Armed with only 5 hours of sleep, this morning's wake was more than difficult. Especially having to pack up all our stuff to change rooms. Why? Because...
- damp smell since we checked in - helped a little with the dehumidifier on all afternoon
- food smell in the morning from breakfast - right next to the kitchen area
- noisy as we're the closest room to the lobby/swimming pool - could even HEAR the front desk phone ring when I called in to request for a hairdryer
So, first thing this morning, we requested to be switched as soon as a room opens up. Not wanting to leave our luggage in the lobby (they didn't have a locked storage room), we left hem locked in our room and asked them to transport it to our new room when it's ready. Fast forward until now - after having showered and sitting in bed while writing this - this room is slightly bigger, but has another smell that bothers the nose: piping. At this point, we really can't be too picky. After all, this isn't a 5-star hotel. It is a bit run-down, but what it lacked in maintenance, they made up in service. Staff were all super friendly and helpful with suggestions around the area. You know they enjoy working here and meeting travelers seeing their welcoming smiles.
Anyway, what did we do today? Well, we had gone full-throttle tourist mode by attending this Balinese Dance performance. Honestly, even trying to follow the story with the English outline, I still had no idea what I was watching. It was simply mediocre - I was mostly entertained by their elaborate costumes. Otherwise, the rest was uninteresting enough to put my roomie to sleep. I guess you could say it felt slightly too unprofessional to be categorized as traditional? It had jokes and English dialogue...? Yes, you can imagine my 'what IS this?' face throughout the whole show. Oh wells, at least we know what it is for future reference.
Then, we stopped by a silverware shop, a House of Painters, and a wood factory. The silverware shop was rather uncomfortable as the sales girl kept following us around the tightly packed rooms filled with display cases. The designs and details were just not enough to impress me - I have seen better craftsmanship in Taiwan, so that was no for me. The House of Painters was slightly more interesting with a different kind of art than what I've seen during my travels. Though, I must say, we didn't feel as welcomed. Possibly, it could have been a misunderstanding of culture, but when he realised we weren't going to buy anything, he actually mumbled something and showed us the door. MAYBE, that gesture is considered okay in Bali, but definitely not in the Chinese culture. To show someone the door, that's practically kicking someone out of your house! But, we'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that was simply the local culture. The wood factory had the best 'service' of the three places. The hosts were very friendly and full of knowledge to share. They didn't mind that we didn't purchase anything - they were just happy we dropped by. Now, that's what I call 'Happy Workers' - when they enjoy what they do, and not just about making money. Something to add, both the House of Painters and the wood factory were both family-owned businesses. They basically transformed their house and land into a tiny factory with family members all participating in the making of their products. Mind you, family-owned businesses are quite common in Bali. Just driving to our next destination, we counted easily six other wood carver shops. I guess it's a good thing to have something in common within the family to keep everyone together - the glue!
For the rest of the day, I managed to take snaps, and since a photo speaks a thousand words...
(The Holy Spring - locals and foreigners alike lining up to be blessed by the fresh spring water pouring out from the fountains. To our surprise, there are actually koi fish in the pool! Swimming between legs...)
(Kintamani - an active Volcano! Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side. What could have been a breathtaking view while having lunch was instead taken over by gloomy clouds. Not to mention how it always happens to be me that 'strikes gold' in food. While forking up some noodles, a medium-sized cockroach rolled out from the bundle of noodles onto my dish. Why me? I don't know. Though, I do wonder why I'm not so lucky when I play scratches *pout*)
(At the Wedang Sari Coffee Plantation - this wild kitty produces the most expensive coffee beans...from pooping! Supposedly, it selectively chooses the good pea berries to eat, and its digestive system creates the perfect environment to ferment the berries into delicious beans. It sounds gross, but the coffee is definitely one to try!)
(7 different kinds of coffee and 3 kinds of tea on top of the Kopi Luwak - aka Cat Poop coffee - to try. They do charge IRP50,000 for the special coffee, but the rest are all on the house. Don't think I've ever had that many flavours of coffee at one sitting, but definitely an experience. My favourite was the Chocolate Coffee - not too sweet or bitter. Just good :) I would recommend dropping by this place just to try out their coffee if you ever get the chance!)
A day flew by just like that - and so did our cash. No seriously, this excessive amount of zeros on their bills really throw off one's ability to judge how much is being spent. Bali and it's mysteries! Definitely will recommend all visitors to bring either their home currencies or USD to exchange here. Rates are reasonable. Anyway, more to come tomorrow...
Lights out!
Nights from Bali.