On the road to ... Ubud

A few posts back I mentioned that my plans to post my favourite photos from 2012 had gone awry. The reason for this was that when I started to review my photos, I realised there were quite a few I still hadn't posted.

One of the images that was foremost in my mind was this Balinese lady picking flowers (marigold and gomphrena). I don't know that they are the greatest of photos, but the subject and the colour palette appealed to me. I think if Monet had ever visited Bali, he would have loved it too.

I spotted the flower gatherer while I was hurtling at breakneck speed between the main tourist drag in Bali and my favourite place, Ubud, up in the hills.  On my two short visits last year, I was based near the beach (Kuta for a work conference, then Sanur for a long weekend), but, on both occasions, my friends and I hired a driver for a day trip and left it in their hands as to what points of interest we stopped at along the way.

When one of the drivers suggested a waterfall,  the one we visited exceeded my expectations. Just lovely!

Many of the villages along the way specialise in a particular craft, and one of the most spectacular is the stone carving. The sculptures are exquisite and made me plot mad schemes involving shipping containers that I didn't go ahead with, but what a fabulous feature any of these would be in the garden.

We called in at a village temple.

This lovely lady was making temple offerings, and I couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

Further along there were shops selling beautiful kites. I'll definitely investigate how these fold up on my next visit. I love the butterfly one!

We saw demonstrations of how batik and ikat fabric is made. The building below is a jeweller/silversmith's shop. The decoration on the building featured ceramic plates.

Another favourite stop was this artists' compound with beautiful orchids in bloom throughout. I didn't actually buy a painting there on the day, but I have bought one nearby each visit and just love them.

A few mad hours of shopping in Ubud, followed by lunch, and the return drive.



A beautifully decorated shrine in the restaurant.



Another tiny shrine with marigolds adorning the deity and a tiny water feature.

Koi at the restaurant 'The Three Monkeys'

A flawless waterlily spotted on our walk.

If you are interested, you can see more of Ubud and the surrounding area by clicking here and a number of other posts (check the labels under 'Bali').

Bali: The Gardens (Part Two)

Just a quick post tonight to share some of the images of Balinese gardens that I snapped during my two brief visits this year - gardeners' eye candy!

This fabulous doorway linked hotel grounds to the beach at Kuta and was just a few doors up from the Ramada, where I stayed for my Kuta conference in June.

A simpler entrance in the same complex

I only saw the one example of this beautiful creeper, but I love it so much I thought it warranted two photos. Can anyone help me out with identification?

Red ginger Alpinia purpurata

This photo and the next half dozen were taken in the grounds of the Hotel Tugu at Canggu where we stopped for lunch after our visit to Tanah Lot.

Landscaping in Bali does that 'secret garden' thing so beautifully.

Yet another of those gorgeous marbled euphorbias.

This and most of the remaining photos were taken at my final location in Bali, Hotel Puri Santrian at Sanur.

The Bael fruit tree Aegle Marmelos  looked stunning when  lit up at night.  The fruit are huge and take nearly a year to ripen. The foliage is a larval food source for some of the swallowtail butterflies.

A bed of plumago

Water hyacinth

 I have such a soft spot for these little squirrels. I was holidaying in  Goa in southern India when I received news of the death of my mother in 2005. Their antics were so life affirming while I took in the news and had some quiet time in the grounds of my hotel.

Spores on the underside of a crows' nest fern.

I think this is Masoa alliacea, the Garlic Vine.

Heliconia

The black and white checked material wrapped around guardian figures is called poleng. The black and white pattern represents the duality of the universe: good and evil equally balanced.  You can read more about Balinese dress and textiles here

There are pairs of wonderful guardian figures in front of many of the temples, hotels, and courtyards throughout Bali.

Marigold garlands in the courtyard of restaurant Made's Warung in Semanyak

Gorgeous banana with patterned upper leaf and red toned underside.

Spotted this lovely tree at Ulu Watu, but they are used widely in street plantings in Jakarta.

Erythrina, the Coral tree

Yellow caesalpinia 'Pride of Barbados'

Love, love, love these birdcage-shaped lanterns at my hotel in Sanur. If I could have packed five to adorn my poinciana back home in Brisbane, I would have.

I saw a couple dining in this beautiful pavilion one evening. How romantic!

Another glorious pink creeper.  I'm guessing this is Congea tomentosa. The pink  blooms appeared to be  bracts rather the flowers themselves like the related blue-flowering Petrea volubilis.

I love these russet-coloured dragonflies.

Here you can see that the tips of his wings are transparent.

Shoreside entrance to one of the hotels at Sanur.

Oh, and if you missed Part One, you can catch up here !