One biggish leap for me – Ubud

Sunday 16 August 2009
Ok, nevermind that ‘easing into it’ business. I booked a bus for Ubud at 16.30, got here at around 17.45. Found a room by 18.30 and lots of walking.

I have no flushing toilet (though it looks like a western one), no toilet paper, a bucket to flush the toilet with, not hot water, no normal wash basin, no aircon (a small fan instead) and the door gets locked with a padlock. The windows are very open, but there’s thin curtains, and a mosquito net above the double bed. There is one powerpoint (which the fan is plugged into).
It’s clean and there’s linen on the bed, it’s listed in the lonely planet book as ‘old-timer that is ageing fast but still has a little charm’. It cost 100,000 rupiah for the night, which is around $12. Prices have gone up since the LP was researched, maybe even by double (and I’m not just basing that on this hotel). It’s a very pretty setting, lush gardens, and a nice old building:

I’m writing this sitting on the bed (no chair or table), and it’s 7pm (I just had a cold shower, which was fine as I was very hot from walking here), and I’m about to head out to find some food(a place LP mentions is just down the lane), and then some internet to upload this (I saw some internet mentioned at signs on the bigger road).
Weeeeeeeeeeeeee! :D
It’s Indonesia Independence Day tomorrow. I already just saw a procession in the distance, and there’s red and white flags everywhere.

Ok, it’s now 9.15pm and I’ve just had dinner. The LP place was full, so I went to another. Before I ordered a guy(Kiwi) and a girl(German) went to sit at the table next to me and asked if I was alone, and if so, should they join me? Sure! They’d just met on a shuttle bus that morning, the girl was in a similar position to myself, though has been traveling in Australia, New Zealand and Samoa for the last year.
So I just had dinner with them and chatted, cool :D I ate satay chicken (Satay Ajam) and Vegetable Lawar(?!) and for dessert boiled bananas in dough with coconut and palm sugar. Yum. Now wandered across the lane to an internet place, and in a minute I’ll wander back to my room and sleep, am tired, and getting eaten alive my mozzies.
Tomorrow morning’s plan: buy tiger balm(why did I leave it at home?!), mozzie spray(instead of roll on), and a little torch, as I already know getting back into my room with the little padlock key will be a challenge in the dark :D