if it's good enough for anthony bourdain then it's good enough for me...

Sunday 28th March 2010

no trip to Bali would seem to be complete without a trip to the now-famous Bu Oka's Warung in Ubud. made famous by that most adventurous of food gurus - anthony bourdain, the warung sells only babi guling or in english, suckling pig. the dish comes with an interesting array of bits and bobs of the pig and some vegetables. the meat was succulent and soft and super tasty, the crackling was crispy...no, that's not the word...it crackled in your mouth...i don't really know any other way to describe it! the soup was full of flavour and the meat in it soft and just seemed to kind of dissolve in the mouth. for Rp. 40,000 you get the whole set of soup, rice and meat and if you haven't tried it then a stop off here is something to put on your list. it gets very busy around lunch time, so i'd recommend going a little later if you want to avoid the crowds. there are two locations now - one in the centre of Ubud and one just outside in the village of Mas. i went to the one in Mas and it was a little quieter with a lovely seating area upstairs, with floor seating.

lions and tigers and elephants...oh my!

Saturday 27th March 2010

ok so if you really want to have a good time at the Bali Safari and Marine Park, don't bring 125 children from the school you work at for a field trip! apart from that, this is a lovely surprise attraction located in Gianyar about an hour away from Kuta. the Park is well maintained, the staff are considerate, welcoming and happy to help. the place is run with an air of professionalism that shows they are enjoying what they are doing. the safari itself, was very well structured and we had an excellent guide, called Nila, who did a wonderful job of entertaining my unruly bunch of students! the grounds of the safari are beautiful and there has been a lot of attention to detail with rickety bridges to cross and swamps to drive through...such fun! the animals have space and freedom to roam around and the Park itself is a member of a conservation group, so standards must be maintained. there is lots to explore and even a Safari Lodge to stay in where you can wake up to animals grazing outside your window. if you want a change from the usual rigmarole of bali sights - beaches, temples, markets, then this place is well worth a visit. i didn't get a chance to see the white tigers (my absolute favourite) so a return visit is a must.

this is where the real 'wild things' are...

Sunday 21st March 2010

the night before Nyepi, Bali's day of silence, which took place on Tuesday 16th March...the real 'wild things' came out to play. called ogoh-ogoh, they are huge statues created in every village across Bali and paraded through the streets to scare away the evil spirits. a fearsome sight indeed!