Yesterday was such a full day that both Lynda and I have decided to lay low today!
I mentioned that we'd stumbled into a vespa tour and there is more to that story so I'll start right at the beginning.
While we were sitting at Mingle the other night and I was catching up on the blog, Lynda was making new friends. In this case her new friend was Allison, originally from Australia and now resident of Ubud and owner of Mingle. Allison was sitting right behind us and the place was packed so it was easy to get into conversation with her. I mentioned to her that our friend Julie had recommended Mingle as a great place that had great drinks and based on our experience so far....she was right on the mark! Allison asked if I meant Julie Silvester and "yes....yes I did". Allison said that she had just moments before messaged Julie to cancel their vespa ride tomorrow as two people had backed out and within seconds Lynda and I decided that we'd like to take their place if that was a possibility. Allison said yes and that she'd message Julie right back to say we were back on again. Before she did that though...we agreed that it would be fun to surprise Julie so Allison didn't tell Julie it was us and we wouldn't tell Julie if we saw her. It would be a fun surprise!
The plan was for the four of us to meet at Mingle the following morning at 10:30 but Lynda and I decided that we'd go early and have breakfast there too. We didn't want to take a chance on bumping into Julie on the way to Mingle and ruining the surprise! So...we were ready to go just after 9 and as we were walking out of our yard....who should walk in but Julie! Aggghhhh....we told her we were off for breakfast and had to run and that we would catch up later. As soon as we were out of the yard and into the laneway we burst into laughter with the knowledge that we'd need to apologize for our rudeness when we saw her at Mingle at 10:30.
Sure enough, at 10:30 Julie appeared and almost immediately said, "are you the two delightful ladies Allison met here last night?" We replied that we were and then we apologized for our rude and hurried departure this morning. All three of us were still laughing when Allison arrived a few moments later. All the signs were lining up for it to be a great day!
We all climbed into Allison's vehicle to drive the 10 minutes or so to her house where the vespas are stored. Made (pronounced Maday) is her partner in the homestay she has at her place and he is also the leader of the Bali vespa scooter club. There are 5 vespas in total and they are all painted exactly the same. They are a kaleidoscope of colour and each of the bikes has a sidecar attached to it. It is these sidecars that we will be riding in! Made had made arrangements for 3 other drivers plus himself and so within moments of our arrival at Allison's we were settling into our sidecars and the boys were firing up their engines.
What a fun way to see the countryside. The wind whipping past, a little skull cap helmet on our heads, kids waving and calling out as we past by their homes and shops, and scenery that seemed to be even more beautiful from this vantage point. In truth, it was a little loud and the exhaust from the other bikes were the only negatives I can say....overall the trip was AMAZING and so much fun! The bike time was maybe about two hours and in addition we stopped at a little spot for coffee where Lynda and I even walked down into the rice paddies for some photos. Another stop was at an art museum/school where the master carver is Made Ada. This place was UNBELIEVABLE! You drive right into the belly of a giant concrete garuda (the mythical bird that was Vishnu's mode of transport). From there the three dimensional wood carvings continue to take your breath away the further into the building you go. Ironically, Lynda and I had just watched a documentary with Made Ada! The program was about the shift away from the traditional arts (like wood carving) by the younger generation. Once again, we were getting to meet the "guy" himself. The day before it had been Agung Rai, the man behind ARMA, and today it was Made Ada, a master carver considered by many to be Bali's best.
Once the vespa tour was over it was back to Allison's for a dip in her pool while Made cooked for us. He made a delicious meal of nasi goreng (fried rice), a squash and green bean curry, and a spicy omelette. Of course this amazing meal was topped off with a selection of fresh fruits. To make it even better....every single thing that was on the dinner table came from Made's garden right there on the property!
From there it was back to Mingle for an Affogato for dessert and if you've never had one of these before (like I hadn't) you might want to google it and make yourself one! It is actually pretty simple but takes fantastic! It is a scoop of vanilla ice cream served in a martini glass. Atop that ice cream is some hot espresso so you end up with a cool/warm contrast as you eat/drink it. As delicious as it was on it's own...I added a shot of Bailey's to mine and Lynda went for the Kahlua. Yes, it was the perfect finish to a great day.
By the time the Affogato was finished....so was I and so as luck would have it, Julie's shoe had just broken and she'd called Ketut (one of the guys who works at her place) to bring her another pair on his bike. When he arrived, I grabbed hold of him and hopped on the back of his bike to catch a ride home. The rest of the group was off to a food truck event but for me...the night was over!
Bottom line....great day.....and ever so thankful to have a day "off" today.
Till next time,
L & L
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