Champuhan Ridge Loop

The return portion back to Penestanan was mostly along roads, and in normal circumstances it isn't too interesting. But, the home altars seemed to be freshly dressed for Galungan. We were both thrilled by the display of color.

Along the way, we looked at a temple, a craft shop, and had lunch at a pleasant Pulau Kelapa, a Indonesian restaurant where I bumped into the former CEO of Singapore Airlines, my employer from 1993 to 1998 (yikes!). We also stopped at several art galleries.

Getting back to Ubud in the mid-afternoon, we went to the Royal Palace where Rae had seen a marketing museum. It turned out to be a rather pointless exhibit of books written by marketing gurus presented in glass cases. Apparently, a member of the royal family had attended a marketing seminar and he was inspired to set up this exhibit. The attendant at the museum insisted on taking my photograph for the museum's album. As I was melting from the heat, the photo was not pretty, but the attendant assured me that he would photoshop it before posting.

While at the Royal Palace, I spied the area where preparations for a royal cremation were taking place. I was going to miss this cremation too! Augh. Again, I was purple with envy when I saw the pictures Rae posted on Facebook later.Read more