Adventures in Ubud

**Disclaimer** There is a bit of overlap between this post and the "Eek! A Spider" post, but there is enough detail in each that is different, I decided to include them both. Hi all!  Last time I left you, I was thoroughly enjoying my stay at the Elephant Lodge.  After my blissful three days there, it was time to go to Ubud and see about whether it was a candidate for a longer term stay.  It didn’t start well.  I packed everything up and went down to reception to check out and confirm where I was going.  They all nodded and said they knew exactly where that was, no problem.  So I got in the car and the driver asked me “where we going?”  Not a good sign.  I told him the name of the hotel and he said “you know how to get there?”  Uh, no I didn’t!  Then he just started driving.  I said, “we’d better go back and find out where we’re going!” I don’t know what he was planning on doing.  We went back to the lodge and I went to reception to clear the matter up but the driver said he talked to the other drivers and he knew where to go.  I said “are you sure?” and he nodded.  So off we went.

Not my driver from the hotel, but a good picture of my first ride on a motor scooter later that week! After about an hour of driving, he dropped me off in the street in front of a sign that said “Yoga Barn” and another that said “Ubud Aura,” which is what I had booked.  I was a little shocked to be right smack dab on the busy street in the middle of the city!  That was not what the pictures showed.  I shouldered my backpack and rolled my suitcase down an alley, having no idea where I was going, and the driver took off.  About a block down the alley I found it, a tiny little enclave in the middle of a very busy area.  I have to say the landscaping was beautiful.  Their photographer had caught every possible angle, making it look like an all inclusive retreat when it was just a few tiny buildings and a pool.  I checked into my room, which was right in the front.  Nevertheless, it was a darling, tiny room with beautiful woodcarved doors.  Wanting to keep an open mind, I settled in.  Pretty soon, I began to eye those doors.  The beautiful woodcarving also meant a hundred holes which creatures could fly or crawl through easily.  I wasn’t sure what to do, so I settled in for the night. All the sidewalks have gaping holes in them, not all this big, but you really have to watch your step or you could fall pretty far and seriously injure yourself! I woke up at 3:30am (as I often do - touch of insomnia) to find a huge spider on my door!  Not tarantula size, but about the size of my palm, quite big enough to scare the bejeezus out of me!  I grabbed my laptop and started writing status updates about it.  The nice thing about the time difference is that when it’s 4am here, it’s the middle of the day for Sacramento where I come from so all my friends were up and commenting.  (Status updates in red) “OMG you guys it is 4am and I just found a giant spider in my room! Eeeeeekkkkk!!!!!” After I wrote my first status update, I looked at the door and it was gone! “Ok, so I looked up from my computer and he's not on the door any more. What's worse, seeing a spider or not seeing a spider? Oh Sh*t, he's on my desk now!” “I called the reception guy and he came in but now we can't find it. All I can think of is it's behind the bed. Aack!” The reception guy tried his best to find it but in the end he failed.   “So I've got at least two hours to hang out with my arachnid friend until sunrise... There's no way I'm going back to sleep. I'm sure I'll get used to it but it's only my first day so I'm freaked out!” I sat in the center of my bed in the middle of the room until sunrise.  Finally a bird started singing and I felt better, knowing the worst was over.  I still shuddered to think that spider could be anywhere!  So after breakfast I wandered down the street and decided to find another place to stay.

Sweet gecko that decided to hang out on my bathroom mirror.  I love lizards and hate insects and spiders.  I know that doesn't make any sense, I don't understand why either! At the risk of this newsletter becoming VERY long, you can read the rest about the ant invasion here if you haven't already.  After two consecutive nights of bug drama, I finally got a good room with a minimal amount of bugs.  Then, to give you a brief overview of my time in Ubud, I got heat exhaustion followed by Bali Belly, so I was basically sick the whole time.  Even if I weren't sick, Bali just wasn't what I was hoping for.  There are places outside the city that are more peaceful, but another problem I had is it is way too hot!!  When I said I wanted to move someplace warm, I didn't mean hades-hot!  So all that taken into consideration, I decided to spend my last five days in Bali back at the Elephant Lodge.  After that, I am going north to Chiang Mai to seek slightly cooler climes.  I have learned a lot from this adventure; I look for very different things when I book a lodging, for example I am less concerned with decor and more interested in clean rooms with tight fitting doors. I am also learning to read between the lines of hotel adverts.  "Situated in the heart of the city" is now a key phrase for me to avoid.  So I book something really nice for a few days and then get my feet on the ground to inspect longer term potential lodgings in person. I am still learning to be patient with myself and remember I am not going to get all the answers in one day. This is a journey, and I am enjoying the ride. My first taste of rambutan, a local fruit.  It was delicious! For more up to date information, videos and pictures, follow me on Facebook or on Instagram @suzernathy.  Have a great week!