Once upon a time…
There was a prince named Rama and his beautiful wife Sita. They journeyed into the jungle one day with Rama’s brother, Laksamana.
However, Maricha, the demonic lord, detected their journey. He knew King Rawhana wanted to kidnap the beautiful princess Sita. So he transformed himself into a golden deer, hoping to lure Sita away.
Sita saw the golden deer but asked Rama to kill it for her. Rama left Sita under the protection of Laksamana. He hunted the deer and fired an arrow at it. It screamed and transformed back into Maricha.
Sita heard the scream and ordered Laksamana to help Rama. However, Laksamana didn’t believe it was Rama’s scream. Nonetheless, he obliged, but not before putting a magic circle around her.
King Rawhana sensed that Sita was alone. He approached her, disguised as an old, thirsty priest. He pleaded to her for water.
She sympathized and extended water to him. Then he snatched her out of the circle and began carrying her back to his kingdom.
A giant bird, Jatayu, descended from the sky. It tried to rescue Sita, but Rawhana defeated it.
Rama and Laksamana returned to the circle to find the dying bird. Jatayu explained to Rama and Laksamana what happened. And then it passed on.
Then the white monkey warrior Hanoman swooped down from the trees with his troop of monkeys. Rama ordered Hanoman to rescue Sita.
Meanwhile, King Rawhana pressured Sita to marry him. However, one of the maids persuaded him to postpone the ceremony one more day. In that time, Hanoman and his monkey warriors arrived at the king’s palace.
An epic battle ensued. The king and his men defended against them well. However, Rama appeared for the grand finale. He fired a lethal shot from his bow, and the king died.
Everyone celebrated the defeat of the evil king. Rama and Sita lived happily ever after.
Background
That was the ancient Sanskrit epic, Ramayana--first spoken over 2500 years ago. Today it is Indonesia’s most treasured theatre performance. And what better place to see it than Ubud--Bali’s (and arguably Indonesia’s) cultural mecca.
Ubud
Jameelah and I arrived in Ubud today. It was a 25 mile (35km) taxi ride north of Seminyak. I paid $20--a bit high, given the low cost of living here. But I guess only Westerners use the taxis anyway. No wonder the price was extorted.
We targeted a cheap guesthouse from our guidebook. Cheap it was, but also eerie. It had more family residents than travelers. And the family members looked at us with a glassy stare--especially the old woman. Nonetheless, we already paid cash and had lots to do that day.
Jameelah sold me on this healthy restaraunt/lounge from the guidebook. It’s called Casa Luna. And let me tell you, we felt right at home there. We picked the seats at the edge overlooking the lush waterfall. We ordered various health tonics, ranging from apple mint to ginger-celery-orange mixes. Each tonic had it’s own benefits. The apple mint purified the blood while others improved memory, increased energy, or provided relaxation.
We sat there for three hours--drinking, talking, being. I ordered at least six over that span; and it was expensive at $1.50-$2 each; but it was oh so worth it. I had felt weak and a little sick the past two days; but after Casa Luna, I felt renewed.
We went to the tourism center to see the list of performances in town. There were many. We took time to analyze and create the best itinerary for our three days here. We selected Ramayana Ballet for tonight performed by the Bina Remaja troupe.
It was an amazing, exquisite theatre performance! The costumes were vivid. Their movements were strong and precise. The actors did not speak much--yet their communication was crystal clear.
The play was driven by 20 Gamelan drummers, lining the edge of the stage. The music was just as precise and strong. It blew us away. For $8 a piece, this show was worth every penny and then some.
We wandered into the Reggae bar afterward. A live reggae band (all Indonesians) played Bob Marley tunes. We enjoyed the tunes and even danced a bit.
I’ve concluded that Reggae is everywhere backpackers are. Quote me on that. 
Pay attention to the womens’ precise eye movements.