Rice Paddies

After visiting the market, we used our maps to find a 5 km trail through the local rice farms/paddies. Our walk began through an alley-like cement road but then opened up into this:


I felt like I was finally IN BALI. This is what the Balinese do. They don't lay on beaches drinking Bintangs or peruse markets for hours. They farm, and they work, and they have ceremonies. This was my favorite part of the trip-probably my favorite part of Asia so far. Away from the cities, the noise, the tourism... this was just local life.

This was the most walkable part of the trail.

I never really understand how rice was grown, or how it was harvested. The eat A LOT of rice in Asia. In Korea, there are machines to do its harvesting. I don't think that is the case in Bali. Growing and harvesting rice appears to be extremely labor-intensive. I can't quite figure out why it is RICE that they eat so much of. It seems it would be easier to catch fish.

We were lucky enough to be summoned by this man to try one of his coconuts. He shimmied up a tree to get two for us.

Then he used his knife to cut a slit in the side and use the skin to make a drinking lip.

Like so.

Then, one by one, we all tasted the coconut "milk." We all agreed that it was much more coconut water than milk, but delicious nonetheless.

After we drank all of the juice out, he cut the coconut in half and used our drinking lip as a spatula/spoon so scoop out the inside fruit of the coconut.

It didn't taste anything like dried coconut, which is good because I hate that stuff. It was very tasty - light and refreshing, perfect for a snack on our long walk.

We finished the loop and headed back into Ubud for some lunch. Amanda and Joe needed to find a ride back to Kuta beach to catch their flight back to America, and we were huuunnngry.