Bali Views and Food
Hiking the Rice Fields
We start the day with breakfast overlooking the jungle surrounding our cottage. Then we book tours for the next few days and head out on a hike into the rice fields. Ubud is a city, but with one quick turn onto a path and a few steps you are suddenly transported to a peaceful, rural setting of rice paddies. The trail 
we are on is called the Sweet Orange Trail. It starts from an alleyway off the main street and in 5 minutes we are on a beautiful, flat path through the rice fields. We can see people harvesting (click here for video) and planting. For a short video of a friendly lady planting rice, click here.
There is no shortage of butterflies and birds. It is so green and lush. The path is made with cement slabs where people wrote words of inspiration, love and notification that they were here.
We see a sign from another John & Kim announcing themselves as travellers … maybe us in an another life or dimension!
Sweet Orange Cafe
We stop at about the half way point on the path at the Sweet Orange Cafe for a coffee, honey ginger tea and vegetarian appetizer sample plate. Mellow yoga type music plays as we take in the rice patties and gardens of large marigolds…at least I think they are marigolds. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Within a couple minutes of leaving the rice field path, we are back in the city.
Stinky Fruit
On the way back to the hotel we pass a fruit stand selling durian. Durian is an Asian fruit that is bumpy looking on the outside and when you cut it open, it stinks. It really, really stinks to the point that in the Singapore subway there are signs saying that you cannot have durian in the subway.
Durian is also quite expensive. So of course we have to try this delicacy. We eat it outside sitting area of our cottage. I find the taste pleasant and John finds it bland.
Periuk Bali Cooking Class
We are picked up for our cooking class at Periuk Bali Cooking School (www.periukbali.com ) at 2:15pm. There are four of us in the class.
We are taken to the edge of town to a large traditional family home which is more like a family compound of buildings since three generations live here. They even have their own Hindu family temple.
After explaining how rice is grown, we learn how to make coconut milk and coconut oil and how to make traditional flower offerings in baskets. The baskets are about 3″ x 3″ square and contain flowers but can contain other types of offerings. This family has 15 members and the mother tells us that everyday they make 30-50 of these offering baskets which are used around the compound to ward off evil and bring good luck. For example if they were going on a trip they would put an offering on the motorcycle or in the car to prevent getting into an accident.
Next comes the cooking which is thoroughly enjoyable and the eating…which is even more enjoyable. Too soon it is time to head back. 
We make it an early night to bed since we need to be up at 3:30am tomorrow morning.
