No phone, no pool, no pets

After the extravagance of my $30-a-night lodging at a hotel/spa, I have moved downscale to much more humble guest-house accommodations up a side street in central Ubud, $12 per night. Pity me:

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I do go on about how much (or little) stuff costs, but can you show me a place in Portland that offers a 1-hour full-body oil massage for five bucks? I will happily forego a meal to slot this in the daily budget.

In trying different places in search of The Ideal, some are clearly better than others. Take last night’s gal: hands like a bricklayer, but gag-inducing oils. No kidding, a dog followed me for blocks barking wildly at the cloying reek, and at my homestay entrance, a local guy commented, from across the street: “Been to masseuse?”

My research continues and I’m sure you don’t want to hear a damned thing about it (except you, Patty, this would all be of great professional interest to you).

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Random picture time.

Justin turned me on to this wonderful fruit, which resembles a hairy strawberry; you peel them to get to the succulent grape-like part. The tree they grow on is next to my new place.

No, no -- these people are "Buddhists," not "Bundists!"