Bali 2024 - Day 7 (March 19)

Vegetable stall in local shopping area

 This morning we got an earlier start for Sukawati. We packed snacks and plenty of water. Made dropped us off on the street because Ibu wanted to check out the stalls along the way. We went into a market building that was like the old markets we enjoyed so much. Got some good deals on some clothing, but not much else that we were looking for there.

Outside of the market, the shops and stalls around here are really not intended for tourists. Stopped into a couple of sarong shops to try to find something traditional that will fit my thick body. Went into an apotek (pharmacy) to get some low-dose aspirin to prep for our trip home - 20 pills cost 20,000 ($1.29). Checked out an artist's supply shop that turned out to be just paint and brushes - everything from gallons of water-proofing paint down to little tubes of oils.

Found a pet store and since I've always wondered what a Balinese pet store was like, of course I had to go in. No actual pets, although I think they might have had a white dove for sale, but food for whatever animal you might be keeping. There was a large open box full of crickets and large trays with mealworms and ants. The ants were kept in the tray by the presence of cooked rice. Someone came in to buy some while we were there and the shopkeeper got a container and took his fingers and just pinched up a big bunch. These were red ants about 1/2" long - I'll be darned if I would put my fingers in there.

Ants for sale in the pet shop

After a while, we headed back towards the market buildings. At one point I heard sirens. This is a bit unusual, so I looked to see what was going on. Coming up the road toward us was a parade of VW Things, many of which had been beautifully
restored and sported bright new paint jobs. I was so surprised I failed to get any pictures. 🤦

We ventured into one of the buildings we missed last time we were here. This building was focused mainly on art - paintings, carvings, etc. I decided to wait outside on a bench. While there, I struck up a conversation with an older Indonesian woman. One of the things we talked about was kretek (Indonesian cigarettes) and I mentioned that they don't always stay lit. She told me "suck harder". 🤣

Homemade mie goreng ayam

After another trip into the building where we shopped the other day to get yet more clothes, we decided we had enough stuff, and headed back home. Once there, I took a quick swim, then started to cook lunch and discovered that the chicken I had purchased was no longer fit for human consumption. Probably because when I bought it, we went to lunch then home. So off to Bintang to buy more. This time I wore pants so I could ride like I'm used to. I recorded the ride home, but the traffic wasn't too bad, so it doesn't really give a good idea of how nerve wracking it can be.

Home cooked fried noodles with chicken and vegetables for dinner. I now know that 200 grams of chicken is enough for two people. I had bought about 500 grams, so I have more for tomorrow. I cooked up the bad chicken and an egg I accidentally cracked for Blackie, Made's dog.