BALI – CANGGU AND UBUD

ARRIVAL IN BALI

After ten days on Flores it was time for some Westernised creature comforts and we flew to Bali for just that.

We arrived, got a cab, and headed to Canggu, where we’d booked our accommodation.

The place we were staying in was lush. A wooden private cabin, with ensuite bathroom and a pool just ten strides away.

We settled in and went for a wander around Canggu.

 

CANGGU

Walking around Canggu it seemed to be a perfect blend of Western influenced eateries, bars and shops, surrounded by rice fields and Balinese authenticity.

Stepping out from our accommodation, there were rice fields stretching on for miles.

As we walked further, we came to some high-end shops and fantastic cafes and stopped to eat at this hipster establishment called Crate. Check it out if you’re in town, it’s excellent.

Walking a little further we arrived at Batu Belig beach and found a great spot to have a few drinks and watch the sunset.

SURFER’S PARADISE

Canggu is definitely a surfer’s paradise. You can see dozens of surfers riding their scooters down to the beach, with their boards attached.

The beaches here were beautiful. Black, volcanic sand lined the shore and the waves were epic. I didn’t surf while I was there, but I did get in the sea and get thrown around by the waves like I was a ragdoll. Great fun.

 

MORE SIGHTS FROM CANGGU

We spent a few nights in Canggu and I really enjoyed it. Some great food, awesome accommodation, beautiful beaches, friendly locals and some authentic culture made it an excellent few days.

Here’s a few more random snaps from our time there:

One other thing to mention is that on one night in Canggu we were awoken by a rustling noise, which I initially put down to the wind. It got loader and turned into a flapping noise.

We switched on the light and realised we had a bat in our cabin.

Holly was brave enough to open the door, while I cowered behind the bed like a real man.

The bat darted, dived and swooped around the room for a good 20 minutes, before it finally found its way out of the door.

Anyway, enough of that. Onto our second and final stop in Bali – Ubud.

UBUD

After a few great relaxing days in Canggu we were heading up to Ubud for another 4 nights, to complete our Indonesian adventure.

We got a cab up to Ubud. An hours drive, through the beautiful Balinese countryside and checked into our hotel on Monkey Forest road.

Again, as with Canggu, there were some fantastic places to eat here and none more so than Ganesha, the Indian restaurant. I loved it here. If you’re in town make sure you go there and try the black dhal. Incredible.

 

MONKEY FOREST

As we were staying on Monkey Forest road, it would be rude not to visit the Monkey Forest; which is exactly as you’d expect – a forest full of monkeys! Grey long-tailed macaque monkeys, to be specific.

I’d seen plenty of monkeys on my trip, but you can never see too many really. Well worth a visit.

Watch out though, they will try and take your belongings and maybe attack you if you look at them the wrong way!

Even without the monkeys the forest would be worth a visit. There’s a stream running through the forest, within a deep valley and a number of temples.

Here’s a selection of snaps from the forest:

There was one monkey who had become blind and was confined to a cage on his own, as he wouldn’t survive amongst the others. So sad.

 

CAMPUHAN RIDGE WALK

Another typical tourist attraction in Ubud is the Campuhan Ridge walk, so we embarked on this on one day that we were here.

This is a very easy trek, but with some great scenery to take in.

At the beginning of the trek you walk over a small bridge which takes you over the Campuhan River and this leads past the Pura Gunung Lebah temple.

Walking on a few hundred yards, the view opens up. Slopes and hills as far the eye can see and a deep gorging valley.

Walking further on the view changes to that of some beautiful rice fields and the small village of Bangkiang Sidem.

Karsa Cafe is situated here and is a great stop off for a bite to eat or a couple of drinks. Some people turn back here and retrace their steps back into Ubud, but we decided to take the loop back to town, which ended up being a 9km walk.

Here’s some more snaps from the rest of the trek. I noticed that for some reason Ubud is home to a vast number of art galleries:

 

A FEW OTHER RANDOM SHOTS

Here’s a few other random shots from our time in Ubud, showing the town streets and quirky boutique shops.

LEAVING INDONESIA

After spending time in Lombok, Flores and Bali, we were leaving Indonesia.

It had been an awesome time all in all.

I headed back to Bangkok for a while, to catch up on the blog and figure out what was next.

So what was next? Read on….