It's warm all right though as I type 12 pm Thursday it's cloudy in Sidemen/Karengasem. Since our arrival there's only been a few minutes of rain one evening, otherwise sunny and hot.
Some minor things to note--many land lines in Bali have changed numbers due to a system upgrade. There are also rolling blackouts district by district as electricity upgrades are going on as well. We've gone thru 2 of them here, about an hour each time, just as the moon rises.
Ubud was not that crowded and the drive there and back was OK--a little over an hour from Sidemen which is really good time (for me). The "usual suspect" restaurants (Casa Luna etc.) are doing well but there are lots of quiet places. Had a great lunch at the 3 Monkeys on Monkey Forest Rd., and a nearby hotel offered free use of the pool as long as we bought something from the restaurant, which we did. Mojitos at Cinta were fantastic as usual!
Klungung has a new hotel--Tower Hotel, with a 7th floor tower (hence the name) offering pretty good views of the area. There is a reasonably priced restaurant, but just as we were ordering the blackout hit so we passed. The hotel is between the main road at the Traggia Shopping Center. Not sure there's a reason to stay here for most foreign turistos, but a drink and the views are worthwhile.
