What to do in Bali - Part 2

After a few amazing days in Uluwatu it was time to move on, but not before one more trip to the beach! We headed down to Jimbaran beach which was probably the most commercial area we'd been to so far. The beach is lined with hotels and their cafes, so not as unspoilt as the other beaches we'd been to in the area.

But Jimbaran is a great place to get a surf lesson if you're a beginner, I pre booked a 1-1 lesson the day before with Rezha Surf School. They were absolutely great and would literally swim you out and physically help you catch the waves - if someone as uncoordinated as me can do it, anyone can!

The other thing Jimbaran is great for is fresh seafood, as the afternoon rolls on the warungs on the beach will bring out tables and line them up right by the breaking waves. And as the tide goes out and the sun sets it's the perfect spot for an evening meal. I'm sure all of the warungs are great but we went to Made Bagus Cafe, the last warung in the line and it was delicious. Starting with satay chicken and ending with seafood platters.

After our day at Jimbaran we began the journey away from the coast and to Ubud. Again we just arranged for a taxi to drive us, though be warned, traffic can be really bad so avoid rush hour!

In Ubud we once again turned to Air BnB and found a gorgeous double room in a Nature Lodge located literally in the middle of rice paddies. Again, the staff here were so friendly and there was a great communal area with a small pool for socialising with others staying there.

Ubud was a fantastic town to just wander around, it's here you can find any souvenirs you'd like with an art market in the centre. This will give you your first opportunity for some haggling which can seem a bit intimidating if you've never done it before. I'm no expert but generally I would go in at 50% of the asking price and went from there, but always bear in mind you're probably haggling over a couple of quid, so don't get too hung up on stuff.

There's some lovely temple areas and gardens dotted off the main street in Ubud to explore and boutiques to check out. We also had some delicious cheap meals in Ubud; I'd recommend checking out Rm Makan Padang Sumber Hidup if you're tired of Nasi Goreng, it's almost like a bit of a buffet with different vegetarian, meat and fish on offer. Again though my top tip is to download trip advisor and look up all the different small warungs on offer

Before I went to Ubud I'd read all about hiring a bike and cycling to the rice paddies, which sounded great, but in reality was insane. The hills combined with the heat resulted in us quickly cycling back to Ubud, locking up our bikes and finding a friendly driver we offered to take us on a mini tour.

We not only got to wander through the amazing rice paddy fields but then went to the Water Temple and Rock Temple. Each of them was incredible in their own way and it was lovely to get out of the town and see a different part of Bali.

One of the absolute best things we did in Bali was hike up Mount Batur for sunrise. As a heads up this isn't a quick and easy stroll and I'm not embarrassed to admit I struggled up, tip here? Have snacks and lots of water on hand to keep your energy up! But all the hard work was more then worth it when we got to the top and watched the sun rise over the outline and the island come alive. The views were unlike anything I've ever seen before.

We pre booked out hike with one of the many tour companies on offer, they'll pick you up from Ubud around 1.30am and drive you to a half way point up. Once at the top they'll then also give you breakfast which we snacked on while enjoying the views before the monkey's came to join us!

The guides who take you up are so kind and experienced and the walk down (which is obviously a tad easier then going up) was a great chance to meet more travellers. Definitely don't miss out on this opportunity in Bali!

I'll cut things off here and in my next post will cover out final stretch of the trip which took us to Gili T and back to the beaches!

SHARE:

Labels: Travel