ABOUT AN HOUR OUTSIDE THE TOURIST HUSTLE and bustle of Kuta beach is the town of Ubud. Known as the culture center of Bali, Ubud boasts artists works of many mediums, wicker weaving, paintings, sculpture and batik, of course all for sale.
We hired a driver to take us and our friends, Elle and Mitchell to Ubud and the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Our drivers name was Putu and we were able to negotiate a price of $25USD or 250,000 Indonesian Rupiahs for 6 hours to and around Ubud and back, in his air-conditioned SUV.
“It will take 1 hour 20 minutes to get to Monkey Forest,” Putu told us.
“No problem!”
We drove out of the chaos of Kuta Beach then through the forgotten Sanur beach, Bali’s first beach resort, and then began our climb up into the lush green hills. We passed beautiful rice terraces, and shops selling beautifully ornate, but impossible to bring home Balinese stone and woodcarvings. Shops selling intricately carved Balinese furniture and doors, and small villages where women hiked up the steep hills with large baskets of goods balanced on their heads and babies strapped on their backs.
“OK HERE MONKEY FOREST. I’ll wait right here,” Putu let us out of the car to faithfully wait in the hot car while we entered the Sacred Monkey Forest.
“You buy banana for monkey?” yelled some women by the entrance.
“How much?”
“2000 Rupiahs.”
We bought a bunch and walked in to the monkey’s domain. We were immediately met by a brigade of monkeys eager to get their free handout.
“Here you go,” I handed some bananas to a couple macaques.
Monkeys were everywhere, in the trees, on the stonewalls, lying on the ground being groomed, and on my head.
“Hey you get down!” I said as a cheeky monkey jumped on my head.
He began to pick through my hair looking for treats. What he did find was my barrette and quickly hopped off my head and ran away with his prize.
“Hey, that’s mine!”
“He’s smarter then you. It is his now,” said one of the sarong-ed monkey forest keepers
“We’ll see about that!”
Jon went over to the lesser primate and showed him what a few million years of evolution can do to a primate brain and outsmarted the monkey by getting him interested in his sunglasses and then grabbing my barrette.
“Why thank you,” I said to the highly evolved Jon.
AFTER A WHILE OF MONKEYING AROUND we were ready for some lunch and returned to the car with the napping Putu.
“Where you want to go now?” Putu groggily asked.
“Um somewhere for lunch.”
He suggested a place and drove us into Ubud to a beautiful Balinese restaurant over looking rice fields and a duck pond. I ordered the Satay along with Jon and Elle, while Quinn got some corn and crab soup and Mitchell went with some fettuccine.
After lunch we asked Putu to drive us into Ubud center so we could do a little shopping. Ubud may be far from the tourist Mecca of Kuta beach, but it’s defiantly on the tourist trail and absolutely swarming with tourists shopping and stomping about the hot and humid jungle streets.
“You buy sarong?”
“Come look in my shop!”
“You want sunglasses, Oakley!”
People yelled out from every direction.
“No, I don’t want sunglasses, I already have a pair on!” I tried pointing to my glasses while saying no and doing the ignore and walk routine.
So thee next way to get to the money hording westerner is to show the kids items, this will get mom and dad to buy them.
But Quinn has learned the tricks as well, and knows how to put his hand up, say no and walk on by.
However shopping is something that’s almost irresistible when the goods are attractive and at the right price. I bought two sarongs, then looked around some more and came across some really cute wicker purses.
“How much?”
“280,000 (Rupiahs, about $28USD)”
“Ha ha, no way!” I said while turning my back playing the bargain game.
“Ok how much serious price?”
“Serious? 40,000 ($4USD)”
“Oh come on not serious price!!”
“I’m serious 40,000”
“This handmade! Lot of work!” she said while giving me big eyes.
“No, no thank you,” I walked away.
“Ok ok, 100,000!” she yelled after me.
“No thanks 40,000!” and I left.
I do always have a complex when I bargain with people who I know have no money. To them I’m rich, but bargaining is part of the game and there’s only one way to play it. The purse was beautiful and I really wanted it. There was defiantly a lot of work involved in making it and I would have gladly paid $40 for it at a department store at home.
I shopped a few more wicker purse stalls, offering my 40,000 Rupiahs for the same wicker purse; no one would come down below 80,000 ($8). So now I had an idea of what most people are willing to go down to, 40,000 was just a bit too low for them.
I returned to my first stand and just strolled by and made eye contact with the same girl again.
“”Ok 60,000 and good luck!” she yelled to me while bagging up the purse as if she knew I would now take it.
I kept my stride and continued to walk on by, “50 final price!”
“Ok OK 50!”
I handed her a 50,000 Rupiah ($5) and walked away with my prize.
THE NEXT EVENING WE WENT OUT TO DINNER with our Aussie pals, Elle and Mitchell one last time. They were leaving the next morning to return home to Perth and Quinn would have no more play pal. A nice dinner out on the town was what was called for, so we decided to head to The Hard Rock Café, yes every tourist destination has one. And every Hard Rock restaurant requires that freaks be a part of their employment repertoire. Along with the dudes with wacky piercing and bleach blonde hair, this Hard Rock had its resident Indonesian Vampire.
We beckoned the creature of the night over to our table and snapped a group photo to remember our fun times in Bali together.
You can see all our pictures from Bali in the Indonesia Photo Album.
so.... all this talk about the purse... but no pic of it????? what's wrong with u?!?!?
Bollie wants to know when u come see him?
Posted by: Kathy | July 29, 2005 at 12:59 PM
Sorry, u r right....I should have taken a pic of it. I'll try to get one up. It's soooo cute too.
It looks like something Dorthey from the Wizard of Oz would carry.
Posted by: Heather to Kathy | August 03, 2005 at 01:07 PM