OBUD- Am so behind on journal- it really is incrdible how time just whizzes by of a day- read,sunbathe, eat and drink smoothies but just never seem to get to the Internet cafe to jot a few notes down -no excuses just having a lovely dime. Here we go- Obud is lovely- there is a tranquility here not found on the coast. It is touristy -but seems slower and cooler for sure. Industry along the way-STONE carving,WOOD carving -which involves huge detailed scenes carefully shaped from the wood - not with machines or done in moulds- GIANT SHIVA/BUDDHA STATUES peering at you along both sides of the highway- PAINTED CARVED SKY HIGH FROGS,PARROTS -FURNITURE OUT THE YING YANG-all waiting to be purchased ,packaged and shipped. A veritable consumers feast. Shops a plenty also in Obud- tasteful and fun- needless to add- Jude and I utilised the money changers facility well and managed to avoid the potholes in the pavements. You should see the pavements in Bali- a generous word- pavement-rather wobbly broken uppy downy pathway with gaping holes in them - I tell you it was a miracle neither of us fell into the abyss of water systems- of Obud- Luckily both of us had well maintained radars and no accidents occurred. Massages- yes- tick that box.Had a few, some good some so so. It seems the age old expression "You get what you pay for " stands true.However they all seem to have hands as strong as gorillas and proceed to crack and pound all the aches and pains away whilst still maintaining a sweet,angelic smile fluttering long black eyelashes. Louis is going to love this part of Bali- for sure. One of the highlights for me was the mountain bike ride. Basically they take you up near a volcano&lake- which due to mist and mizzle (Sound familiar Viv?) we did not view. Then they let you loose on the villages and daily scenes- including bamboo farms,coconut farms,rice padi growing farms and basic family living areas. Wayan (Everyone seems to be called Wayan 1,2,3,4,5, etc depending on when you were born into the family chain-easy hey first born Wayan 1-2nd Wayan 2 !! so easy and simple) Not only was he incredibly cute in a Mowgli Jungle book kinda way but also a very good guide. We were joined by another couple-less than cute-she , an overbearing,overweight overugly Aussie women or was she a he? and her 2nd obedient husband who was actually very pleasant.However, the beauty of the scenery was good enough to distract us from her constant wittering and bleating. It was so much fun-basically flat or down hill cycling- through the villages and country side- it was the best way to see and smell the outdoors. I have never been greeted to often by so many children who all ran out onto the streets to wave at THESE PECULIAR RAINCOATED FOOLS ON MOUNTAIN BIKES-absolutely brilliant.Hope to do this again with Louis. About 4 hours on that small saddle and we were pooped but content- and ready to eat the beautiful meal at the bottom. Whilst in Obud we were also invited to a family celebration- where the family temple was blessed.This occurs twice yearly- where the women spend days of hard labour preparing detailed offerings to present on the day and the men decorate/paint the temple in readiness for this important celebration. Jude and I were appropriately dressed (Litereally by Wayan!) and welcomed into the temple.We were included in a very sweet & generous way - were blessed with rice and water on our foreheads and invited to join them for the celebratory lunch.This included dishes of unfathonable foods-vegetables and soupy dishes which were all delicious. Brill.It was all so humbling- because these people genuinely give thanks to the land,water,their God etc for everything that comes their way-in return they give back offerings and kind deeds. Am sure I have learned something very important here.