Another day? Must be another rice field! The Sari Organik walk (the Balinese name is too long to keep writing out – yes, I’m lazy) is the longest walk of our 3 so far. The write ups we have seen say it is 30 minutes in and 30 out – but they are just talking about getting to the Sari Organik (what is now Joglo Organik) cafe and villas. The path actually keeps going. But we’re jumping ahead of ourselves here.

First, we have to find the walk. Fortunately, there are enough reviews with pictures to make finding the path easy. And true to all the reviews, this path is also used by scooters. A lot of scooters. The start of the path begins up a very steep inclined turn off of Raya, right before the long down slope to the Campuhan ridge bridge. Cresting the hill, after weaving around all the construction materials placed on either side of the road (rocks, blocks of cement, dirt, cement mix, etc.) we find a narrow walled pathway barely wide enough for 2 people side by side. Ok, it’s Bali, it’s now getting to be normal for us with this sort of thing…but yeah…this little narrow path also accommodates scooters…oh…this will be fun!

Essentially, when a scooter comes, you just flatten yourself up against the wall and hope they are proficient enough to pass. Of course the locals are…it’s the Bules you need to worry about. But we make it through this luge-like walkway unscathed and arrive at the beginning of the true path – lined with little art studios and villas and yoga studios and cafes – all backed by the gorgeous rice fields.

The businesses quickly give way to just path and rice fields, for kilometers as it turns out. This is by far the most beautiful walk we’ve taken yet. Even though you need to be on the alert for scooters, and step aside when they come by, everyone is so friendly and lovely – saying hello and apologizing for roaring past. It is simply a lovely experience.

We pass rice farmers working, ducks quacking and waddling around in the fields, baby ducks in a pen getting acclimated to their new environment (and jobs!). And we took far, far, far too many pictures. Many of which you will see below….or not as the case may be.

The whole walk, from Raya to the end of the path at Kelabang Moding street takes about an hour – a good 3+ miles. We decide to just walk back the same way – why bother trying to navigate the roads when this is such a gorgeous walk? About-face, march. Back through the gorgeousness that are the rice fields, past Mami’s where the older ladies are plying us with their fruit and coconuts, past Sunset cafe which is, of course, not open yet and onto Rice Joglo – a villa accommodation with a lovely cafe you reach by crossing stones in their lagoon. Perfect for our morning beverage. Our break here is lovely, with Ed’s iced latte and my mixed juice drink. There is a little breeze, colored chickens running around (colored? why? don’t know!), which makes our beverage break here on the side of the rice fields all the more fun and refreshing.

Beverage complete, we walk back through the fields and villages, saying hello to all the artists and cafe owners, making our way back to our villa with the offerings Made has left.

Later, after our showers, we head back out into the heat (and oh boy, is there heat!) to go to our special late Valentine’s Day lunch at Hujan Local. This is one of the premier fine dining restaurants here in Ubud and dinner reservations are impossible to get. We can only get 5pm or 8:30, neither of which will work for us. So, we figured we’d do the next best thing – have a late lunch and consider it our main meal of the day. Why not? We’ve got eggs and hot dogs and toast at home if we get hungry in the evening.

Seated upstairs in the cozy open air dining area we gorge on some of the best food we have had in a long, long time. Everything here is so fresh, and with such a gourmet flair.

Tuna Betel leaf – cerviche of tuna, almost poke like, served on a Betel leaf. Slipper lobster dumplings absolutely stuffed with huge chunks of lobster. Grouper and garlic chive dumplings – open face dumplings, similar to Shui Mai but again, filled with virtually whole pieces of grouper meat. Then for the main course, crispy softshell crab. Oh my. We haven’t had softshell in so long, and this was so worth the wait. Incredibly tasty and crispy and perfectly done. And then there was the roti. Roti like we’ve never had before – and are sure will never have again. Puffed up like a pastry, all crisp and fresh and pull apart delicious. Dinner? No need. This will suffice for days! And the memories will last for years. Totally pricey for Bali – but for Western standards? Ha! Not even the cost of an appetizer and 2 drinks. Incredible.

Completely stuffed, we roll out of Hujan Local totally happy. It is still so early though, it is barely 4pm, and we decide to stop for a little after Dunch (dinner/lunch) beverage at Oops bar – simply for the name! Right off the main road, the place is huge, with live music at night, but for now just a good soundtrack on the stereo speakers. The wine isn’t the best, but the atmosphere is great and people watching the best! We love sitting there watching all the people walk down the street – some oblivious, some on their phones, some just deer in the headlights. Free entertainment while we sip our after Dunch drinks.

Then it is home for the evening – playing with the little baby gecko that is on our porch and generally just lolling about with our full stomachs and happily tire bodies.