Why is it that if you buy a camera you are a photographer whereas if you buy a violin you own a violin. Anonymous

While my friends Bill and Emily have been exemplary hosts I thought it best to move on, that whole fish and guests and how both stink after a few days.

So this morning I packed up, walked 15 minutes south on Jalan Kjeng to Starbucks, turned left on the main drag Jalan Raya Ubud, walked three blocks, then walked north about 15 minutes to a house on Jalan Sri Wedari.

My new lodging is a spacious 2 bedroom 2 bath house with a big kitchen, a large outdoor bathroom, a patio and deck, and a shared pool. More room than I need: I've room for guests should anyone want to jump a plane. Just be aware the whole island of Bali will be closed - and I mean literally closed, streets, sidewalks, airport, everything - this coming Tuesday. More on that later.

The house, or villa as they say in Bali, is in a complex of houses with a shared staff that takes care of housekeeping, gardening, security, and whatever else needs doing. Like breakfast: each morning someone will come cook me breakfast, then clean up. Nice, eh? I'm thinking labor is cheap. This multi-house, shared-staff model is common here.

Unfortunately, between moving and shopping for groceries at the Coco mart and accompanying Emily on another property inspection, between all this I didn't take any interesting photos so instead I've some uninteresting ones of where I'm staying.

I'm listening to Pangkur from Gamelan music of the Jasmine isle. And I'm reading A House in Bali, the Canadian composer Colin McPhee's story of his life and the music of Bali in the 30's. McPhee's pre-tourism Bali is quite different from present-day Bali, but the culture he describes is still here, and you still hear the distinctive trance-like Gamelan music.