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After hiking to the top of Borobudur, the Coach hired a car to see Cardi Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia. The temple complex contained 240 temples which were destroyed by earthquakes. Like solving a massive puzzle, 18 of them have been restored by workers and archaeologists.
Tula climbed around the temples looking for a spot where Coach K could sit and contemplate the universe.
After charming the Macaques in the Sacred Monkey Forest in Bali, the Coach settled into a nich with the Tree of Life and a couple of monkeys.
The legend goes that the father of a beautiful princess was killed in battle by a bad dude. He then decided that he wanted the princess for his bride. Grabby, huh? She was afraid to refuse his proposal. She told him that she would marry him, only if he could build 1000 temples in one night. He gathered his minion workers to build the temples before the dawn. Fearing that this creep would accomplish her seemingly impossible task, the princess built a large fire. Now this was a huge fire. The evil workers mistook it for the rising sun. Evil workers are not always bright. They quit work, which as it turned out, was tantamount to cutting out of a job early. They only completed 999 temples. The princess was delighted, feeling that she was free. Unfortunately, not all fairy tales have positive conclusions. The bad dude was furious when he discovered that he had been tricked. This guy was a real bully and used to getting his own way. He turned the princess into a statue. She lives in Cardi Prambanan
today, at least the statue of her is in one of the temples there. Unfortunately, the Coach couldn't visit her statue, as her temple was closed because of the earthquake damage from the eruption of Mount Merapi last November. Coach, you will just have to come back to visit the princess.
Coach K really wanted to help piece the remaining temples back together. Coach, you are one of the good guys!
Coach K celebrated his last night in Bali with dinner and drinks at Cafe Havana. Wouldn't you know that after slamming back a frozen martini, the Coach grabbed the mike from Karma and belted out some Johnny Cash tunes! He had them dancing on top of the tables. Hey Coach, they will remember you for quite a while in Ubud. You are leaving behind a slew of Blue Devil fans!
No one knows how to savor a good cup of coffee more than Coach K. He climbed onto the stone stove, made an offering to the Coffee God, and observed the hand roasting of the Bali Coffee beans.
The Coach learned about Luwak Coffee, which is the most expensive coffee in the world. The Asian Palm Civet eats the young red coffee beans, which sit in its stomach for a while, and then, well, you know, come out the other end. The beans retain their shape, and are gathered, washed, dried, roasted, and brewed. Luwak Coffee is touted for having an earthy, nutty flavor. For this reason, the Coach and I decided not to buy any!
The Coach was overwhelmed at the coffee and tea laid before him for tasting.
The Coach loved the Lemon Grass Tea, the Ginseng Coffee, the Hot Cocoa, and the Vanilla Coffee. He bought Lemon Grass Tea to bring to the team back home in the USA.
After a long day of touring the Balinese countryside, Coach K and I enjoyed our coffees and teas while looking across the coffee plants growing in the jungle.