A Big Day

We've collected a pretty long list of things we'd still like to do before leaving Bali. Today was a day that we packed several of the top activities together and made a day of it. We lined up a local driver, Dewa, who turned out to be quite knowledgeable about the area and shared much useful information as we set out for the first stop on our list.

The Bali Bird Park comes highly recommended and we were not disappointed. This small park has a great collection of birds from not only Indonesia, but many other parts of the world. They have a great interactive collection of enclosures as well as some hands on demonstrations of some amazing feathered creatures. If there had been time, I could have spent the day there taking a closer, behind the scenes look but the few hours we were able to spend there were quite rewarding and I'll be glad to come back another time for more. We especially enjoyed the opportunity to take a considerable number of photographs on a day the park wasn't especially busy. We didn't have enough time to check out the Reptile park unfortunately.

Cassorary

Hornbill put on a show at the Bird Park

Komodo Sighting in Bali!

Showy Bird of Paradise!

Crested Crane looking to get inside?

Lesser Bird of Paradise

Next stop on our list was recommended by Dewa. Laurie has wanted to visit the village of Mas which is known for its woodcarvers and fine work. Each village tends to have a theme that it is recognized for. We visited a collective known for high quality work and quickly learned about the various types of work from traditional to modern as well as the woods used including local "crocodile" wood, hibiscus, imported mahogany and more. The work was excellent and came in all sizes and shapes. A large building housed much of this work and we got a pretty hard sales pitch that we managed to survive with only several small items that fit well with what we were looking for. That was a tough experience for bartering rookies like us!

Wood carving styles & woods

Wood carvers

We had lunch at a fancy new restaurant that included an excellent view of surrounding fields and higher prices than usual. We were greeted with flowers to wear while we ate which was a challenge in the wind. We felt rushed to be sure we'd make our next stop but still managed to have a fine meal and some happy music by children too. Again, this stop was recommended by our driver and we were quite pleased with it.

Lunch complete with flower

Our final planned stop, the famous Green School, was scheduled for a 3 pm tour of this relatively new facility. We were joined by a group of over 30 people from a number of countries as the school has received a lot of publicity in the 4 years since it's been established. Good think the tour started late as the location is well hidden and nearly stumped our driver. The structures are nearly all bamboo including some huge ones and quite creative as is the rest of the school. The school is getting closer to going off the grid and provides creative programs for about 250 children now including some that have come a long way to be in it. We were very impressed and want to learn more about the programs and focus of this unique school.

Impressive Bamboo Roof at Green School

Bali Starling Project at Green School

Science Classroom!

New Bamboo Bridge

Admiring Bamboo Bridge

Another Amazing Bamboo Structure at Green School

This day was full of great highlights and we felt pretty good about accomplishing it all with some excellent local help and in spite of Laurie's bad cold and my lack of good footwear. Laurie wasn't about to let a head cold get in her way when she can wait until she gets home to be sick. I was loaned sandals by our driver after my two attempts to get a decent pair of sandals that I could walk in failed. Luckily I'll have another chance tomorrow...