Japan 2006 - Part 1 - Fukuoka and Mt. Koya

Japan 2006

Prologue: From the moment I accepted the job with Intel in Shanghai, both Sun-Ling and I knew it was only a matter of time before we traveled to Japan. The only decisions to be made were when and where. Our first choice ,first week in May 2006, 7-day public holiday in China, turned out to be a “Golden Week” holiday in Japan as well due to the confluence of 3Japanese National Holidays. So we opted for the fist week in October 2006, a Chinese 7-day public holiday, but not a Japanese holiday.

The “where” for us is usually partially determined by the cost of the to-from transportation. Frequent Flier miles are best. We’ve been know to add or delete an entire country based on its FF mile seat availability. We ended up flying into Fukuoka in southern Japan as it is 50% of the cost to fly to Tokyo, but connected to the Bullet Train (Shinkansen) network.

Journal:

30 September

4:30 PM – Pudong Airport - The start of another Golden Week Holiday. We worked Monday through Saturday and now have 7 days off for the National Day Holiday plus Mid Autumn Festival. Mid Autumn Festival is the Chinese equivalent of a Harvest Moon Festival and by chance this year falls during National Day Holidays. We however, will not be in Shanghai, but will spend the 7 days in Japan. Our flight leaves at 6:00 PM so we have plenty of time – hopefully time for a snack. ;-)

Fukuoka, Japan
Japan is one hour ahead of China, so after a 75 minute flight we landed at 8:30 local time. Quickly passed through the short foreigners immigration line and answered 3 questions at Customs.
“Where do you live?”
“Shanghai.”
“Where did you come from?”
“Shanghai.”
“How long will you be here?”
“7 days.”
Wave of hand.

The Citibank ATM was right at the Customs exit just as our research had indicated. We extracted 50,000 Yen with no problem, used the WC, and caught the 8:55 shuttle bus to the Domestic Terminal. 11 minutes. Easily found the subway entrance. Sun-Ling expertly bought 2 tickets after I pointed out the “English” button and we hopped on the subway at 9:25. We rode 3 stops, 1 stop past the Train Station, and then walked about 3 minutes to the JBB Hotel following the excellent directions on their website.

The young lady at the counter spoke English and seemed to be expecting us. She made copies of our passports, took our 6800 Yen (about $50 US), and gave us the key to room #606. The room was very small, but not the smallest ever. The bathroom had a sink, tub/shower (the shower head on flexible hose), western toilet, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and cups. The sink and shower shared the same faucet which swiveled between sink and tub. Nifty idea. There is a western double bed, no closet (2 hooks on the wall), desk, small fridge, TV, hair dryer, mirror, a small stool (no chair), robes, and slippers. Compact.

After check-in, we immediately headed back out and walked 10 minutes to the train station – past a Lawsons – and after a few inqueries found the right Japan Rail desk to convert our rail pass voucher to an actual 7-day Japan Rail Pass. The yong man behind the counter was quite nice, spoke enough English, made copies of our passports, and gave us our Rail Passes. Then we made 3 “free” train reservations: the next day from Fukuoka (Hakata Station) to Shin Osaka, the day after tomorrow from Shin Osaka to Tokyo, and the final day from Kyoto to Hakata Station. Excellent!

Then we walked west from the station to the Canal District. Saw the local “food stalls” and briefly toured the “red light district”. Young ladies sat on the balconies with a red light florescent light turned on. Wondered back to the hotel by way of the local temple and museum which were closed. The canal area was nice – clear water – and we saw one homeless guy sleeping on a bench. He had a nice quilt, pillow, and looked quite comfy. Arrived back a JBB hotel around 11:15. Ate some of our food stash, showered, relaxed, and crashed.

Impressions of Fukuoka:
 Compact, clean, busy, but not crowded.
 Easy to get around with an over supply of taxis. Lots of idle taxis near the train station.
 Small folding bicycles are popular – just like China. Now I know where they come from. ;-)
 Some folks were quite stylishly dressed

SLHOTD: Canal walk

Oct 1, 2006 Fukuoka to Mt Koya

Plan: Train from Fukuoka to Mt. Koya where we will stay one night at a Buddhist Monastery. Mt Koya or Koyasan is associated with Kukai, the Buddhist monk and founder of the Pureland school of Japanese Buddhism on this mountain in the 9th century.

Today, Mt. Koya is still the home of Pureland Buddhist and the 100 or so temples and monasteries onsite take in overnight guests. The standard deal includes a vegetarian dinner and breakfast, and a chance to get up at 5:30 and chant with the monks. We stayed at the Fukuchi-in (Monastery Inn) which also has a hot spring for about $100 USD per person per night. A lot more than we usually pay for accommodation but it’s an experience not to be missed.

Up at 7:00 and out the door at 7:10. After ten minute walk to the Station, we had no trouble boarding the 7:35 train to Shin Osaka Station. For breakfast: pastries bought in Shanghai the day before.

The bullet train was cool. Our reservation was for the non-smoking, silence car. Silence means no talking, no station announcements except for the departure and the arrival at the terminal station. In between stations are not announced. Not even the food cart person says a word.

The seats, a 2x2 arrangement with a rather large aisle, are not 100% comfortable but recline nicely. After making about 10 stops, some at familiar names like Hiroshima and Kobe, we arrived at Shin Osaka on time at 10:20 AM.

I slept for about half the ride. I did however note that the bullet train tracks were usually separated from regular tracks, elevated, with banked turns, and went through many tunnels. After arriving at Shin Osaka, we transferred to the subway and rode to the Osaka Namba Station stop. Here we bought 2 round trip tickets for 5100 Yen each to the Mt. Koya Station which is at the top of a funicular. The tickets also include 2 2-day bus transport passes on Mt Koya. A good package.

The train, light rail, left on time at 11AM. After changing trains in Hashimoto, we seriously started heading uphill. The train struggled up and up a single track, going through 15 or so tunnels (they were numbered) and occasionally stopping for a while at some small station to let the return downhill train pass. The landscape was a mixture of lush bamboo and evergreen forests along with orchards. The area is known for its persimmons.

We arrived at the base of the Mt Koya funicular about 12:40. As it was cloudy, we couldn’t see much during the 5 minute ride up the mountain. It was the usual funicular where the two “inclined trains” pass halfway up the mountain. We then caught the bus – included in our ticket – and arrived at the Fukuchi-in Inn about 1:02 PM.

They were expecting us and a very fit woman of about 40 checked us in, showed us to our room, and gave us a short “guided tour” of the Fukuchi-in Inn. Her English was basic so we were a bit confused about the hot springs bathing protocol since this was our first time. Oh well, we can figure it out later. Finally she brought us tea and a small sweet cake.

Our room was basic. Tatami mats on the floor, a small wardrobe, 2 yukata (robe and sash), safe, low table, cushions, small TV, and a mirror. No chairs or stools.

It was raining, but we headed out anyway to the small Mt Koya downtown area, about a 5 minute walk. After a check with tourist information (not much useful information) and a bit of an argument between us, we caught the bus to Daimon Gate, at the east end of town and began to walk back to the center. Sun-Ling noted that “Daimon” (Big Gate) – would be “DaMen” in Chinese.

Sun-Ling in front of Daimon (big gate) on Mt Koya, Japan. Check out the fierce guardian statues on both sides of gate.


We proceeded through the usual attractions -- Daimon Gate, the Kondo temple, Kongbuji Temple– before returning to the Inn.

We paid 400Y each to enter Kongobuji, the principle temple, where we admired the painted sliding door panels called “fusuma”, the largest rock garden in Japan, the big kitchen, and enjoyed our cup of tea and snack that was included with admission.

Then back to Fukuchi-in at 5PM and into the hot springs bath before dinner. Basically, the routine is wash and rinse yourself, soak in the hot water, then wash off again. I skipped the “wash off again” part. Why bother? Anyway, I had the whole complex to myself so I could not watch how the locals handle the large towel, the small towel, the locker, the robe and sash, regular slippers, rubber slippers, soaps, shampoo, brush, basket, stool, etc. Maybe next visit to Japan.. ;_0 Overall, a most pleasant bath experience.

Dinner was next. We sat in our room our robes (yukata) and the same woman who checked us in started bringing in the vegetarian dinner.
 Small hot pot with tofu and mushroom. The pot is actually a piece of non-burnable paper.
 Cold cucumber dish
 Another cold dish
 Rice
 Tempura with flavored salt
 A cold Asahi Draft (see photo)
 A tofu dessert

Overall the food was OK, the beer was cold.



Then back on with our street clothes and a 2 km walk to the Okuno-in area, the famous cemetery containing Kukai’s Mausoleum, where we hope to see a special Buddhist Ceremony. It’s a very, very large cemetery surrounding the KuboDaishi, the Kukai Mausoleum. Kukai is the founder of Pureland Buddhism in Japan.

We were in luck. After cool walk through the cemetery, we arrived at the Hall of Lanterns. We hung out for about 45 minutes. Lots of chanting. No photos or video allowed. I recorded some audio but later accidentally erased it. Bummer.

After a 30 minute walk back to town, we arrived at the Inn only to find that the front gate was locked. So we walked to the nearby Police Station, called the Inn, and everyone had a good laugh.

When we got back to our room, the sleeping mat, quilts and pillows were laid out and we crashed.

To see all the photos from Oct 1, click here.

Nanjing, China - 2006

In September, we spent a weekend in Nanjing, China and enjoyed it immensely. If you want to go directly to the photos, click here. Most have good titles and descriptions.

Itinerary:
Saturday

• Purple Hills Scenic Area with Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum and other nearby attractions
• Fuzimiao and City Wall

Sunday

• Presidential Palace Complex
• Nanjing University

Prologue:

Nanjing was the capital of China during the Republic Period (1912 to 1949) and has loads of interesting things to do and see. I was feeling good about the trip even before it started since we had round trip train tickets (Shanghai/Nanjing - Nanjing/Shanghai) in hand and a hotel booked. It's only recently that one could easily buy round trip train tickets in China. Previously it was part of the travel routine to immediately head to the ticket queue after arriving at your destination to buy the return ticket Now, by paying a small surcharge one can buy both sets of tickets and have them delivered.

Friday, September 15, 2006

The sold-out 16:04 Shanghai to Nanjing train (about 70 RMB each) pulled out around 16:35, over 30 minutes late. Our fellow passengers included one guy with his folding bicycle and another guy with a hand truck full of shoe boxes.

As we passed through Suzhou an attendant came through selling dofu gan (dried tofu) a local specialty. Sun-Ling remembered back to her younger days when she used to ride the train between Hefei and Shanghai. She always looked forward to going through Suzhou as the local dofu gan is quite tasty and not “dry” at all. It’s tofu that has been dried, but then soaked in savory sauces. Yummy! And she added that it seemed they only sold it while going through Suzhou.

Got the usual “Welcome to Suzhou” text message on my cell phone as we approached Suzhou. Do cities do that in the US now?

Arrived at Nanjing Station about 7:20 PM. The new Nanjing Metro is co-located with the train station and we easily found the Metro entrance, bought 2 round, red tokens for 2 RMB each from the automatic machine and rode south 5 stops to Zhong Shan Rd.

After a routine missed turn, we wound up at the Fuchang Hotel, 75 Zhong Shan Rd. This fine art deco hotel was built in 1932; however, now the front facade is obscured by old sycamore trees, and the first floor lobby has been converted into shops.

After first being shown a quiet, back-facing room we opted for a front-facing double with a view of the street for 280 RMB per night, breakfast included. The room had twin beds, frig, safe, electric water heater, TV, closet, reading lights, slippers, desk, chair, toothbrush, and was clean and kept up.

Not too soon for me we headed out to nearby LP-recommended Harry’s Place for pizza and beer. I liked Harry’s Place, not only did they have 20% off on food after 8:30, but also 50% on drinks. The smiling waitress delivered 2 cold pints of Carlsberg, a coconut drink for Sun-Ling, one 9” veggie pizza, one order of home fry chips, and one order of home fry hash browns - all for 92 RMB, about $12 US.

Then back to the hotel to crash.

Saturday September 16, 2006

The plan for the day is Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum and Fuzimiao.

Up at 7:30, into the shower, and over to the adjoining Central Hotel for breakfast. It seems that the Fuchang is an annex of the Central and Fuchang guests can use Central’s facilities. Anyway, an excellent buffet breakfast with spreads of Chinese, American, European and Japanese food. I had an omelet, rice soup, cheese, bread, and coffee.

Then about 10 or so we headed out to catch a bus to Sun Yat-sen’s tomb. First let me explain a crucial fact. Sun Yat-sen’s Mandarin Chinese name is Sun Zhong Shan and he is most often referred to a just Zhong Shan. So Sun Yat-sen’s Tomb is also known as Zhong Shan Ling. Sun Yat-sen is acknowledged by most Chinese (even the Communist Party) to be the founder of the modern China and thus every town in China seems to have a Zhong Shan Rd and/or Zhong Shan Park.

After a detour to a local bookstore to buy a city map, we caught bus #9 and arrived a Zhong Shan Ling about 11AM. The clouds were giving way to sun as we bought our 80 RMB combo ticket (4 attractions total) and set out to climb the 392 wide steps up to the Mausoleum. There were many, many, people; locals and tourist who had come out to the green hills (actually called the Purple Hills Scenic Area) to see the tomb of Dr Sun who died in 1925 and was placed in his tomb in 1932. This monument to Dr Sun is wide open, grand, and reminded us of some of the European palace grounds we have visited.

Then we caught the free tram to the Linggu Temple and Pagoda, Beamless hall, and Tai Yan Kai tomb attractions. The pagoda, said to have been designed by an American, had ~240 steps up a spiral staircase to magnificent views of the surrounding hills and back to downtown Nanjing.

We ate lunch at the Pine Pavilion Vegetarian restaurant near Linggu Temple. 36 RMB for 2 bowls of noodle soup and one cold dish. A sign said there has been a vegetarian restaurant on that spot for 500 years.

After a visit to the Sun Yat-sen Museum, we caught bus Y2 to Fuzimiao, an area with a scenic canal, Confucius school, and tons of shops and restaurants. We rented an electric boat – 30 minutes for 25 RMB – and cruised down the canal towards Zhonghua Gate Castle and back. Then walked back to Zhonghua Gate, an impressive part of the old City Wall, and paid our 20 RMB each to wander around. Nanjing has an impressive amount of its old city wall still standing but exploring it will have to wait for another trip. Then back to Fuzimiao, and eventually after much searching had dinner at a Korean restaurant: 87 RMB for 2 beers, a pancake, and a stone bowl. Taxied back to the hotel. Had a long, long, long, wait for hot water in the bathroom. Why? Why? Why? And crashed.

SLHOTD: Zhong Shan Ling. Very impressive with the 392 steps, blue tile roofs, simple design, and gold letters. Note the old photo of "The Chinese delegation to the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 having memorial services at Sun Yatsen's Mausoleum just before departure."

John’s miscellaneous notes on the day:
o Missed a great photo of a mobile bicycle repair shop.
o Got an OK photo of a traditional popcorn vendor with bellows and cannon.
o Roasted chestnuts are in.
oWalked by the full St Paul’s Church while we were searching for a restaurant.

Sunday, September 17, 20

Slept in to 8:00 AM .

Over to the Central for a tasty breakfast: omelet, coffee, youtiao (fried breadsticks), pastries, cake, and a cheese sandwich.

Packed our bags, paid the bill, checked out, and left our bags with the front desk. The total bill was for one night only (280 RMB) due to the hot water incident from the previous night.

We started up Chang Jiang Lu towards the Presidential Palace. We stopped at several Republic Era buildings including the Art Museum, Hanfu Hotel, and Culture Center.

Around the Presidential Palace are a brand new library (huge) and a shopping complex called 1912. We walked 340 degrees around the PP before finding the entrance. This gave us a chance to spot the Hot Café with its Che Guevara mural.

We spent about 3 hours touring the Presidential Palace complex - 40 RMB each. It’s very interesting and most sites are well marked and described in English; and there are several Museums. The art deco buildings in Nanjing are cool. There are several in the PP complex and more in other parts of Nanjing. Sun-Ling wants to return to Nanjing to visit all 60 some of them.
By 3PM we were worn out and headed over to the Tea Station at 1912 for a snack: 1 huge mango ice (see photo), 1 Iced Coffee, Tiramisu, and Chocolate black Forrest Cake (83 RMB).

After sitting for awhile, we caught bus #95 to Nanjing University. After a quick tour of the nearby Drum Tower (5 RMB each) we toured NJU from north to south, including the Ferguson Library. Then headed over to Shanghai Lu for some cheap western eats at the Skyways Bakery: Cheese Sandwich and drink for 18 RMB each. Bought some snacks “to go”, took a taxi back to Fuchang hotel, picked up our bags, and road the Metro 5 stops to the train station. Train T717 pulled out on time at 7:24 PM and the rest of the trip was almost uneventful.

SLHOTD: The old photos in the PP museums.

JHOTD: Watching SL eat her Mango Ice.

Bali 2006 - Part 6 - Amed, Lepah Beach, Snorkel and Sail

Lepah Beach, Bali – May 19, 2006

John got up for the 6:30-ish sunrise and walked down to the beach. The whole fleet had been out but boats were coming back in one by one. It takes about 6 men to heft a boat above the tide line. Our local guide Mr. Pauli said they came back early because they weren’t catching any fish.

I had met Mr. Pauli the day before. The locals who do not work for the hotel, hang out on the beach and try to get you to spend some money with them instead of with the hotel which is most likely owned by a foreigner. This makes sense. In some cases, by dealing directly with the locals you are cutting out the middle man. In others cases, you give them something instead of nothing. So guys like Pauli, a local fisherman in his 40’s with good English, approach tourists about renting snorkel gear, going for a sail, etc. Women ask if you want a massage. Even the hotel staff try to make their own deal with you for a taxi or other transport. Our “maid,” a guy in his late 20’s, had photos of various taxis loaded into his cell phone so he could show the merchandise.

I watched the fleet action, took some photos, and then went back up to the 2nd floor balcony until Sun-Ling got up. Only one boat come back with fish. About twenty small fish that were taken by a women who tossed them in her basket and walked away down the beach. No money appeared to change hands.

The fleet returns at sunrise.


Breakfast was included in the room rate so we walked over to the beachside restaurant and had coffee, mixed fruit, and tomato omelets

After some negotiations with Mr. Pauli, we rented 2 days of snorkel gear for 60K RP. We changed in to our swim gear and walked up to the SE point for a decent hour of snorkeling even though the waves were building in the breeze. We saw some cool coral and colorful fish and took photos with our Lomo Frogeye underwater camera (see photos below). After a dip in the pool, we ate lunch at a nearby on-the-beach restaurant: Bintang, papaya juice, and 2 tempeh satays for 44K.

Sun-Ling posing for our Frogeye Lomo underwater camera.


Spent the afternoon being lazy. Negotiated a sunrise sail and snorkel with Mr. Pauli for 180K RP. Took a nap. As there are no ATMs within 50 miles, we changed money at the Wartel. The proprietor did not want my 1996-issue $100 bill, and knowingly pointed to a small sign on his counter that so. Luckily I had an acceptable vintage bill back at the hotel and we received 870,000 RP for it. Capitalism.

A warung is a small restaurant. A wartel is a telephone office.

Dinner was excellent: 1 L Bintang, 1 Sprite, 2 set Vegetarian Dinners with very tasty spicy tempeh, all for 96K.

To see all the photos from May 19, click here.


Lepah Bay, Bali - May 20, 2006

Today’s program: Sunrise sail and snorkel.

Up a 5:30 AM – before sunrise. Met Pauli on the beach at 5:45 and we put in immediately. The mate for the day was his cousin. After motoring for 5 minutes, it was up with the sail and headed towards the fleet which had put in around 4AM. The fleet fishes at night but not all night unless the fishing is great. They go out about 4 PM and come back at sunset. Then they go out a 4AM and come back at sunrise. Of course, that’s what they did when we were there. The rhythm may be different in other seasons.

With its twin outriggers the sailing canoe was very stable but not graceful; lumbering over the waves getting us a bit wet when the bamboo outriggers smacked down and into the waves. The boats are most graceful with the wind behind them in calm water.

We sailed on a reach towards Lombok, the island to the east of Bali, with Mt Anung Volcano behind us in the dark. The sun rose about 6:15, turning the sky purple in front of us and lighting the tip of Mt. Anung behind us.

Sailing at sunrise in the Lombok Strait.


After 30 minutes or so, just as we were approaching the fleet, we did a jibe - according to Pauli the boats cannot tack - and headed back to the so-called Japanese Shipwreck for snorkeling. However, the wreck was not very visible that day so we snorkeled some a bit north and saw some awesome coral formations at a spot called Good Karma Hole.

The fleet was returning in 2 streams. On to the north and one to the south with the sunrise as a backdrop. Spectacular. A regatta.

Back on land at 8:00 am. Just in time for breakfast!

Some various notes about the fishing fleet not included in the above narrative:
o The main catch is mackerel
o Each village has a boat builder
o The sails look like fish
o The outrigger is 3 pieces lashed together with rope.
o The boom and mast are made of bamboo.
o The outriggers are bamboo and are replaced each year.
o One man, one boat.
o The method of fishing is to put hooks some meters apart on a long line with small pieces of cotton (about 1 inch long) as the lure.
o In the recent past it was popular to have the bow of the boat resemble a fish with its mouth open. This has been abandoned in favor of a more streamlines look as the “fish mouth” was hard to maintain – they broke off a lot. See photos.

After breakfast a long nap was in order; then beachcombing, lunch, pool, etc.

To see all the photos from May 20, click here.

Ubud, Bali – May 21, 2006

The trip back to Shanghai was mostly uneventful. We negotiated a price of 250K for the ride back to the airport. After 2 “cousins” piled in the SUV with us, I figured that we were providing a bonus for an already planned trip to Denpasar. Hmm. Although 250K was a fair price.

About halfway to the airport, the driver, let’s call him Schumacher, decided to pass the car in front of him on a downhill no passing zone and was pulled over by the police who were sitting at the bottom of the hill just waiting to pull people over and collect money. I think that 50K rupiah changed hands. Instant Karma. Anyway we made it to the airport in plenty of time to spend the rest of our Indonesian money, win an argument with the Singapore Air counter staff about the number of carry on bags allowed, and catch our flight.

That’s all for our Anniversary trip to Bali. Thanks for reading.

Bali 2006 - Part 5 - Sideman, Tenganan, Tirtagangga, and Amed Beach

Ubud, Bali – May 18, 2006

Plan: Drive to Amed Beach via the spectacular rice terraces in Sideman, the old village of Tenganan，and the Water Palace at Tirtagangga,

Today, our 15th wedding anniversary, turned out to be a great day in Bali!!

Up at 7:00 AM. B-fast at hotel.

Driver and Toyota Land Cruiser arrived at 8:00AM. We paid the bill of 1,200,000 Rupiah, loaded our stuff in the car, and were off.

Headed northeast towards Sideman and some spectacular scenery: rice terraces, ocean views, and volcanoes. Stopped several times for photos.

A one point the driver was stopped at a police checkpoint. I saw him fold a 10K rupiah note over his driver’s license as he stepped out of the car, but don’t know if he actually had to “bribe” the policeman.

Our first stop was at the traditional village of Tenganan (10K donation) is 5km from the ocean with cobbled streets. The locals are basket makers and weavers of traditional double ikat clothe, both are for sale. We walked around this lazy town. The cows were out, the children mostly in school, and the brightly painted chickens were caged. (See photos). Yes they paint the chickens as part of local ritual sacrifices.

Then on to the Tirtagangga Water Palace (6K RP) where we had a tasty lunch, and enjoyed the pools, statuary, and views. We did NOT swim.

Then onto the Amed Beach on the East Coast. We did not have a hotel booked, but we had a listed of possibles that we had picked from Rough Guide so we drove south along the coast, stopping at the possibles to check them out. After some bargaining, actually a lot of bargaining, we settled in at the Lepah Beach Coral View Villas, with a beachside family suite, for $40 US per night. The usual rate is $120 per night. The suite has an upstairs and a downstairs with a garden bathroom in the back, AC up and down, balcony and veranda, two singles down and a king-size up, tub and shower, and hot H2O.

Took a quick dip in the ocean, found some cool seashells, and showered. Then out for a walk in search of a restaurant. First we walked south over the headland to a view of the next bay, then back, finally eating at Cede-Cede:1 Large Bintang beer, Fanta Cherry Red, Grilled Veggies, Veggie Curry, and fried tempeh, all for 91K RP.

The fleet: There are hundreds of outriggers fishing boats along this 11km stretch of coastline. About 50 to 100 of them are parked in front of our hotel on the volcanic black sand beach. The boats are basically sailing canoes (some with backup gas engines) with dual outriggers. The canoe hull is no more than 30 inches wide and 12 to 15ft long. Most boats I’ve seen so far are all of the same design. One guy told me the area of his sail is 5 meters. I don’t know the exact name for the sail rig type, but you can see it in the photos below. Maybe someone will send me a email with the name of the sail rig. Also see the end of this video I shot where you can watch a guy launch his boat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tau7x9OsJIE

We watched the fleet go out in the late afternoon. The local boys use this excuse to go swimming naked, help launch the fleet, and generally have fun. Some of the boys had toy, bamboo, boats they were sailing. Miniature versions their elder’s boats.

SLHOTD: Water Palace
JHOTD: The fleet

Below are 4 photos; one each from Sideman rice terraces, Tenganan Village, Tirtagangga Water Palace, and Amed Beach. To see all the photos from this busy day, click here.

Scenic view somewhere between Ubud and Sideman.


Tenganan: Check out the painted chickens in the cages. Their fate is to be sacrificed in a village festival.


Sun-Ling making friends with the fish at Tirtagangga Water Palace.


View from Lepah headland south to the next bay. Local sailing canoes, jukung, line the black sand beaches.

Bali 2006 - Part 4 - Ubud - Monkey Forrest Preserve, Spa, and Bamboo Gamelan

Ubud, Bali - May 17, 2006

Plan for the day: Monkey Forrest Preserve, Spa, and Bamboo Gamelan performance.

Up at 7:00. Usual breakfast at hotel.

Note to our friends in Florida: The grass on the hotel grounds appears to be St. Augustine grass.

Left hotel at 9AM heading south to Monkey Forrest Preserve. Saw the troupe of monkeys. Ho hum.

Headed out of the south end of the preserve, through the small village, and circled back to East Ubud. Negotiated a car and driver for tomorrow's drive to Amed Beach - 300K RP – about $35 US.

A very tasty lunch at Bali Buddha, run by an expat: Iced coffee, Iced cappuccino, guacamole and chips, avocado sandwich, aubergine on focaccia. All for 90K ($10 US). Also bought 4 bags of coffee to take back to Shanghai.

Then back to The Market. Bought a "fish puzzle" and “hanging monkeys" for Sun-Ling's nephews, and a shirt and a bath set. Back to the hotel for a dip in the pool. Yeah!

After a short rest it was on to the Verona Spa for “Lular Treatment” -- Massage and bath together in the couples room with a view of rice paddies – for 190K RP (less than $25 US). My massage was only OK – not vigorous enough. Then skin cleansing with abrasives. Then the couples bath with oils, flowers, tea, and view of rice paddy. Very romantic! Out of the Spa about 4PM.

Dinner at Bamboo Warung near the football field: Large Bintang beer, Pineapple Arak (local liquor), various curries and veggies (60K RP). Tasty.

After dinner we went to a Bamboo Gamelan performance for 120K RP. Music and dancing. This was lightly attended but I though it was pretty good. I posted some video several months ago. When the performance ended, we went up a tried out the gamelans ourselves. Cool.

On the way home, we extracted another 2 million rupiah from the ATM.

During dinner, with a good view of the football field, I figured out that the local “pick up” soccer game is more like “keep away” than the usual game of trying to get the ball into the other team’s goal. They divide into shirts and skins teams and then just try to keep possession of the ball. The goal posts are not used. Is this common other places – like in the US? Also before starting “keep away” they were playing some kind of “corner kick” game.

SLHOTD: Spa
JHOLTD: Spa + lunch +dinner

Heliconia outside our hotel room in Ubud, Bali.


Finally I get the "right" shot of the beer and its "named" mug. Sun-Ling is drinking a pineapple arak. Bamboo Warung: Ubud, Bali.



Dancers


Male Dancer


More dancers


John tries out the bamboo gamelan