Candidasa to Ubud

It wasn't raining yesterday morning in Candidasa so we had some time in the pool and got some clearer views of the small beaches around this shoreline.

Some fishermen were casting nets in the shallow waters of low tide, quite close to the edge of our hotel's infinity edge pool.

..... but then the rain started ... and fell ... and fell .... and fell .... loudly and heavily for HOURS and HOURS. At one stage we talked ourselves into imagining the rain had eased a bit and we went out to find a late lunch spot ...... but it was impossible to walk around town in this - it was drenching rain and walking was really unpleasant and a bit unsafe - and very WET!

Both levels of our hotel's open air dining rooms were drenched. The ground level had centimetres of water all over the floor - from the rain driving in. Staff were serving meals in rooms but we found a relatively dry spot in the far corner around the bar and enjoyed a few happy hour drinks and some yummy hotel food while we chatted to the barmen. It filled in an hour or two and it meant we didn't go hungry.

This morning at breakfast I was so excited to see a few patches of blue sky (and no rain) I took a picture of the blue patches!

It was check out day for us from the Sagara Candidasa. This lovely lady on reception had gone out of her way to help us this visit and she asked us to pose with her for this photo. The staff at Sagara are its key asset, especially this lovely lady.

We took the scenic route back to Ubud today up through the hairpin bends of the mountains behind Candidasa to Sidemen, a less developed area in east Bali that's known for its lush green landscapes and stunning views of rice terraces and farming land. The lovely lady at Sagara had suggested we try Subak Tabolo Villa in Sidemen for lunch. We found the hotel in its quiet rural setting with its beautiful views and exquisite gardens but the restaurant was very quiet today - we were the only guests at this time ........

.. and our nasi campur took quite a while to prepare .... giving us lots of time to admire the views ........

... and watch this staff member collecting young hibiscus leaves and buds for making Teh Pucuk (hibiscus tea)

When the nasi campur did arrive it was delicious .......

I love the exuberance, and inclusivity, of the Balinese approach to Christmas....... 

The gardens at Subak Tabolo Villa were filled wth pots of white orchids in full bloom

...and beautiful vistas from every aspect of the property....

Once we were out of the small village of Sideman we got great views of the lush farming landscapes for which this area is famous from the roadway. Our driver Ketut told us these were crops of peanuts, chillies and onions.

Twenty minutes or so out of Sideman we were in the regency of Klungkung and the busy township of Semarapura. We asked Ketut to stop here so I could take a look at the famous Klungkung textiles market. Rob walked around with me in the very clean well organised, completely modernised version of the market I used to walk around in the company of our friend John Penrose (and darllng Maxie a few times). It looks so different to those days now. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the huge array of stuff on display and just did some window shopping this visit.  

Semarapura is about 40 minutes from Ubud but the traffic made it a slow trip and there were very few lush landscapes on view with all the small shops and businesses lining the road.

We finally arrived at our Cendana Resort a bit before 4.00pm to a warm welcome from the reception staff and the talking bird that is a fixture at the entrance to the hotel grounds.  We're in room 305 this time - for the next 10 days - heaven!! 

I had a completely different feeling about Ubud arriving today, compared to a year ago. The town (and our little hotel) looks like its had a "glow up". Everything looks well cared for, prosperous, busy and very lush being the wet season. Reconstruction and repair projects are finished and half of the football field has even returned to its original grass for the kids to play on (instead of the dusty carpark we found last visit). 

Our first Bintang in Ubud - at Three Monkeys, an old fave of ours for many years. It felt so good to be back!

Me with fresh out of the pool hair looking happy to be back at Three Monkeys.......

Three Monkeys does everything with such style and flair.