It is the weekend, and well, we’re keeping a low profile.  We know it will be even busier than usual out on the streets so we make the decision to just do low-key things all day long.  But first – excitement in the morning!  There was an earthquake!!!  Albeit a little one, still, it was an earthquake!  I was inside on the sofa, Ed was on the porch on the couch there and we both felt the furniture move and shake.  And the dogs went crazy.  And oh my! Our first ever earthquake!  Wild!!!

After the excitement, we took off out into the relatively quiet morning streets for the long Sari Organik rice field walk – our favorite walk, even with the scooters.  We’re a little late getting started this morning though, so the scooters are in full gear, as well as some additional people on the path in the beginning.

By the time we get past Juglo Organic and Rice Field Juglo, though, it is just us, the scooters and the locals.  That’s why we like this path – you get to a certain point and a lot of the tourists just don’t make it that far.  Although there still must be a good number at other times of the year because there are quite a few other little cafes and art studios that dot the path along the way.  But still.  It is a lovely walk through the veritable countryside. 

We pass the little house with the cool painting of an eye – it captures us every time we go by – hop off the path onto the rice field berms when the scooters bearing everything from construction beams to food for the cafes to rocks to build more villas come past, then reach the end of the path at the road junction and turn around again to make our way back to our side of town.

Today we decide to stop at the Pomegranate café, which has a beautiful in the round dining area overlooking the rice fields.  Their menu is quite good as well, but we just want iced coffees, and unfortunately it is a little too off the beaten track to come for a dinner.  No way would we want to walk back on this path in the dark. And to be honest, it is just too darn hot to try to come all this way for lunch. 

So coffee only it will be.  Or not.  Unfortunately their coffee machine broke that morning – so they have no coffee.  Bummer.  Well, at least we got to sit for a little while enjoying the view and they did serve us some flavored water.  There is that.  And there is the little café that is a “co-working” space right across the path, so we head there and sit amongst the Gen X and Z’ers working away on their laptops and taking business calls on their cells while we enjoy our cappuccino (the iced part got lost in the translation). 

Then it is off toward home, dodging the building supply scooters on the little narrow walled part of the path.  They are just amazing how they can balance and navigate through that little path with all us Bules in the way!  Even without us, it is a tight fit and they’re carrying 8 foot wooden beams for heavens sake!

We are late enough on this walk that it is lunch time by the time we arrive on Bisma.  Deciding its easier to just stop now before going back to the villa, we plop ourselves down at Pici Pici in their very cool little covered deck area around the corner from the main seating area.  Great space back here, overlooking a lovely green space between here and some villas or hotel in the back.  It is perfect to sit in a nice little breeze and chow down on Mie Goreng and the Little burger special (slider type chicken burger, fries and a beer for 55K IDR or about 3.50 USD).  Makes for a great little meal in a lovely setting.  Don’t know if this area is open at night – the door has been shut the times we have been here in the evening, but if it is, it would be a great place to sit and listen to the band without being blown out by the noisiness in the main dining area.

Back at the Villa we immediately jump in the pool to cool off.  After we are dry and have managed to do a little catching up and computer work, we take off for an afternoon walk down to the Monkey Forest and then back up Monkey Forest street to Raya to complete the circuit, navigating all the broken cobblestones, random holes in the road, huge drainage holes and little wooden slat bridge type things that are over said drainage holes.  Always an adventure just walking around here!

It is Saturday.  It is busy. It is hot.  But, we are getting our exercise in!  We want to stop for an afternoon beverage, but we certainly aren’t stopping at Donna – although we do end up fighting our way up to Raya and then stopping at Bali Dolphin for our refreshments.  We’ve seen this place from across the street and it looks good – for drinks it is perfect.  The décor is beautiful – all wood (of course) and mirrors and just tropical coolness.  The drinks are perfect. The server very sweet and except for the little toddler kid that is being allowed to run rampant and terrorize server and customer alike, it is a great place to stop for our afternoon drink.  (Nope, no maternal instinct here.  Nope.  None at all.) 

Back at the Villa, it is the pool again.  Did I mention it is hot?  Then drying off on the porch while we watch a huge wasp build her nest in the porch light.  Hey, we have good karma now, we’re not touching her.  She isn’t bothering us in the least, so we won’t bother her!

Then dinner – tonight at Miro’s Garden since we liked the atmosphere so much for drinks.  For dinner?  Even better!  Tonight we sit out in the garden surrounded by trees and statues and fountains.  It is a little oasis right on the busy corner of Raya and Bisma.  Just perfect.  Ed orders Kadek’s soup!  Why not?  And when it comes it is huge, and good with a rich broth and tons of veggies and chicken.  We also get spring rolls to share, then Ayam Goreng (crispy fried chicken) and Mie Goreng (which has become our staple meal – it is just so good!!!).  And the food is just as excellent as the atmosphere! 

After dinner, just in time, as we are waiting for our check, the rains come.  We run for the covered dining area off the bar and hide out there, while the skies open and the deluge comes down.  Fortunately, it doesn’t last long – we’d already figured if it kept on we’d have another drink here before going home – but after about 5 minutes, it stops and carefully make our way down the steps and back out onto Bisma.

Our after dinner drink tonight is at Rouge, a bar/restaurant we have walked by day after day but have never managed to get to yet.  Tonight is a perfect time to try them out – and what a place!  It is amazing inside.  A very modern lounge area, tables out front, gorgeous paintings on the walls, and food “carts” in the middle where they prepare their sushi and rice offerings. 

A great space to enjoy our drinks – and will be for dinner one night too!  Sushi coming up!  Walking by here last week, the sign out front had said opening specials so we thought this was a new place.  Turns out they’ve been here for something like 10 years, closed during the pandemic obviously, but reopened in July.  Hmmm…..now we’re wondering what the sign meant?  The server we chat with doesn’t have any idea what we are talking about, so we just drop it (and the fact that last week the wine price was only 65K and now it is 75K – but that’s sort of the going rate, so you can’t really blame them).

And that concludes a wonderful evening.  We meander back to the villa, passing the Why Not? Bar which we had originally figured we’d visit, but oh, no, uh unh, no way.  As we pass, we see it is jam packed with people, loud, boisterous on-their-way-to-drunk people.  Nope.  That puts an end to that thought.  Too many other places we enjoy to add that to the menu.  Good thing we came by when we did!  It’s the good karma thing working out.  (Although that bad dream wash didn’t really do the trick for me…..could be the weird shows we are watching but I had a doozy last night….maybe I need to go back to Tirta Empul?)

Villa.  Drinks on the porch.  A couple of shows.  Bedtime.  Tomorrow….more of the same!