I did indeed take in a dance performance on Tuesday night; I saw the Ramayana Ballet at Ubud Palace. Well, it had moved to a shelter next door because of the rain, but that doesn't sound quite as impressive! It was excellent, I arrived early to get a front row seat, for photos of course, and felt a bit daft sandwiched between two of the biggest zoom lenses I've ever seen. You get yourself a spanking PowerShot G9 and some pillock always has to go one better!!! Anyway, moving on... the dancers, costumes and music were fantastic, I'm sure I had my mouth open all throughout the show in awe! I was amazed by the hand and eye movements of the dancers, I have no idea how they manage to bend one finger backwards, whilst wiggling another side to side on the same hand! I wished I'd have seen a traditional dance show in all the countries I've visited in Asia, but at least I won't be leaving without seeing any at all!
Sita of the Ramayana
On Wednesday, I attended a Balinese cooking class, and as it turned out, I was the only student so I had the instructor's full attention! It was great fun, we headed off to the market to check out the local produce, before returning to the restaurant to begin cooking. It was a little different to the class I took in Chiang Mai - I didn't have as much hands-on experience in one sense (as I shared the preparations with the instructor rather than cooking each dish myself), but I did in another respect as I actually got to chop and grand and mash the ingredients, rather than having everything pre-prepared.
It was great fun and I couldn't wait to sample the dishes by the end of it - Balinese soup with chicken meatballs, pepes (tuna in Balinese sauce, steamed in a banana leaf), chicken satay, saffron (well, turmeric) rice and green vegetables, all finished off with a delicious pancake with palm sugar caramel and coconut! It was delicious and it was a great way to spend a rainy morning in Ubud.
Balinese Cooking at Cafe Bali!
That afternoon, I headed out to the market with Emily (Australia), my next-door neighbour from Donald's. She's been to Bali many times before and so knows what genuinely good prices should be! I only went to get another (cheap) sarong, but I returned with one and a pashmina, dress and two rings, all for less than £10. At last, I actually had excellent bargains and without Emily, I'm sure I'd never secured such good deals. That evening, we saw another dance performance, Kecak and Fire Dance, which was, again, amazing. It involved a large group of Balinese men in traditional garb chanting, swaying, hollering and making sounds like frogs, around a fire. Mesmerising... A little scary when a guy came out and started kicking coconut-husk embers out towards the audience, accompanied with plumes of golden sparks, but it was safe and obviously had been done hundreds of times before. I don't think Health & Safety would have approved though!
On Thursday, I boarded the shuttle bus back to Kuta, and by 11.30am, I was checked back in at Puri Agung and was eating yet more coconut pancakes. Love them, the best thing I've had in Bali so far! Since then, I've not done much to be honest. I'm a little "Asia-ed out" - don't get me wrong, I love Asia, it's like a second home in many ways, but 12 weeks of constantly being on the go here is hard work. I will miss the friendly people, the temples, the scenery, the (sunny) weather, rice, cheap food and accommodation, the culture...
I won't miss the taxi/tuktuk/transport touts, the rats, the drains, the (monsoon) weather, the constant hassle as you walk down the street, the mosquitoes... But all that is a small price to pay as a backpacker, you have to take every day as it comes and make the most of it. I will always have a huge fondness for Asia, it is fantastic and I'm sure there will be times where I miss the craziness of it all. But for now, I'm looking forward to Australia and I'll be in Melbourne tomorrow, which by all accounts sounds great! It will be good to get back to a little "Western" culture. But there's always a downside; I am not looking forward to the costs as I've heard the stories! As long as it isn't more expensive than the U.K., I will cope. I don't imagine I'll find any rooms for 50p a night though! Hope the budget lasts until South America...
I'll be in touch again from Down Under!
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