During my spring break in Bali, we decided to visit two places, Ubud and Kuta. Our first stop was in Ubud, which is a village in Bali that showcase the culture of Bali. It has a traditional vibe and it's filled with terrace rice paddle, markets, temples, and beautiful scenery. During our time in Ubud, we stayed at Rice Palm Villa, which we booked through Airbnb. Some of the activities we did in Ubud are:
ATV Riding
I was pumped and ready to drive this ATV because it was my first time driving an ATV. Although I was excited o drive, I ended up going way to fast and crashed in the bushes. It took a while for me to drive it well. Then, my ATV got stuck in a muddy area. As I was trying to push it out, I got splashed with dirty mud water! I didn't expect to get down and dirty, but it was part of the adventure. After we got unstuck, the drive was exhilarating. There is something about driving super fast that makes me feel stress free.
Lempuyang Temple
This temple was located high up in the mountain. Before, we entered the temple, we had to wrap ourselves with a sarang and cover our shoulders with a yellow shawl. You cannot enter the temple without a sarang covering your body. As you enter the temple, there is a person that will spray some water on your head. This is to cleanse and remove negative/evil things from entering the temple. One the right side of the temple, there was a huge altar for people to pray and give their offerings. On the left side, it was the 'Gate of Heaven', a popular place that many people take their picture. Since the temple was very high in the mountain, it feels like you are touching the clouds and it was breathtaking.
Tirta Gangga
Pictures can't describe or give this place justice. I cannot even describe this place to anyone in words. You have to go and experience this place with your own eyes. On the right side of the area, there was a fountain in the middle and stepping stone in the water. Also, there were huge fishes in the water and when you start to feed them they surround the area where the food is coming from. If you are starting to feel hot, you can take a dip in the public pool in the back. In the surroundings, there were trees, swing, and green grass. As we were at Tirta Gangga, many Chinese tourists asked to take pictures with us.
Tukad Cepung Waterfall
To get to the waterfall, we had to walk down a huge flights of stairs. The stairs were wide and tall to walk on. Once we got to the waterfall, it was beautiful. Since my shoes wasn't waterproof, I had to walk barefoot and it was painful because the rocks kept piercing my foot. There was two waterfalls at the destination. There was one outside with trees and leaves surrounding it, while the second waterfall was located inside a dark cave. If you plan on taking pictures in the cave, make sure you have a waterproof lens on your camera.
Coffee Plantain
The guide at the coffee plantain showed us the process of making coffee. The coffee and the tea was 100% organic. Fun fact, cappuccino is actually made from cat poop!I didn't know this at all. After the tour, we had a coffee and tea tasting. We had various coffee and tea to try, but I would say the spice tea, coconut coffee, lemongrass tea, and the panuna tea.
Tegaalang Rice Terrace and Swings
The rice terrace view is amazing. Seeing these beautiful scenery, it makes me marvel at God's creation and the knowledge He gave people to create it. The greenness and the structure of the terrace were like steps. In some areas, there were places overfilled with water, which is the rice that's being planted. In the Rice Terrace, there was the Bali Swing. The swing is very, very high. So, if you are afraid of height, I would advice you not to do it. However, if you want to do it, I say go for it. When I was on the swing, I felt liberating and free as a bird. I couldn't scream, but I felt liberated and free as a bird. Plus, the view of the rice terrace from the Bali swing was freaking amazing.
Campuhan Ridge Walk
The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a relatively easy hiking trail that leads you into the rice field. The only thing I regret about the hike was the time we went. We hiked around 9 am, when the sun was high in the sky and I was seriously melting. At the end of the ridge walk,we went into the town of Bangkian Sidem, where we saw beautiful painting, rice fields, and interesting architectures.
Wanna Jungle Resort & Bar
After taking a hike at the Campuhan Ridge Walk, we went to a spa resort and bar to relax.
Ubud Market
The market was filled with traditional clothes and jewelry, There were stalls of food, clothes, straw bags, souvenirs, wood carving, and painting.
Ubud Monkey Forest
This forest was filled with monkey everywhere. As you are walking, you would see monkeys playing, eating, grooming, sleeping, and doing their everyday life things. As I was walking the forest, I was a little scared because I didn't want the monkeys to jump on me or take any of my stuff. Thank goodness, it didn't happened. Well, two incidents happened as we were there. One girl was bitten by a monkey, while my sister was slightly attacked by a monkey as she was trying to take a picture.
I had a great time in Ubud, Bali. Now, time to head over to Kuta!