White Water Rafting

Meanwhile back in Ubud~
We spent our last day in ubud partaking in additional tourist activities.

We started the day with a great white water rafting trip on the Ayung river, which flowed through a jungle/forested canyon.  To begin the rafting trip, we had to traverse 550 steps down to the river.  Thank goodness all we had to carry was our dry bag, helmets, and oars.  We had a blast on the rafting trip, the rafts were fairly small, so our raft had Glen and I, 3 french guys, and our guide 'Mr. Frog'.  The french guys turned out to be a lot of fun and we spent much of the trip waterfighting and singing an old french folk song, which apparently translates to something like 'show me the boobs of your daughter'.  Along the beginning of the trip, the canyon walls have been carved with a pictorial telling of a hindu legend, which is a Romeo and Juliet type story.  One of the great things about this white water raft trip, as opposed to most I have done back at home, is the water was much warmer than rivers which are fed by snowmelt!  At the end of the raft trip we were served a really yummy lunch of indonesian & balinese food.  Then we had to climb 250 steps back up out of the canyon!!!   My calves were pretty tight the next day!!!

That evening we went to see traditional Balinese Dance at the open stage in the Palace courtyard in Ubud,  It was very dramatic, with fabulous costuming.  We got there just before starting time, and most seats were taken, so we ended up sitting on the ground right in front of the stage. It was really great, as we could really see all the intricate hand movements and facial gestures which are an integral part of the dance.

The next morning it was off to Gili Air where we are now.
Glen will be filling you in on our grip to Gili Air, so it's goodbye for now!

Cheery Wave,
Carrie