Routines, or not...

In the week since we arrived the rhythms of our day have shifted. It's early to bed, early to rise and two meals a day - our usual Bali pattern and we slip into it almost without realising. An early coffee, a swim, then reading an ebook and checking the online newspapers, followed by a latish breakfast around ten. We don't eat again until somewhere between four and five, when we have a fairly substantial meal.

This morning our American neighbours told us about a restaurant that has sprung up in Jl Goutama since we were last here. The couple are permanents who are building their dream home on one of the ridges. It's taken over two years so far and probably won't be finished any time soon, but that's OK by them.

One of the benefits of eating when we do is that we have the full attention of the kitchen and excellent service. Another is that we can walk the meal off on the way home while its still light, thereby avoiding the traps of falling into a deep hole on a dimly lit footpath or being attacked by a rogue frangipani.

Dolce Arancia proved to be as good as we had been told. A bit more expensive (at around $26) each than we usually pay for an evening meal but for three delicious courses and coffee, worth it. After a vegie day yesterday, we felt a need for meat, and the steak (and home-made Pringly crisped potatoes) filled the gap.

Goutama (sometimes Gootama) is a charming, tree-lined narrow street that runs parallel to Jl Monkey Forest. As well as the usual spas, clothing and gift shops, there are a number of lokal warungs, and as well as this new restaurant, other excellent eating places such as Nomad, Bar Luna, Pignou di Penyu and a favorite of ours, The Melting Wok. It is the street chosen by the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival for its annual street party. There are plenty of reasons to visit often.

Walking past the Palace on the way home it was obvious that everyone had been working hard. The tower is up and the bamboo litters that the men will use to carry the body to the cemetery have been constructed. Tomorrow will be a big day but it might be a good idea to stay well clear - we have seen a large Ogoh-ogoh monster topple and it was nowhere as big as this.