After a beautiful breakfast we set out to rent a scooter for a few days. It was grueling! At every second shop we were accosted by someone trying to either give us a taxi ride or rent us scooters. We finally bargained for a two day rental for the total sum of about $6. This was down from the $11 they originally wanted. It truly isn't the money, it's almost sport here. You would lose your self-respect if you paid the original asking price for anything, even though it's still very affordable. As part of the rental process, we were given the 'pink slip' to hold while we were renting it. This is not something we're used to!

Fresh with the knowledge that we had freedom to roam Bali, we set out for the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. This was barely mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide book, so when we arrived, we had no idea what we were walking into! There had to have been over a thousand of them just free to roam around the grounds. There are no fences anywhere and they could just leave any time they wanted. Our guess is they must like the area and the fact that they get more food than they can eat probably helps:) All food that is given to them, or sold to tourists to feed them is part of their natural diet so they maintain their health. The grounds are a holy place to the locals, and there is even a 'temporary' burial ground within the sanctuary. Without getting into too much detail, here is a brief explanation of why 'temporary'. In local custom, cremation is the preferred method of one's final resting. However this can only be done at certain times, based on several factors. Therefore, a temporary resting place is required until the time is deemed appropriate for the cremation ceremony to take place. The monkeys don't seem to mind, but it was a bit strange to see temporary graves with monkeys playing on top of them. Unfortunately, my camera battery had not been charged so my photos were very limited. We may go back again just to get more!

After we left the Sanctuary, we headed home to drop off the camera and let it charge and then took off on the scooter to explore more of the island. Half an hour into this, we were heading into a massive black cloud and decided maybe we would explore a beer at a cafe for a while instead:) We found a place called 'nacho mama'. We walked in, sat down and got ready to order. Val looked up and noticed a VERY familiar box on the bar. The magic word PATRON was written on it! Imagine our surprise and delight! Here we had thought that our last sip of good tequila had come and gone in Australia, when right here in Ubud, Bali we found the golden nectar. We ordered a couple of Corona's, some nachos, and two shots. We had to make it clear we wanted just tequila...no ice, lime, salt, courage, etc. The staff all whispered to each other and pointed at us. I suddenly realized I was wearing a shirt that says "One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor" with the words getting fuzzier. We were clearly the best entertainment they had had all day and we were happy to be there! We may go back tomorrow for more.

After we left, slightly buzzed and happy, we came back to our little palace and watched a rain soaked sunset over the rice fields.

Yes, just another day in paradise.

Until tomorrow, look for the unexpected at every turn. It may surprise you.

Val & Eric