Journal 16 May 18th, Left Mountain Lakes

We both slept remarkably well and woke up to cold mountain rain and the sound of mysterious temple chanting drifting our way at sunup over the lake.  It was hollow and deep, a soothing sound of ancient language and ritual, what a way to wake up!  





As we climbed back out of the deep valley this morning in the light rain we looked left to the misty views of Lake Buyan & Bedugal, beautiful with a few colorful boats on the water and a farmer harvesting a ground crop of some sort from around the lake; I wondered what was in his big bag full of something green.  





Now WHY did I not bring the rain gear I had almost packed? Smart kid, Morgan had hers and she let me wear it to shield the rain from both of us as we rode into it.  We were both soaked anyways, riding down towards Tabanan turning off the main highway and stopping to ask directions at each fork.  

Just as the rain was letting up we came upon a simple yet lovely cafe' strategically placed and with a wall of windows in view of the most beautiful and lush rice growing region in all of Bali.  

Stopping for a cup of delicious, hot Balinese style coffee and just in time to photograph the brilliant green rice-terraces complete with wooden, shacks sprinkled about in the distance as the mist was clearing and the rain just letting up.  













Within the hour traffic went from almost nothing to typical, crazy as we approached Tabanan which is a surprisingly fast and busy city.  


We rode around for an hour looking for the location towards the nearby village Bongan Jawa for which we are invited to have a ceremony with a local family.  


Also needing to use up some time before our 2:00 pm appointment we stop on a whim at an indoor food stall that looks very clean and neat, sat down at a tiny table and ordered a water.  However the tidy Balinese woman, understanding we were hungary and with big smiles, brings us two waters PLUS several bowls of appealing food including soup, rice, and a few spicy sweet-soy dishes that looked and smelled delicious.  


Suddenly we realized we were VERY hungry and since it would be terribly rude not to eat ALL what she so graciously served us, we dug in!  It was a tasty feast!  However one dish may have been cooked liver and although very tasty I couldn't bring myself to eat more than one bite for the idea of it.  


A few other afternoon regulars came in for their lunches, a security officer and  two construction workers, they sat alone chomping down all the food very noisily and then quickly left.  When we could eat no more and unsure of what to pay her, I pulled out a 50,000 rupia bill (about $6) and with a big smile she gave me 35,000 rp back?!  That was a heck of a $2 lunch!