The Home Stretch

The last few days in Ubud have been great! This has been my favorite place on my trip so far. I somehow still have a sinus infection so I've been keeping my activities pretty low key. I did yoga every day, a bunch of different kinds of classes. I did a power yoga class which is my favorite kind, but after sitting on the beach for the last month and a half it was a lot harder than it should have been- I still loved it though. It was so nice seeing 2 of my friends who I met in India. Violeta and Rolf. Violeta had us to her house one night for dinner which I really appreciated. After traveling for so long itb felt good to be in a home.
Since Violeta lived a little out of town she suggested I get a mototaxi. The plan was to follow Rolf and Karen on their motorbike because I didn't know where to go. Rolf was sure we could just all fit on his bike. I can say now I feel like I've been christened into Asia. 3 grown people crammed onto one little scooter. Similar to 2 adults and 2 kids plusThere wasn't anywhere to put my legs because I was on the back. I just held them up the whole way. It rivaled power yoga for a leg and core workout. To make it even funnier, it started pourrrring! I couldn't see anything I was just holding up and my legs and hoping the plastic bag full of water wouldn't break open or my flip flops fly off. I wouldn't have said anything if it happened because turning around would have been out of the question. We made it though, big smile on my face and soaked!
One of the "main attractions" in central Ubud is the monkey forest. It's a walled in forest with monkeys everywhere. It's not completely enclosed so the monkeys roam even outside the walls. I was torn about whether to go or not- I've heard lots of people say he monkeys are crazy, aggressive, try and rob you, might bite you... and I read a bunch of trip advisor reviews about it. There were all these warnings- don't bring a bag, dont bring food, don't tease the monkeys, don't scare them, and whatever you do- don't reach into your pockets... I decided not to go- the last thing I wanted to deal with was beige accosted by a gang of rabid monkeys tryin to bite and rob me... sounds like a nightmare haha. And I saw my share of monkeys just roaming around town eating garbage and playing with things they probably shouldn't, like aerosol cans. It was actually sad, and I don't support the idea of feeding wild animals. Now these monkeys are all obese, greedy (apparently crazy) and dependent on humans for food. Anyways, I'm sure it would have been an experience to write about but I got a whole blog out of NOT going!
I'm on my way to Cambodia now, there was no direct or easy way of getting from Bali to Phnom Penh so I'm spending a few hours tonight in Bangkok then fly to P.P. early tomorrow morning. I only have 10 more days which, given how long I've been away, feels like nothing. I've got a lot I hope to see in these last few days though.
As usual when I near the end of my trips I start looking forward to being back home, being in Asia always makes me thankful for little things- like free public toilets, hot water and English!
<3