Haruko has a demanding work schedule in crowded, polluted Jakarta so she wanted to enjoy some relaxed downtime in Ubud this weekend. So we started yesterday with a swim and a leisurely breakfast at our respective hotels before joining up for a day of strolling the surrounding streets, doing a bit of shopping and enjoying a long lunch together (at Tutmak).
In Jl Karna just at the back of the Ubud Art Market Haruko found a little Bali Lewak Kopi house, complete with its own resident lewak (Asian Palm Civet). It's a nocturnal animal and sleeps during the day so I hope it was finding it quiet enough to sleep in amongst being the chief attraction at this little coffee house. We didn't try the famous lewak kopi today - it was way too hot for coffee at this time of the day in Ubud.
We arranged for the lovely Nyoman (Abi's Nyomy) to drive us the relatively short distance up to The Indus for dinner last night. We made our booking early enough to ensure we'd have enough light to take in The Indus's spectacular views. Haruko had never been to The Indus before despite her regular visits to Bali/Ubud. The light is beautiful at this magic hour so we took some happy pictures at Cendana to mark this special occasion before we left .........
This pic of room 326 at Cendana in the late afternoon light is for J & J ........
The Indus did not disappoint with the young staff eager to give us the best experience possible in this amazing setting. One lovely young woman made us the stars of her Indus spectacular, creating videos and multiple pictures of us against this magical setting above the Campuham River .....
The Balinese tapas (chicken sate, tempeh, spring rolls, corn fritters) under a spectacular full moon evening sky was the perfect start to a delicious meal at The Indus (duck for Haruko, Ikan Pepes (fish in banana leaves) for me and seafood paella for Rob). No cocktails to start with: Haruko doesn't drink and we've decided to refrain as well (apart from a thirst quenching beer or two on a hot day)!
It was a special night for us at The Indus with Haruko. The restaurant has changed a lot like everywhere else in Ubud - the top floor doesn't operate as a restaurant anymore - it's reserved for weddings and other big events (like last week's Readers and Writers Festival). There are no more Salsa nights (focus is on jazz now), the staff is younger and more lively and are dressed more casually Western style) and the food is more pan-Asian but still wonderful. All in all The Indus still has it in spades! We were lucky to book last night as tonight, our only other night with Haruko, it's completely booked out for a party.
Us and the bougainvillea flowers on Jl Hanoman ......
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