I've been busy. first working as an 'ELF' for 10 days in Surabaya and Banjarmasin and then enjoying Bali for the past 5. Nothing I want to say about the work part except that the English Camp in Banjar was the most fun I've had teaching in a long time - 12 hours with 30+ high-energy teens who really 'got into' everything I dragged out of my varied bag of tricks.

On Bali I spent a day walking around central Denpasar, visiting a museum and some markets, including a bird market that had huge bats - one situation where I was glad to see animals in a cage! Then I came here to Ubud, which I wish I had visited 25 years ago when I first heard about it, before it got so commercialized. I was very fortunate in that the day I arrived was the start of a major Hindu festival which is definitely for locals, not tourists, and partly includes public performances of drama and dance plus street processions. Otherwise, though, it's been pushy 'hawkers' literally every few meters no matter where I go in town. On the plus side there are lots of interesting restaurants, most cheap by Western standards. And it's fascinating to see so many people ( almost all women, actually ) reverently making offerings of flowers and food at the shrines that are everywhere, it seems. SO much time, money, and land devoted to religion here! In between my explorations I've enjoyed just sitting on the front porch of my bungalow in a family homestay off a quiet side lane, reading and writing.