Another day of hedonism and sweat. First to Bintang (see pic..note the sign) then down the steep hill tords Blanco museum which I swear I will visit one day. I did have a purpose going down the hill and that was the leather bag shop. I thought this would be a good place to either get a new bag or get my old bag fixed. My bag has travelled with me twice to Vietnam and I use it daily in Daylesford. It has many pockets which are zipped and carries everything I need and a lot of stuff I don't need. I broke the zipper at some point and I thought I would get a new bag modelled on the old one or a close facsimile. Halfway down the hill is a bag shop which says Bags made to order. Perfect I thought so I mounted the steps and a man came out. "Could you make a bag like this one?" No sir we cannot make canvas bags.
" I actually want a leather one"
No sir we can't make one
. " I looked around the shop and saw hundred of leather bags and quite a few similar bags to mine.
"Do you have one like this one?" Stupid question
" No sir we have no bags."
This was too surreal for me so I bade him goodbye and traipsed om down to Arak Coffee shop.
After a meditation on NO Leather Bagman I walked further to the Blanco house. I promise I will go there before I leave. I've said that twice, that's how determined I am. A Spanish artist renowned for his erotic art.However erotic art wasn't on my mind, food was. So I called into Bridges Resto where I was whisked off down into the bowels to a delightful dining room overlooking E-Coli river. You can see from my pics what a beautiful place it was, a couple of hundred metres from the centre of Ubud but it may as well have been in the Amazonian forest. I ordered Prawns Laksa and a glass of French Bordeaux ( yes I'm the last of the big spenders). When the meal arrived (see pic) it was 2 prawns and some beans in a mustardy sauce.I masticated those poor little prawns for ages to get full value, this was an expensive place, and I swilled that Bordeaux round and round
. I think it did ten circuits of my mouth before I swallowed it. On the next table were 4 Japanese all looking at their Ipods or smartphones. Hey I took a picture of my food so I'm a wanker too! After I had finished the waitress came over with the menu, " Would you like to order Mains Sir?" Derrr, I thought I was eating mains. "Oh no thanks I'm not very hungry".
Then back home and at 4.15 out again to meet my niece Catherine at Havana Bar. She is in Bali with a couple of school teacher friends Sally and Angela, I had forgotten what schoolteacher talk was like, not having heard much since my wife and I parted ways, but it was nice to sit with women and just listen and they were lovely women. Maria Forde the well known Irish singer was there too as she is a long term friend of Catherines and her banter is always good to hear.
We have a bit of a boozy time at the Havana bar and then moved on to Tut Mak to eat.
I wish I knew what I ate as it was good. Nasi Canphur I think, chicken andTofu of all things something I wouldn't touch with a barge pole usually but this was good. Also entree of Vietnamese spring rolls with prawns....MMMMMM
Then back to Maria's for a nightcap of gin and tonic and staggered out to the street and home where it is pouring rain and the roof is leaking on me.
Sorry about the bad taste story of the surfers family being cremated with him but I could't resist. #sorryboutit
Ubud cafes and resto's
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
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2025-02-11