Coming to Indonesia from food heavens like Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, we naturally had our expectations sky high. And for the most part, Indonesian food scene didn't disappoint us; the grand ethic variety of the country definitely shows when it comes to their cuisine. We got to taste so many traditional foods like sate, nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodle), beef rendang (caramelised beef curry - and Denis' absolute favourite!) and super fresh seafood, amongst others. Also, a lunch buffet in a Balinese home surely counts to one of the food fiesta highlights...

Four months in tropics went by so quickly. It's a strange thing, because in the beginning of the trip we used to think that "it's such a long time, we'll have time for everything" or that "we'll get bored being on the road at some point", well no and no. It is not a long time and we did not get bored. Not even close! In fact, if anything, we were wishing we had chosen to do an entire year on the road...hindsight is 20/20, huh? In any case, here we were, saying goodbye to our time in Southeast Asia and to our already so worn out bathing suits (conveniently, it's mandatory to bathe naked in our next destination - Japanese hot springs!). 

But before tossing away the swim pants, we wanted to give them a one last run in the sun and splurged on this gorgeous resort for the last few days. Aside from going around the South-Kuta on one day and eating out on the Jimbaran beach, we just literally spoiled ourselves rotten in this beautiful area that combines two fabulous resorts together. We're not really big on staying in resorts but honestly, this time around, we couldn't have end our stay in Bali in any better way: A private beach, number of pool complexes, restaurants, saunas and pretty much anything and everything imaginable. But if I would have to point out one thing in particular, it would be the ridiculously outstanding service! According to Lorde we may never be royals, but here, in this place, you can definitely be treated like one. These people really go out of their way to make you feel special, and I don't mean just the staff but the Indonesians in general. They're just a very genuine and smiling nation that sort of infect people with their good mood.  

A few hours boat ride away from Bali and just off the coast of Lombok, lay the three little Gili islands- Air, Meno and Trawangan. Islands that in the past were mainly visited by backpackers and adventurers that were looking for off the beaten path places and untouched maritime paradises. Fast forward a few decades and the reality of these islands has completely changed. Whereas the islands still remains non-motorised, the heavy boat traffic and tourist load have each taken their toll on these once paradise islands. Not to say the initial beauty has vanished, but let's just say that the recent popularity comes with a price to pay. 

We had now spent almost a week in the Ubud area and it had been nothing short of adventurous. It really is a great spot in the heart of Bali that has so much to offer in terms of activities, culture and the marvellous nature. I don't even think it's possible to leave this place without thinking "wow, that was something else"- our thoughts exactly in the morning of the departure. 

But we just couldn't leave without checking out one more place that we had passed by on the road but never actually made a proper stop at: Tegalalang rice terrace. So to fix that, we hopped on a taxi early in the morning and drove to the scene. It was breathtaking to stand on the edge of this steep rice terrace that seemed to stretch out in all directions. We got down the cliff to the bottom and walked back up again on the other side of the field- and it felt like we were all alone in this vertical labyrinth. In the end we were really glad we came, because we thought this was probably even prettier than the famous Jatiluwih rice terrace we had seen before...

All in all this felt like a good way to end our time in Ubud and Bali (for now), leave the lush greeneries behind us and welcome a different kind of paradise- the Gili islands. So bittersweet. 

One of the best ways to see more of Bali is to plan a day on the road and venture off your base. The most common way to do this is to hire a taxi driver, sit back and enjoy! This is exactly what we did on one of our first days in Ubud, and looking back now in retrospective it was an excellent choice. In just one day we saw so much of this stunning island, and not only these impeccable "sights", but also the real Balinese villages and the raw nature. Who would have known that driving through these authentic villages would end up being one of the highlights of this little road trip! Also, like I wrote on my previous post, our driver was full of stories and every time we would see some ceremonies or happenings along the way, he would jump right in and explain what was going on. So, it was all pretty much a visual learning experience...

One of the very first things we did in Ubud was visiting the Monkey Forest nature reserve. It's actually interesting how there are some places that one just 'must' visit while in Bali, and this was one of them. Conveniently located just at the end of the main street (Jalan Raya), it was a fun place to start discovering this magical town that lies in the middle of lush jungles and rice paddy slopes and is also recognised as one of Bali's cultural hubs. 

And while this forest, like the name suggests, is full of monkeys, not all of the 350 are nice ones. A word of advice: They do jump at every opportunity to snatch something out of your hands and pockets, or maybe they even grab the hat or sunnies you're wearing! Like I said, not nice. We had heard some stories prior to coming here and knew to take all precaution possible by hiding removable things that potentially could end up in wrong hands. Seriously, in the blink of an eye they could already be tossing away your phone or snapping pictures with your camera if you didn't pay attention to your surroundings...they're way more skilled than you'd think.