Dear Leslie, Paul, Will, Pat, Anuar, Amy, Raj, Claire, Emma, Carlos, Victor, Clare and Chris (CAD)

Thank you very much for buying us the cookery class. We have just completed it here in Ubud in Bali and it was very enjoyable, thank you very much. We got to cook all the delicious food we have been eating since we got to Bali, which we previously had no idea what it all was.

It was run by a lovely couple called Wayan and Puspa from their home just outside Ubud. They were both really jolly and charismatic and kept us smiling all day. We picked this course because it was the top rated class on Trip Advisor. It included so much more than just cooking.

First we were taken to the local market to be shown where to buy all of the fruit and veg. It was pretty disgusting there but I liked the way that all the stalls were burning lots of incense. This was to try and cover up the smell of rotting fruit and veg and raw sewage that seemed to permeate through everything. It was very dirty so you had to be very careful not to touch anything in case you caught rabies, probably.

Next, we were taken to a rice field to be told all about how rice is grown. This is a bit like being taken to a normal field in England but hotter. To pass the time I made up a poem. Here it is:

Rice! Rice!

Very nice!

At twice the price

If it is sticky, grow it twice*

If normal, grow it thrice**

Cover it in pesticides to keep away the lice

When you harvest it you need to be precise

About 4 people per field should suffice***

* This relates to the fact that sticky rice can be harvested twice a year

**This relates to the fact that normal white rice grows quicker and can be harvested 3-4 times a year. I included only 3 times in the poem because it rhymes

***All the rice has to be harvested by hand. It is quite a delicate operation and can take 4 people a whole day to do it.

See. This blog is both educational and fun.

Next we were taken to Wayan and Puspa's house and given an iced lemon drink. When we had finished if we wanted we could have seconds. Donna had a second one but I didn't.

Then, because we were a honeymoon couple, we were given advice on how to make a happy marriage. This is achieved by always keeping the woman happy. In Bali it is well known that women are the more emotional of the sexes therefore if they are kept happy then the children were happy and the husband was happy.

We were then taken into the kitchen and told what we were going to cook. I am afraid that I wasn't really listening at this point because I was finishing off the rice poem in my head. We were all given very fetching aprons to wear and set to work cutting up bits and bobs, mostly vegetables and crushing peanuts and things to make the satay sauce. I discovered that I am really really good at cutting up vegetables and was a lot better at it than my father in law, Roy.

Then we got to cook it all and eat it.

It was very nice.

THE END

Lots of love

Jim and Donna