This morning has been arranged for you by our host, Prince Sukawati. He built these hotels in these valleys and forests and rice paddies for a reason. He believes that one is able to open creative channels when the ingredients are right. This is an ideal place for healing, reflection, contemplation and serenity. Our day begins with a breakfast on our terrace as we watch the misty dawn rise above the forest. At 8AM, in this spectacular setting, we will begin painting. Around 10:30 we will take a break with juices and coffee provided. We will continue painting until 1PM when we break for lunch. This afternoon there is an "optional" tour provided, however, you are free to continue painting.

The optional tour this afternoon will include visits to Ubud Palace, Ubud Market and the Museum Puri Lukisan where you will see the evolution of Balinese paintings through the ages. Or, you may wish to explore Ubud on your own. Ubud is a very “walkable” village, and walking through rice paddies talking to locals is encouraged. The hotel has transportation at your service to take you into town. Maybe a reflexology or shiatsu massage in the forest setting appeals to you. This evening we will enjoy one of Ubud’s local restaurants. After dinner you may wish to walk Monkey Forest Road and take in the atmosphere of Ubud at night.

Today’s morning schedule will be exactly as yesterday. Breakfast is served from 7 am. We begin painting at 8 am and around 10:30 will take a break with juices and coffee provided. We will paint until 1pm then have lunch at the Royal Pita Maha. This afternoon we will board our air-conditioned bus and take an "optional" trip to the village of Celuk, the center of Bali’s gold and silver industry. There we will visit the Krishna Yuna Art Shop, where they make and sell Bali’s finest sterling silver jewelry. Our next village is Tohpati, the center of Bali’s batik industry. Bali is known for its hand-dyed batik work, which is seen everywhere in the daily dress of Balinese. We will then return to the hotel where you will have time to get a massage to soothe those shopping aches and pains. For dinner this evening we will explore more of Ubud's nearly 200 restaurants.

Today we have an extraordinary opportunity. Prince Sukawati will lead our group to the Temple he designed and built. He will tell us how it came to be and the significance of the Temple. The Prince will have a group of Balinese painters join us to paint in the area around the temple. We will paint until lunch. A lunch box prepared for us by the Royal Pita Maha will be served. After lunch we will return to the hotel to relax before our exciting evening designed by Prince Sukawati. This is a great time to walk the famous Monkey Forest Road to shop for everything you can imagine. Would you like a hand-made, silk bedspread? Remember to bring measurements from the U.S. on your bed size as sizes are different here.

Dinner tonight is what makes our tour a total Balinese immersion; it is the creation of Prince Sukawati. We will be transported by coach to a village the Prince sponsors. The entire village will meet us as we arrive and they will prepare an evening meal and dine with us. This is about “getting to know you” as most villagers speak some English. You will be enchanted by them. They all want to know your name and practice their English. If you have a Kodak camera that produces instant pictures, please bring one with you. The villagers are enthralled with photographs of themselves. One of the best things Howard and I bring to other countries is ballpoint pens. These are very poor people and education is expensive for them. A pen is something children and adults covet. They don’t take up much space in a suitcase. As the Prince has had little contact with foreigners for over 12 years, this village excursion--planned entirely by him--brings us all closer together. After a dinner that few tourists will ever experience, we will return to the hotel.

Today is a fantastic adventure to paint one of the most beautiful places in Bali. We will get an early start in our air-conditioned mini vans to go up the mountain to Lake Bratan . We will set up on the banks of the lake to paint the 17th century water Temple known as Ulun Danu. It is one of the most picturesque and photographed in Bali. As it is much cooler in the mountains (be sure to bring a sweater or light jacket) we will be able to paint until mid afternoon. We will have a late tropical Balinese lunch and then return to the hotel to get a massage or rest as tonight is our Gala Farewell Dinner at the Royal Pita Maha. You are in for some amazing acts again, such as the Frog Dancers. The Prince has a night of surprises so again bring your camera.

This is the last day of our painting workshop. Be sure to have your bags ready because we are leaving for Kuta right after our farewell lunch with Prince Sukawati. We will be transported through Tegallalang, which boasts marvelous views of the tropical coffee plantations, palm trees and an impressive panorama of rice paddy terraces to the village of Kuta.

We will check in to the magnificent suites of the Patra Bali Villas and Resort.

The transition from the mountains of Ubud to the beaches of Kuta is seamless due to the quiet setting of the Patra Bali.

Dinner this evening will be in the Patra Bali's fantastic Japanese restaurant.

You have many choices today from riding horseback on the beach to an early morning dolphins-in-the-wild tour and swim. Today would be a great day to schedule time to visit Anika Tailor where they will quickly and inexpensively (generally 24 hour turn-around) create designer threads out of any material you select, based upon your photographs or patterns. (Bring pictures or patterns from Ralph Lauren to Versace and they will make them exactly as pictured.) Your most difficult task will be choosing from the rooms full of fabric from around the world. Anika Spa is one of our personal favorites as the setting is charming and the prices are the best in town. They will send a driver for you and bring you back after your spa treatment. Try their “Duo massage” with two therapists. There will be pre-reservation packs in your travel documents. Lunch will be in the Patra Bali's main restaurant.

Our dinner tonight is poolside at the Patra Bali for an Indonesian BBQ night the likes of which you’ve never seen. From 13 appetizers to soups and potatoes of every kind, the Grill corner will have lamb, pork, prawns, mackerel, snapper, sea crab and skewered squid all done with an Indonesian touch of spice. After dinner we’ll head to the club right off the pool for more fun.

Your day is free. You have many choices. Take the hotel shuttle or cab (they are really cheap) to the great shopping in nearby Legian and Seminyak. There is an optional cooking class (additional fee required) hosted by world-famous chef Heinz von Holzen of the Bumbu Bali restaurant who will personally instruct our group. The class begins at the local markets at 6AM to purchase the ingredients to be used in the day’s preparations. You will prepare a total of 27 Rijsttafel recipes which will make a magnificent lunch. Or maybe you want to spend the morning around our enormous pool with a lime squash drink nearby. The Patra Bali Spa is in a gorgeous setting. You can hear the sea, feel the breezes and immerse yourself in paradise. Lunch will be in one of Kuta’s native restaurants.

Around 5 PM we will enjoy a pleasant ride along the hills of Bali’s southern peninsula. This area, known as Bukit, offers a landscape and topography different from any other region of the island. This arid terrain is formed by millennia of coral sedimentations and is a world of its own. The beautiful, wild beaches are havens for surfers. At the end of the peninsula, perched on a sheer cliff, is the venerated Uluwatu Temple guarded by monkeys. Watch your hats and glasses as these little guys love to grab and run with whatever they can get! A performance of the Ramayana epic-based Kecak dance with the majestic temple and sunset as its background will top this memorable evening. On our way back to Kuta we will stop for a lobster dinner on Jimbaran beach under the stars.

Your morning is free to play or grab a cab to some of the best shopping around. Are there any optional tours that you haven’t taken yet? Go to Anika Spa and have your feet bathed in frangipani flowers before having one of their many spa treatments. Or simply enjoy quiet time around the pool. Lunch will be a pizza party at the Italian restaurant by the sea. Around 2PM we will visit Mengwi with the 17th century Tamanm Ayun Temple, a legacy of the glorious Royal era. From there we will head to the nearby Sacred Monkey Forest of Alas Kedaton. There is fun bargaining shopping here so make sure you are up on your Rupiahs. The afternoon ends with a spectacular sunset at the Tanah Lot Temple, one of the most photographed in the world. Dinner tonight will be at the famous Bumbu Bali restaurant for their famous Indonesian Rijsttafel which is a menu of 29 different dishes.

This is the day to get all the last minute shopping done, take one of those fantastic tours you haven’t gotten to yet or get in one more spa treatment. Why? Because they are so cheap and make you feel so good! Be sure to purchase some of the oils used for the massage. The jasmine is like nothing you can find in the States. Lunch will be a wonderful buffet at the Patra Bali.

Tonight the Patra Bali is throwing us a most unusual Farewell Dinner. It will be a sumptuous Mongolian stir-fry. You will chose from a huge variety of Indonesian starters, soups and hot selections of different forms of rice, pasta and potatoes. The live cooking will have a complete selection of meats, fish, prawns plus all the ingredients to make you sizzle. There will also be a cheese fondue and a carving table with roast lamb and roast beef with pepper sauce. There will be a wonderful musical group that plays everything (quietly). This will be a night to remember.