Notes from a slow week in Bali

It rained almost every afternoon, which turned out to be the best thing about the trip. With nothing to rush to, I read three books, walked to the morning market every day and learned the names of exactly four kinds of banana.

The rice terraces north of Ubud are busy by nine, empty again by six. Go late, stay for the light, and let the frogs do the talking.

I also tried developing black-and-white film in a hotel bathroom. The changing bag worked, the thermometer did not, and the negatives came out with a gentle grain that I'm choosing to call a style.