Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

I arrived in Bali late last night, and my Balinese driver was waiting for me with a giant sign amongst an intimidating crown of people shouting, holding signs, and handing out fliers, the sign said: 'Trecy'. His name is Ketut, and he's from east Bali. He and I drove 45 mins. into the dark laughing and talking in a clunker van where I had to tie the seatbelt. He told me that although the majority of Indonesia is Muslim, that Bali is Hindu. He told me there had been no terrorist attacks since the 2002 bomb on Kuta beach, which is now a famous surf spot. I was so impressed by the art that I could actually see in the darkness, and I was vibrating with happiness to be in Indonesia! My best friend Emily use to live on Java, and she always told me how gorgeous Indo was, but to beware of carnivorous banana spiders in the jungle.
When Ketut and I arrived at the hotel: Narasoma. I was led by 2 large temples with intricate stone and wood carvings, up a steep staircase with a magnificent shallow relief porcelain sculpture of Vishnu, through the second level adorned by gorgeous Hindu sculptures of deities, up to the 3rd floor. The enormous intricately carved wooden door took my breath away, as did the equally impressively carved wooded shudders. When I walked into my room a carved wooded dragon boxed canopy bed greeted me. Inside was cloth netting pulled back romantically by a decorative fixture. I peeked into the bathroom and saw a bathtub, vaulted ceilings, and a huge window, which I found out in the morning overlooks the mountains and thick jungle. Beautiful! I had a balcony as well with an even better view. This is the kind of place you honeymoon! It is also by far the most luxurious place I've stayed thus far. A bathtub, Oh my god! Lucky me! :D I haven't taken a bath in almost 7 months! Yay! The room is also the most expensive: $13 a day, but it's worth it. I'm here in Ubud for a week or so to do intensive yoga and personal healing, so I will enjoy my luxurious place without any guilt. :)
I took a long hot bath, and meditated to the sound of chirping insects in the jungle on my balcony under the moon.
The night was cold, about 65 degrees.
When I awoke in my comfortable romantic bed I hopped out of bed, opened my french doors, and stepped onto my balcony to see an abundance of pristine nature. I was feeling really great! I walked onto my front porch, sat at my private table, and enjoyed the view. Wooden wind chimes and religious art blew in the wind from the trees. I looked at my table, and there was a thermos of hot water with a cup and 2 tea bags. Awesome! I started drinking my tea, and humming with pleasure when all of a sudden the owner started waving at me from below. I waved back, and he motioned a food signal. I smiled and nodded.
'Make' came up the stairs with a platter of fresh fruit and a thin pancake. It was delicious.
I spent the afternoon walking all over Ubud. I walked past Monkey Forest, through the market, and down all the streets. Ubud is the art capital of Bali, so you can imagine the fashion, jewelry, paintings, sculpture, dance, food, etc... This place is amazing! It is also dangerous for a woman on a budget. I bought an enormous piece of art at the market. Wow! I also have a pair of leather metallic heels on order, and I passed everything else up telling myself: "You're just going to look. Save your money. Think about what's important here, and it's not unnecessary consumerism."
After my evening yoga and meditation session, I met my neighbors. They are a sweet Californian couple who invited me to bike through monkey temple with them tomorrow after my morning yoga session and breakfast.
In a nutshell, I'm completely stimulated by this culture and country so far. I don't like how much I'm being hit on by the locals, and I find myself saying "No, Thank you" all the time, but I'm so happy to be here. I hear it's high season, and the majority of foreign travelers are French, Spanish, and Portuguese, but they all keep to themselves. It's mostly families and honeymooners in love.
I'll keep you all updated. I'm only on day 1. :)