Rice Paddies and Butterflies

Headed north to the mountains to see the terraced rice paddies - Oka and I did this on our way to the beach.  The area is protected, a World Heritage site.  They have done this to ensure that the land cannot be used for anything else, and it provides a subsidy to the farmers as it is cheaper to import rice then to grow it on Bali.  

They grow two kinds of white rice, black and red rice.  They have also started growing a genetically modified rice - it grows faster and is resistant to pests.  They generally try to get 3 crops per year.

Not sure what I expected, but it is completely gorgeous, and there is a nice breeze, although you can imagine it is incredibly humid.

We walk along the top of the fields - each field has it's own cow, sometimes more than 1 and the cow help the farmer work the field and it also fertilizes the field.

We cut across a terrace.  It was very muddy in places.  I stepped down with a huge splat and squirt mud and cow pat all over Oka's bright white leather sneakers.  I thought this was very funny, but politely did my silent laugh while externally apologising. 

Before we left, Oka suggested we clean our shoes.  I looked at mine covered in mud and said really? And he said really.  So I made a half hearted attempt to clean mine in the provided bathroom, but then came out and said it's no use.  In Oka's went, so I tromped through a little stream - soaking my shoes and then wiped them in the grass, but they were still filthy.  Oka eventually emerged with perfectly white sneakers.

When I got into the car our driver A-Cha was giggling, I imagine my shoe cleaning performance was funny.  After the rice paddies, we stopped at a butterfly park.  I like butterflies, and they have a ton of them, several endangered species that they are breeding.  

We went into the hatchery and the cutest girl started popping butterflies on me.  She would blow on their feet and then they would reach out and grab me.  The first time she did this, she put this very large - what I think is a moth - hairy winged creature on my hand.  It looked up at me with it's furry little face and weird antennas and I squealed, GET IT OFF!  

They thought I was kidding - I was not kidding.  It only lives for 2 days and since it had just hatched it was too weak to fly away.  The cute girl quickly recovered and started popping them on my t-shirt, then she grabs my handbag, camera and sunglasses and started taking pictures - I think she's done this before.  

She was disappointed in this picture; however, I thought it was quite funny.