Ubud has a lot of rice paddies

Today, my roommate and I took a walking trek (the trek on page 145 of the Lonely Planet: Bali & Lombok, everyone and there mom is carrying this lonely planet) through Ubud and got to copious amounts of rice paddies. The trek was pretty tiring but fun. However the best part of the day was going to a local Balinese restaurant by myself, I got the restaurant suggestion from a local. Attached are the only pictures I took today that is how much I liked the food. The best dish was the one with rice, it tasted almost like a Mexican mole, but it was curry chicken, and it was called nasi rendang a yam. The other dish was nasi campour ayam. It was vegetables covered in peanut sauce. Very tasty but the other dish was better, although I think anything covered in peanut sauce is good.

And last night we saw the Legong dance at ubud palace. I really enjoyed it. The music is like something out of Sun Ra's dream. It like a mix of choral music and avant garde jazz. It reminded me when I used to live next to Mead Chapel at Middlebury and they would play the church bells on Sunday, except more jazzy and a little atonal. I hope the videos I attach work but I still am learning to use my Motorola DynaTAC. Otherwise there will just be pictures.

Being Japanese is not a good idea right now

Last week or the week before that. I don't remember any more. Japan pissed of a lot of people in China and made traveling around where I live annoying because I don't live far from the Japanese embassy. Here are some pictures of the Chinese army setting up a blockade so that protesters could not destroy the embassy. While setting up the blockade they made getting to dinner around lucky street impossible. Thanks for ruining my dinner plans Japan. The later pictures are of a Japanese restaurant on lucky street that had to put up signs saying that the diaoyu islands belonged to China. A lot protesters were harassing restaurant owners on lucky street because there are several Japanese restaurants there as it is close to the Japanese embassy. They even harassed owners of the Italian restaurant along the street.

I didn't take pictures of this but people where harassing the Japanese residents that live in the compounds next to lucky street. It was not a good week to be Japanese anything in China. Good thing I don't look too Japanese.

My office getting ready for national day

I think we need more flags. At least bigger full sized flags.

Yeah I am in Bali and you are not

Here are some pictures from my hotel room in Bali. Did I mention I am in Bali? Just got in today but so far so good although it looks like it might rain.

Sent from my Motorola DynaTAC.