home after Bali, I would have purchased an extra bag and filled it with many treasures from this market!
After a stroll on the black sand beach, we hit up the huge morning market in one of the nearby villages. This is actually where the shops in town pick up their inventory at wholesale. Here you can find endless carvings, crafts, jewelry, housewares and furniture at great prices. You have to bargain, but even if you only get a rupiah or two off the original price it's still a deal. I had a hard time resisting shopping here! If we had been going straight home after Bali, I would have purchased an extra bag and filled it with many treasures from this market!
Morning Market
Endless amounts of carved sculptures at the morning market
Bali Safari
Next on the list was a visit to the Bali Safari to see their show and visit the zoo. This was one of the few touristy things we did in Ubud and for good reason. The one-hour show was really fantastic and looked like something you'd see in Las Vegas. They didn't allow us to bring cameras so I don't have pictures of the show, but check out the website to get an idea. The set is beautiful and colorful, the story is interesting and the music and dancing is really fun to watch.
After the show we took a spin on the safari, which consisted of an encolsed trolley that drove through various habitats featuring animals from Asia, Africa and local Indonesian animals. We saw a lot of new animals, including a pair of beautiful tigers!
Next on the list was a visit to the Bali Safari to see their show and visit the zoo. This was one of the few touristy things we did in Ubud and for good reason. The one-hour show was really fantastic and looked like something you'd see in Las Vegas. They didn't allow us to bring cameras so I don't have pictures of the show, but check out the website to get an idea. The set is beautiful and colorful, the story is interesting and the music and dancing is really fun to watch.
After the show we took a spin on the safari, which consisted of an encolsed trolley that drove through various habitats featuring animals from Asia, Africa and local Indonesian animals. We saw a lot of new animals, including a pair of beautiful tigers!
Tiger
Lesser Bird of Paradise (I am now on the hunt for the Greater Bird of Paradise)
Ankole Watusi
Monkeying Around
At one point, we had the chance to hold an orangutan. You had to buy tickets, so Chris bought 3 tickets - for me, Paul & Nyoman. Surprisingly, he didn't purchase one for himself because I think he was a little afraid of the monkey! Here are some shots Paul, Nyoman and I took with the silly orangutan.
At one point, we had the chance to hold an orangutan. You had to buy tickets, so Chris bought 3 tickets - for me, Paul & Nyoman. Surprisingly, he didn't purchase one for himself because I think he was a little afraid of the monkey! Here are some shots Paul, Nyoman and I took with the silly orangutan.
Nothing like an orangutan back scratch!
The orangutan never ran out of funny expressions.
The monkey was caught off guard by Nyoman's kiss!
Dinner at Wahyu
That night we went out to eat in Ubud at a little warung called Wahyu. Set just off Monkey Forest Road near the soccer field, this place is a favorite of Paul and Nyoman's because it has tasty food at great prices. Here I had a great nasi gorem seafood and Chris had the seafood tempura salad. Delish!
That night Ren escorted us to the guest house as usual, and we fell asleep to the sound of the jungle, excited for the next day's excursion - Ganung Kawi Temple & the Summer Palace!
That night we went out to eat in Ubud at a little warung called Wahyu. Set just off Monkey Forest Road near the soccer field, this place is a favorite of Paul and Nyoman's because it has tasty food at great prices. Here I had a great nasi gorem seafood and Chris had the seafood tempura salad. Delish!
That night Ren escorted us to the guest house as usual, and we fell asleep to the sound of the jungle, excited for the next day's excursion - Ganung Kawi Temple & the Summer Palace!
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