Beautiful Bali

50 minutes on a fast boat is pretty hard going, but it got me to land where I was able to get my bus to take me to Ubud, Bali. What was supposed to be just over an hours journey turned into a 2 hour journey when the wheel axle on our bus broke. We had to wait for roughly half an hour for another bus to come and get us. The second bus got me safely to Ubud and luckily it stopped only 15 minutes walk from my hostel, The Happy Mango at a price of £4 per night.

As soon as I arrived at the hostel I went out to book a morning trek up
Mount Batur which is an active volcano, last eruption was in 2000.

The trek cost me 350,000 IDR which included transport, breakfast, a guide and lunch. I was picked up in Ubud at 2:30am so that we could see the sunrise over neighbouring volcanos. Walking 1,700m up a volcano is not easy at all, but I did it and was extremely proud of myself, even overtaking many other groups.

We made the trek in good time for sunrise, but, unfortunately it is rainy season in Indonesia and the beautiful view was ruined by cloud and rain.
But the trek was still an
amazing experience and a great achievement for me.

Our guide then took us on a walk around the top of the volcano to view the steam vents, where we could warm ourselves up, just a shame it couldn’t dry us too, the old lava flows and the spot where there was once a village which was wiped out by an eruption and an ancient cave used as a temple which is very sacred so we were unable to go inside.

The trek was amazing and I would certainly recommend it.

Wanting to stay active after an alcohol fuelled and lazy week on Gili, I booked a cycling tour for the following day. The tour cost 300,000IDR and was worth every penny. We had a massive traditional breakfast of black rice and coconut milk, chicken, rice, crackers, salad and pancake, overlooking Mount Batur which I had climbed the day before. The sun was out and I was able to see the volcano in all its beauty. We then hopped on our bikes and cycled through Ubud to the local villages, where the children were extremely excited to see us, running along and shouting hello. We saw people at work in the rice fields and got to marvel at the beauty of Bali away from the tourist hot spots. We were then treated to another traditional feast of roasted duck, chicken, rice, noodles, satay, vegetables and an array of sauces also followed by a fruit and honey dessert. Delicious!

I have really enjoyed my time in Ubud, next stop is Kuta which I have been warned is a noisy, touristy area, but 1 night before I leave wonderful Bali wont harm.