Well Surpriiiseee Surprise!!!

Richy and I woke at 3:34 am to get on a flight heading to Sukothai (mid- Thailand)... so I thought. When we arrived at the airport I went to the "Domestic" line and noticed Richy was no longer with me. He was standing in the "International" line. When I told him he's not paying attention and to wake the fuck up, he smiled and responded, "we're not going to Sukothai.... Happy Graduation!" After standing there all antsy and guessing where we could possibly be going, I finally figured it out. Richy surprised me with a round trip ticket to Bali, Indonesia.

We arrive filled with excitement, a new full page visa, and we head directly to Ubud. Ubud is the culinary and art capital of Bali where everything about this city is magic. Everywhere you go , you are surrounded by ancient ruins. The architecture is covered with extremely detailed stone reliefs of god's, demons, guardians and they all tell different stories. Most of the population of Ubud both Hindu and very spiritual so they present offerings to their Hindu god(s) of choice all throughout the day. Everywhere you go there is art, offerings, the smell of delicious food; these people live and breathe their culture and history like I have never seen before.

We spent the two days in Ubud chilling on hammocks, eating endlessly, and perusing the many unique antique shops for art, old relics and unusual objects. I ended up splurging on a 3 ft tall sculpture of Garuda, the Hindu God that is both man and eagle. Its so bad ass...I couldn't resist.

I also could not resist to explore the vast and endless rice paddies that Ubud has to offer. Since it is one month away from their harvest, all the paddies are lush and full of life. It is a truly surreal experience seeing the paddies for the first time because it is only something we know from travels shows and movies. Being in the heart of it, waling and balancing on the foot wide trenches makes you really feel foreign to this lifestyle. Throughout the fields there are farmers, people offering coconuts and artists creating and selling their work, ad they are all eager to talk. I was lucky enough to be invited into an artists home which is just a small shack big enough for his bed, a plastic chair, and his carving tools, which opens up to face his cow and chicken coup. We ate coconut, talked about his work and the Balinese way of life. Very enlightening and insightful. These farmers have virtually nothing and they are so welcoming and happy that it helps you really appreciate the life we live.

After my walk in the paddies, I got another taste of the Southeast Asia monsoon season. It has been pouring here! Roads flooded, clothing soaked, and no one cares. Its very funny to see how adjusted and accepting they are to this type of rain. I learned quickly to accept the rain and find refuge in my hammock. We posted up on our balcony overlooking the valley, smoked clove cigarettes (the Balinese LOVEEE clove cigarettes), and took in the hypnotic trickle of the rain fall as we slowly drifted into a relaxed trans.

Tomorrow, we head south to pick up some motorcycles and begin our tour around the entire island of Bali. Should be another series of adventures to come...