My first day in Ubud, Bali was relaxing and nice to say the least. The trip here was a bit stressful, but since arriving that has dissipated.
I'm pretty sure I walked multiple miles on the first day just taking everything in. There are so many gorgeous paintings, carvings, silver, clothing, and other creations that I need not step foot into a museum to feel like I've been to several.
I did go into a nice museum today though, and didn't have to pay since I am going to take a painting class there later. I also found some decent vegetarian Balinese curry.
I ended up seeing a traditional Legong Dance ceremony at Ubud Palace, but it was super touristy so it's hard to tell how traditional it was... Looked like the real deal as far as I was concerned, but I know little compared to what a Balinese person might on the subject. The style places a lot of emphasis on facial expressions, with a widening of the eyes frequently. Watching it through the lens of someone from the USA, the word "creepy" seemed to be the best way to describe it. But trying to extend past that lens, I found it in good humor and at some points they had us all laughing. The costumes were truly beautiful. I uploaded pics, apologies if they are sideways. I don't have a way to fix it at the moment.
Ubud reminds me of Hawaii in a number of ways. My favorite is all the geckos and the clicking sounds they make- a noise from my childhood. It is enormously comforting to me and it has been years since I've heard it. Right now I'm at a restaurant and appear to be eating alone, but I'm not because there has been a gecko on the wall next to me the entire time. :)
