A walk by the rice fields in Ubud

Luckily our accomomdation is a little out of Ubud. So we can just start to walk on a small path through the rice paddies. There is an impression of greenness which can be incredible beautiful! We pass some art galleries and cosy restaurants and ended at the monkey forest!

Palms at the Sundown

Bali – The Big Joglo House

Wow! I love airbnb, because there I found this incredible beautiful Joglo-House* near Ubud. It is surrounded by rice terraces and of course the view is amazing. Same like our host Cokie, who is also a great photographer with a huge love for gardening as you can see on the pictures. It's an open house up to two rooms which have wooden walls. So every evening the fireflies could say us good night!

* Joglo is a traditional vernacular house of Javanese people. It consist of two parts; the pendopo and dalem. The pendopo is the front section of Joglo that have large roofed space with columns and without wall or partition. The dalem is the inner sections with walled enclosure and rooms such as bedroom and kitchen. Pendopo is used to receive guests, reception hall and living room, while the inner dalem are more private sections of the house. The roof formed a pyramid-like structure with central part are taller and steeper. It is said that the roof of Joglo is constructed to mimic a mountain.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The lovely Guesthouse East Surf Cabanas in Arugam Bay

Raffaella, Giada and Sudu. Photo taken by Subha Wijesiriwardena

We met Raffaella and Sudu two years ago and decided to come back for a longer time. So we arrived with the night bus in the early morning at 3 pm and tip-toed through the beautiful garden. The smell of jasmine after eight hours in a hot and sweaty bus was so welcoming! As we opened the door to our room we hoped so much that everything was prepared for us. And yes! A beautiful big bed, with a spotless clean spacy moscito net and white bedlinen. The room is spacious, beautifully designed with an eye for details. After traveling in India this felt like a gift for me!

The two of them are great hosts! So helpful, they are trying to make everything possible. Like arranging surf lessons or a transfer back to Colombo. Raffaella also gives holistic massages to women. The atmosphere is familiar and they are attracting really nice guests. And Giada! The now ten month old baby with the most beautiful smile of the world! Some lovely cats and Mocca, the dog, also belong to the family. We had two kittens living on our veranda for some weeks, this was fun. Monkeys come visit sometimes, which is always a real adventure. 

The food is great, there is a great choice! Sri Lankan breakfast with potato curry, coconut sambol and bread. Or the classic bread with jam, eggs, and fruit. Or the fruit bowl with homemade musli. As Sudu is a fisherman and also a very good cook, there will be always the freshest fish for dinner. I love the jumbo prawns in coconut milk and of course the vegetarian curry, so delicious!

The drinking water is sourced from their own well and is naturally filtered. No need to buy the plastic bottles!

We often explored the surroundings with the bikes which are for the use of the guests. This is also great!

The hosts can organize BBQ nights in Panama and also night safaris with a jeep and a bonfire. Sudu is the best animal spotter, thanks of him, we saw elephants, wild boar, a wildcat and crocodiles!

We stayed here for two and a half months and are sad to leave tomorrow. I will miss the visits from Raffaella and Giada on our veranda and the talks with Sudu after dinner over a small glass of Arrak. But we definitely are coming back!

Website www.eastsurfcabanas.com

Sunset in Panama

 

 

Panama is an especially nice place for the sundown. The setting sun dips the lagoon in a magic light, it is calm and the only ones which trust to make some noise are the birds! 

Tsunami resistant Houses behind Potuvil

This enchanted settlement of round houses is on the way from Potuvil to Whisky Point. The houses were donated by the Japanese government after the Tsunami and are so built that in case of an other flood the water cannot destroy the houses! 

A nice Place surrounds from Water

What a sight! Actually, one can reach the rock dry-shod. However, violent rainfall has turned the place into an island. In spite of wet clothes the family had fun in the humid crossing and laughed all the time! 

Girl with Umbrella

I took this photo out of the Tuk Tuk. It's a small muslim village near Arugam Bay where you can find great Roti shops for breakfast. Together with a typical strong black tea and a lot of sugar. Yummy!

Crocodiles, Elephants and Peacocks at Radella Tank

 

Visiting the Radella Tank, also known as the Crocodile Tank, in the early morning hours was amazing! Yes! We spotted crocodiles in the water, but they are very shy, so I had no chance to take a photo. I love the green of the rice fields. And the peacock on the escape. And the four-leave clover. The sound of the birds and monkeys. A lot of elephants live there and during an other visit, we were lucky to see two and a half of them!