Rainy Day in Ubud
We spent two nights in Kuta, Three nights in Ubud and the rest of our two weeks was in Sanur. From there we visited Denpasar, celebrated New Years and saw the majestic Mt. Agung. Although not many people speak English, they are nice, helpful and attentive, especially to a little, talkative boy like my son! He was spoiled with attention and kindness.
In Ubud, we felt arts everywhere in the air. In the buildings, walls, statues, food. There was beauty and tradition. Traditional music, religion and dance. I admit we cold see a lot of cheesy tourist cafes, shops as well. But over all, I felt that Ubud is a cultural capital of Bali. Cremation preparations on the street, music of the traditional instruments, flower and offerings on the ground, bright green moss on statues, sculptures and walls permeated the air. Once a day, at the time of rain we would stay in our spacious room eating mangosteens, ranbutans, mangoes and other exotic goodies we would bring from markets in Denpasar. Absolute heaven! Then, we would go to many roofed areas within the hotel area and my son would play with his toys or talk to hotel staff. My husband would read and I would draw and paint. Heaven! Perfection! Nirvana!
In Sanur, we met a nice couple with their two teenage daughters. They lived across from our bungalow, so often we would get a chance to chat every time it rained. They were such nice people from England. One day they brought a box of doughnuts from Dunkin Donuts and offered one to our son. It was one of the first times my son had a doughnut or anything sweet! You can see in this picture he is a bit overwhelmed with this piece of goodness. He holds it with such sanctity! But I can tell you at that stage in his life he wasn't into that stuff. It was just something very new to him and he had no idea how to treat it. And now...it is a different story! Today, I constantly have to fight off his sweet-toothed demons with a lot of talk about good and bad choices! Most of the time it works but it is like talking to a lawyer. I have to have winning arguments.
Sanur is a great place to visit Bali if you don't have a lot of time to stay. It is close to Denpasar, the main port of Bali. Also, anywhere you go the majestic Agung is watching you. It is the highest point on the island and i think it is still growing, every time it erupts. The last time He did that was in 1963, spitting fire, smoke, debris and lava. He is still active. From time to time He shows off his power by blowing some smoke over the island just to remind all who is the boss. Hence, on the top part of the island the beaches are black from the volcanic activity.
The most fun was swimming at small beaches were local kids and their parents came to swim, play soccer and make sand castles. At the end of the day, when the sun and the heat were not so strong anymore there would be crowds. And on the way back to our hotel we would stop to have some street food. My husband would try the spicy soups and my son would engage in a casual conversations in Balinese language (Malayo-Polynesian/Indonesian). 
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