After a small week on Bali with the feeling that I hadn’t seen any of the island or of the people, we headed Maxime and I to Ubud. Ubud is located right in the center of the island and his most known for its temples and its surrounding nature and volcanos.
Max and I are avid fans of Tennis and he is probably one of the most emotionally engaged fan I have ever met in my entire life… This became especially true when we arrived in Ubud, exactly during the Federer - Wawrinka semi final of the Australian open. Being Swiss, Max was proudly watching the match, supporting the incredible comeback of Roger into the highest spheres of the world of tennis. With Federer winning and Nadal on its way to the final, we were set for a nerve wracking match on Sunday afternoon! Since I am a massive Rafa supporter, the match was intense on court and off court in our local bar in Ubud. Max’s love for Roger, hate for Rafa and swearing during the final cannot possibly be matched and I was very happy for him that the outcome came his (and Roger's) way otherwise we were in for a moody, borderline sad few days… Anyway :) you have to give it to Roger thought. I don’t remember him turning things around like that in the 5th set being 3-1 down to win the match outplaying Nadal, aggressing him with raw class scoring some points that can only leave you wondering how long this guy is going to be able to pull out that kind of magic.
Of course our stay there were not limited to being in bars watching sports… far from it!
Our first full day there was probably the fullest I had so far during my holiday. We rented some scooters and went on to discover Ubud’s surroundings. We dragged a few new friends in our adventure: Sophie from London, Libby from Barcelona, and Sarah H. from Atlanta. Our small group made the most of the local highlights. In chronologic order we managed to visit Tegenungan waterfall, the hidden canyon Beji Guwang, the waterfall of Kanto Lampo, and the temple of Pura Tirta Empul.
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| Hidden canyon. |
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| Small waterfall in the canyon. |
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| Kanto Lampo waterfall. |
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| Monster in Pura Tirta Empul |
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| Hot spring in Pura Tirta Empul. |
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| Pura Tirta Empul. People queueing to be in contact the holly fountains and present offerings to the temple. |
Back in Ubud I was dreaming to try again the amazing fried bananas with cheese (!!!) we had on our first diner in Ubud at the infamous Warung Ijo (a warung is a typical local restaurant - usually both good and cheap). Unfortunately for me and for the group it would have to be postponed to the following day since the kitchen had close before we could order dessert.
The next day was equally nice. Good company and my first ever yoga practice. Sarah was kind enough to introduce us to Yoga for an hour private lesson. The experience was great and I can’t wait to show you the timelapse I made out of it (I’ll share it either when back in Europe or when I find a good enough internet connection).
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| Yoga!!! It was an amazing experience for me. |
We went on to visit the Monkey forrest, a place full of … monkeys quite obviously. I learnt a few things along the way:
Never Ever stare a monkey in the eyes as the little fella will perceive this as a sign of aggression.
Never touch a monkey… your little buddy can touch you and jump on your shoulder but do not touch it… This is a wild animal and not a pet. We witness an overly enthusiast Chinese tourist that learnt that the hard way.
Be careful with your belongings… Monkeys are smart little fuckers. One reached out to my pocket and managed to get away with my entrance ticket. I observed him helplessly tearing apparently the piece of paper.
These little creature are fantastic to observe. Their social interactions are so close to ours. I loved it.
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| Angry little monkey that just jumped off me trying to steal from my pocket. |
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| Playful monkeys. |
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| Daddy wants to play to. |
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| That one did succeed to take my entrance out of my pocket. Happily tearing it appart. |
We have faced few other species of local fauna: lizards of all size (from a few centimetres to more than half a meter), an emerald green snake, a lot of ducks (a local delicatessen), and countless colourful birds during our time walking around Ubud and its rice paddies. What a lovely photogenic place this is!
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| Scenic walk in Ubub. |
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| Trail in the northern part of Ubud. |
Our 5 units group decided to head East towards Lombok to go to the Gili Islands, an archipelago of 3 islands. Gili T (trawangan) will be our first stop.
Happy days!
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| Wandering in the streets of Ubud. Libby, Sophie, Justin, Chad and Sarah :) |
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