Lily's turn to blog!

Oct. 30
Yesterday we took a ride on the motorbike to a neighboring town, Tegalalang, which was lined with shops selling crafts, primarily mosaics, but also woodworking, stonework and more.  There were so many shops, it is almost overwhelming.  We did find one that had a unique style and we ended up buying a couple of very beautiful glass mosaic plates.  They were so cheap!  We only paid around $9 for both!
We had lunch at a cafe/gallery overlooking the rice paddies.  Jim was not feeling well so we headed back to our hotel for a swim and some rest.  The heat and humidity are quite debilitating.  We had dinner at a lovely restaurant.  Ubud is so chic now, with so many restaurants to chose from, with a wide variety of cuisines.
Alas today Jim is down with a fever!  So we will rest in our beautiful room in the treetops with a view over the vast garden, listening to the songs and chatter of the many birds and creatures surrounding us.

Oct 31
Wow.  Jim has been really sick with a fever and chills.  Luckily for us, the doctor from the local Ubud clinic came over to examine him and take blood.  (The same clinic and doctor who treated me for my head injury!)
The diagnosis was a bacterial infection, so they gave Jim antibiotics and anti-fever medication and electrolytes.  He had a bad night but finally today seems to be perking up!
Last night I attended a performance of one of the traditional dances in the Balinese repertoire - the Kekak and Fire dance.  It was quite amazing.  It is performed without music, but instead there is a human chorus of around 70 men who chant creating a cacophony of sound - kekak, kekak, kekak.  The story is from the Ramayana, their ancient Hindu text.  It includes a number of colorfully dressed characters, with amazing masks and costumes.  For the fire dance part, a large pile of coconut husks are dumped on the ground in the center of the stage area and set on fire.  Then a man with a sort of horse costume comes galloping out and through the fire and kicks it  - sending sparkling, crackling husks flying all over the place.  Two men come out and sweep it back together and the horse gallops back through kicking it all apart again.  It is quite spectacular.
There are different dances performed every night, most with a gamelan orchestra.  The Balinese costumes and masks are quite spectacular and the music is quite distinctive. The Balinese culture is an amazing thing to experience!