Ubud and Kintamani

We headed for the mountains of Bali today, driving north towards Kintamani. On the way we stopped by Ubud, reknowned to be the center for traditional crafts and dance as well as the terraced rice paddies. We stopped by a silver shop where we were able to view the silversmiths at work with traditional designs. And yes of course purchases were made...

We could almost make a cheesy Asian style video clip...

The local craftsmen at work

Lara scores! A pair of Balinese crafted silver earrings

Next was the obligatory stop for Kopi Luwak or civet coffee. The civet apparently chooses the best coffee beans to eat. The partly digested beans are said to improve the coffee. The beans gets pooped out and then collected, cleaned, roasted and brewed. We were showed the beans at the various process steps before sitting down at the tasting tables to try the various coffees offered.

The civet

Being showed how the kopi luwak is made

Not a bad view for coffee tasting

The tasting platter

Even Jonah enjoyed the tasting

The cool mountain air was a welcome change to the heat and humidity. We decided to forgo any hiking in view of the weather and opted for a leisurely scenic lunch instead. From there we continued back down as the children wanted to stop at the terraced padi fields. Our last stop was Bebek Bengil where we had Balinese style fried duck. Yummo!

Lake Batur

The closest we're going to get to a decent family photo

The terraced rice paddies of Ubud