A day with the animals

Sunrise called Bill once again and he headed off to the beach with his trusty camera. I stayed in bed and actually slept for a bit longer. We walked across the road this morning to a little cafe called The Cat & The Fiddle to have our Banana Pancake & Watermelon Juice. Not quite as good as Bumi Ayu but a close second. Each morning as we waited for Wayan at the front of our hotel we had the company of a little dog. This morning he followed us to breakfast where he just sat under the table until we left and then followed us back. He didn't seem to want anything just tagged along until we disappeared, our very own Bali pet.

We were picked up a bit later today as the plan was to have a quieter day but along the way we decided that the Bali Safari Park might be worth a visit. So off we went and spent a few hours with the animals. Like most safari parks you are driven though and can see the animals close up. The lions & tigers were very sleepy but in full view. The White Rhinoceros was quite happy to have it's photo taken and most of the other animals just happy to sit around. After getting off the bus we walked along to see the elephant conservation show, very educational and quite amusing as 4 or 5 elephants were used to demonstrate how man is destroying their habitat.

Our next stop was to see the beautiful white tigers that live at the park. They were being fed when we arrived so we had the opportunity to see them being very active. They are just the most beautiful creatures even more lovely than their coloured cousins. I could have watched them all day but we had to move on as we were heading on to Tabanan for lunch.

Leaving the animals behind we drove on to Tabanan but decided to stop along the way at a restaurant overlooking some rice paddies. This was a very popular spot but we managed to arrive just as someone was leaving and got a table right at the window. Of course being in Bali there was no glass. We had a lovely meal here and the field right in front of us was being planted by a little old man. As we took photo's of him he asked for money which we happily gave him and then watched him wading around in the water planting the rice for the next hour or so as we ate lunch. Another tourist decided that he wanted a closer look and with a guide was walking through the rice paddies. Of course once his camera came out the old man wanted more money. At this point our tourist, a young man, decided that he wanted more and must have asked if he could plant the rice. The answer must have been yes because the next thing we saw was the pants being rolled up and he got in the water and planted a few rows under instruction from the old man. More money changed hands after this so I guess our little man did quite well that day.

Another half hour or so and we arrived at Tabanan which is an amazing spot. A village on a narrow mountain road with a magnificent view of the rice terraces on one side of the road. Rows of shops & markets specialising in lace are precariously placed along the edge of the road and to get the best views you must run the gauntlet of very aggressive Bali traders to get to the edge. Apparently this was once a sleepy little village but as more drivers bring tourists up here it has become very busy and an absolute test of the drivers ability as they manoeuvre their cars up and back this mountain road. Was it worth it - absolutely - the most spectacular view yet. And watching the man harvesting the rice on the terrace was an added extra.

Our quiet day had turned into quite an adventure and we all decided that we would have an early night staying in our respective hotels for the evening. Bill & I rested for a while before heading to the beach to watch the sunset which was beautiful that night. I wandered along the beach path a little way and found a number of little beach side warungs offering all sorts of seafood and drinks. After the sun went down we walked along in search of somewhere for dinner and found a nice little place in the main street where we shared a very yummy Nasi Campur and even had room for an ice cream on the walk home. Once there it was straight to bed again.

All this sightseeing was wearing us out.......