BACK HOME AGAIN IN UBUD, INDONESIA!

First and foremost, we woke up and talked with Jonathan and Shallie this morning! It was soooo good to see them both!

Then we Grabbed it back to Hippyville, er, to Ubud! We just LOVED this crazy little town and couldn’t wait to come back! There are HUNDREDS of adorable Airbnb’s and Boutique Hotels, etc. to choose from throughout Ubud. John booked us a real cutie, the Barong.

And we thought our villa was a tropical paradise back in Seminyak! Not even close! Ubud is situated inland, right smack dab in the middle of a jungle!

When we checked in, we felt like we were the only ones there! 😳 (And we just may be.)

Once we unpacked, we took to the streets to find something for lunch. Practically next door, John found some BBQ ribs that caught his eye! This little guy caught my eye! Luwak Coffee is HUGE here. Go ahead, read all about it here: LUWAK COFFEE 😳

This little guy is called a Civet and he plays a very important part in the making of Luwak Coffee. He was very cute (and very sleepy)!

John’s ribs looked AMAZING and he LOVED every single bite! The restaurant was sitting right beside a rice paddy—it seems that is really common in Ubud! By the end of our walk, we had seen many! It made for a perfect setting for lunch!

We were a bit concerned by the Zebra Doves that chose to perch RIGHT ON TOP OF US! We made it through just fine!

Once we hit the streets after lunch, it became very obvious to us that they were EMPTY! When we were here with Matt and Val a couple of weeks ago, we were told that tourism was down 70%. If that was truly the case, we would guess that it is currently down 90%. SO VERY WEIRD (and SAD)! And yet, the early afternoon offerings were in full force! Every temple was filled with the cardboard trays and the sidewalks were full!

We walked down one alleyway to an artist’s workplace. It was a gorgeous open air space filled with beautiful oil paintings! This little girl thought she was the BIG BOSS until John sat down to pet her!

She just wasn’t having it! Big chicken! Looks like someone is overdue for a manicure!

As we walked, we saw several of these large paper mache figures that were being created for the upcoming celebration on March 24, the day before Nyepi. We’ve been told about the upcoming “Silent Day” and purchased a little grill to cook on since we will be hanging close to home that day! We are left wondering if the celebrations will take place this year.

We see the oddest things here!

After a luxurious mid-afternoon massage, we walked back to our hotel and spent some time at our pool. We had it all to ourselves! Sorry for the weird toe picture! (That would be John’s feet!)

We called a Grab driver (not really allowed in Ubud but we have the system figured out 🤣) and sat out front by the street while we waited for him to take us to dinner!

We chose a restaurant called Elephant, as it was the top rated vegetarian restaurant in Ubud. (There were a TON to choose from here in Hippyville!)