Get us out of here before we spend all our money!

Bargaining in the markets and spending a couple of euros per item is all good and well, but Ubud is a dangerous place. Billabong, Quicksilver, and assorted tasteful boutiques lay in wait on the high street, ready to pounce on unsuspecting tourists with too much time on their hands. I came this close to buying a beautiful 100x150 canvas photo of an old lady smoking a huge rollie (I thought it was a kretek, an Indonesian clove cigarette, but it turns out the lady in question is from Burma) - expensive but nearly half price of what I found on the web.

After moving all our gear to the new hotel (a stonking place, great value) and having a quick hop in the pool I updated my shorts department and Esther got herself a decent collection of birthday presents. We have also discovered that the restaurants closer to this hotel are much cheaper and just as good, so at least we are managing some savings.

So a bit of a shopping spree instead of going to visit the sacred monkey forest (failed to find football shorts for Lucas - the laundrette had lost the ones we had bought him). Plus a failed attempt at flying the kite (no wind) at the local football pitch while the girls had their nails painted. We did get some culture in: in the evening I took the kids to see a Balinese music and dance spectacle at Ubud palace. No point for Esther to come as well (though with all the shops out there I'm not sure if this was a saving) because, as expected, the kids got bored 5 minutes into the spectacle and 10 minutes later we were out on the street again. The dance was OK if you're into that sort of thing but frankly I found them a bit chubby and with a hint of a 'tash, and Balinese music sounds a bit like Lucas' music. Funky Maori-style crazy eyes though.