Bali, Indonesia: Day 7

Bali's highest point, Mount Agung
Worshippers cleansing their sins
memorial service underway: gamelan orchestra playing on the left
On our last day in Bali, we rented a taxi for the day (this cost about $30, but we could have done it for less; but my father in law wanted to do the negotiating even though B is much better at that sort of thing).

We drove into the interior of the island, where we saw various temples, Bali's biggest mountain (an active volcano), terraced rice paddies, holy trees and the "Moon of Pejeng", the largest single cast bronze drum in the world, which dates from 300 BC and is kept in a little village's temple as a holy relic. Little R had to nap in the car, which was a bit exhausting for her, but she was a trooper.

In the evening we went out to dinner at a different fancy restaurant serving European (Italian) food. It was delicious, but the best thing was the free babysitting: little R hung out with the waitstaff for almost the entire (long) meal. I am lucky that she is so good tempered with strangers (though it helped she was in the same room as us, she gets nervous if she can't see me). We went to bed early as B and I had to get up at 3 am in order to make our early flight.

Bali, Indonesia: Day 6

Little R with another admirer: Balinese peasant this time
Rice paddies
Balinese temple
Temple offerings
In the morning, we went to another museum, the Museum Neka. This one included paintings from foreigners who moved to Bali and had a great influence on the development of art here. Again, it was in a really beautiful setting (modeled after traditional Balinese architecture, meaning many separate pavilions in a landscaped garden).

In the afternoon, little R, B and I went for a walk through the countryside around Ubud, which is still mostly rice paddies and small villages (although these now all sell things for the tourist trade like wooden statuettes). It was very beautiful and relaxing. My father in law went shopping for some souvenirs (he bought a painting): a win-win as I don't really like shopping for stuff, especially with a baby in tow.

We met my father in law for dinner and went back to Bridges again, which he loved even more now that he wasn't sulking. We had a very lavish multiple course meal, with many alcoholic drinks ordered, and it cost about $100 for three people: certainly a bargain as the restaurant is very fancy (the kind where they put your napkin in your lap for you). Little R behaved like a dream baby: she has really started to enjoy eating now, and loves almost everything she's given (she doesn't like spicy food and will cry if she eats it: I think it burns her tongue).