Ubud

A young man called Made (pronounced Maa-day) picked us up from the airport and drove us to the hotel we had booked on the Internet a few weeks before (http://www.bhanuswariresort.com/index.html). We had chosen the town of Ubud because of its arts scene and famous mellow vibe. We drove for an hour and a half in the dark, but we could make out lots of ornate statues, temples, workshops and galleries. We were in Hindu Indonesia and it felt very different from anything we had ever seen before, even in India.

The resort was beautiful, but utterly deserted. Another ghost resort? Perhaps everyone else had retired for the night or were out on the town? Our room was downstairs with doors opening onto the pool terrace. Upstairs you could look out on rice fields and the organic garden from the restaurant.