Gender Mas & Suarti: Ubud Bali
Friday, December 22nd, 2006Ubud is loaded with lovely shops and galleries selling art, antiques and interior design gear. This afternoon I stopped into a couple of places on Jl. Raya Ubud. The first was Gender Mas, a shop stocking original work by a selection of artists from all over Bali, including Karangasem. I asked the staff, a muscly young guy called Gede (single women take note), how much the merchandise was. He quoted prices or 30m rp, 25m rp etc. for the small 3 foot status. he told me there is another shop in the village of Mas, a few kilometers away.
Phones in Bali are super easy. You buy a SIM card at one of the many places selling it, and together with some units of ‘pulsa’ (credit, available in 25,000rp, 50,000rp, 100,000rp blocks) can be in action fast. That is of course, if you are able to register your phone. I bought my new SIM cards for the 2 spare phones my friends from Oregon have, from the booth outside Bintang supermarket. The attendent told me I had to register and could not use the phone until that time. Last night at a Thai food place on Jl. Padma, my sister in-law Ningrum, told me I can use the phone, but have 3 days to register it, otherwise I’ll lose the number. She has managed to register one of the phones, the other has some problem with it.
Warung Max in Kuta, is located on Jl. Benesari, next to SurfTravelOnline. Its the same location as former Good Luck restaurant. Lunch today saw Toby, Maya, Ollie, Asia & myself head down there (they are staying in the guest house next door). Warung Max has a definite Latin feel, with music, design and colors, all pointing south of the border. The menu is slim, but that can be an advantage. I’ve often been confronted with a 20 page menu that incorporate everything from, Thai to pizza. With a small menu a lunch party can get themselves in order faster.
Bali has 20,000 hotel rooms supposedly. Today is December 20th, which is high-season. That means prices are increased and rooms are harder to get. My friends from Oregon wanted to change hotels this morning. The Puri Cendana in Seminyak was nice, but they didn’t want to pay the 300,000rp price tag. Their combined requirements were, a cheaper place, close to the beach, AC, pool, double beds. At 7.30am I took the car back to the shop on Jl. Padma Utara, and walked home. Arriving at the Puri Cendana an hour later, Ollie and I jumped on my motorbike for a tour of the accommodation in 
Bali has incorporated ideas from all over the world into something called ‘Bali Style’ That goes for interior design and gardens, but in a way, Bali is a melting pot for other ideas, such a food. One of those imported ideas is the lassi, from India. A lassi is a drink made with water, yoghurt, honey and fruit. It is blended and served in a glass. My favourites are banana lassi and mango lassi. The consistency is rather like a thin milkshake, (only more healthy) and they can really hold you over till the next meal.