Ubud...A time for some shopping & relaxation!

We spent our first two nights in Indonesia in a smaller city called Ubud. The area was very unique and quiet and it was incredible to get to see this part of Balinese culture. 

From the airport, it's almost an hour drive out to Ubud, but along the way you pass through all sorts of towns and past rice patties. It was absolutely stunning!

Once in Ubud, we checked in to Nick's Pension, which we highly recommended if you're ever in the area. The staff was super friendly and the atmosphere was wonderful! We had our own room and private bath which was also very nice :)

While in Ubud we dined on local cuisine, Mei Gerung is quickly becoming a favorite! It's fried noodles (they look just like ramen) and veggies served with a fried egg on top and then satays on the side, minus the red chili peppers for me of course! We were also able to see the Balinese dancing, which was just breath-taking! We'll do a post on it! Afterwards we went to buy a couple f CDs of the music because it really was amazing!

Of course we couldn't pass by the local market...and we just had to practice our bargaining skills! We spent almost an entire afternoon walking through the market, visiting with the vendors and trying our best to get some great deals! By the end of the afternoon we were practically pros at the whole thing. Some tips we learned very quickly...

1. Take whatever price they give and offer 1/3 of it (for example if they say 90,000 offer 30,000)

2. They will beg for a little more and just say that 40,000 is the max you can pay...

3. Pretend you're not interested and just walk away...say no thank-you and start leaving...

They WILL chase after you and give you the item for 40,000 :)

and the conversion rate between U.S. dollars and Indonesian Ruppia is 1:10,000

so, $1 is 10,000 rupia....my 40,000 hand-painted sarong was $4! 

With these bargaining skills I will really be able to stretch that loan money :)

Miss you all bunches and check out our pics!