Yesterday I spent the whole last day here in Ubud waiting for a parade. Yesterday was supposed to be the Hindu celebration of the New Moon, and the woman who sells me tropical fruits in the evening for the following morning's breakfast( Rambutans (a sweet fruit), small bananas and mangoes) informed me that there will be a huge parade down Ubud's main street from morning until night. So I extended my stay for one more day to watch the parade (with a penalty paid to the airline).
So I awoke early and went to yoga just two doors down, once again. Once again, this wasn't LA Fitness yoga-this instructor kicked my ass. His poses we're tough, to say the least, much tougher then a few days before.
Then I went to main street to look for the parade-and saw none. I asked a few people. They couldn't understand what I was asking. Another person said it was further down the road (but they probably didn't know what I was asking, either). I went shopping for some last-day souvenirs, and heard some music in the distance, and thought that was the parade, but no.
Then I walked on back to the hostel and found the fruit lady once again. I asked her about the parade. She told me the parade was in the evening. So I went back to the hostel to rest a little, and I talked with all the others in room and bullshitted a little until the sun went down and the parade would take place.
So I went back out at night-no parade. I was getting hungry for dinner. I went to a restaurant that had a cheap vegetarian meal on the menu. Other then that, the place was pretty nice. Candles we're on the table and hip trance style music was playing. I took a table overlooking the street so I could see the parade. On a table next to mine was the international version of The New York Times-I like to read while I eat-so I took the International version of The New York Times and started reading. Did I mention there was a candle on the table?
Anyway, as the waitress put the silverware on the table all of a sudden she screamed. My International version of The New York Times was on fire. she grabbed it, took it onto the street where the fire started to expand and take over the whole paper, when a few others came over and threw water on the fire. The food was good anyway, even though the beginning of an article on how American Idol was ending I wanted to read was in the destroyed version of the paper.
Afterwards, I made one final walk. I waited outside a Hindu temple. I went to the bathroom in another restaurant, and discovered some folks from the tour the previous day. They invited me to have a drink with them so I enjoyed a couple of beers, and we discussed travel plans.
I stayed up until Midnight with my eye on the main street. I paid extra (Through the airline penalty) to see this parade, and I was determined to see it. At 12:05 am, I sort of learned there was no parade and went back to the hostel and to bed.
