How do you do that again?

It was a day devoted to hedonistic delights – and a good portion of them involving food! Today was our cooking class at the hotel which involved us preparing an Indonesian banquet and then sitting down and eating the results of our efforts. Well, I say preparing -the chef allowed us to chop a few vegetables and stir the pan a bit. Not that I mind – I didn’t come all the way here to have to cook my food. It was a good five courses and many of them will be replicated back home one day for you lot J

The afternoon was a bit of a relax for me with a spa and Chris pounded the tennis courts with a practice partner. He’s so enthused he wants us to come back again for longer next time. The spa was a little hidden gem nestled in the foothills of a valley, complete with rushing waterfall passing by underneath. I could stand a bit more of it I have to say…

But the best was saved until last – dinner at Mozaic. Now Mozaic has a bit of a reputation in Bali as being The place to go for fine dining and it certainly lived up to its reputation. I was in raptures over the food – and I think you all know by now that I don’t give praise lightly. I had the surprise menu and they were extremely accommodating to my fussy tastes. Of course it comes with a fairly hefty price tag – but it was worth it, especially as Chris was paying for it 🙂

Chris @ Mount Batur

Sigh! Why do I do these things? A bike ride from Kintamani down to Ubud seemed like such a good idea at the time. I needed a bit of exercise while I was away and in a desperate effort to stave off the 2kg weight gain that usually accompanies these holidays, I thought a bit of adventuring was in order. 

The trip up took about an hour. The trip down took all of a minute. Yes, I suffered an ignominious tumble before we’d even started downhill L Damn trigger touch front brake sent me hurtling over the handlebars onto the road to everyone’s amusement. Fortunately I didn’t fall off again and it was downhill all the way to Ubud holding onto the brakes with a death grip… at least until we got to the valley. Then a series of hills that a car would have trouble climbing awaited. Less said about that the better. The relaxing bath (and cocktails) at day’s end was gratefully received.

Telaja Waja River

White water rafting was the order of the day today at the Telaja Waja River. Woohoo is all I can say – that was a lot of fun. We even had a 4m drop to navigate. Well, Chris didn’t think it was so much fun, for the Japanese lady in front of him hurtled back and her helmet clocked his chin. Quite funny to watch however. Apparently we have the photos to prove it, but as I don’t have them yet, you’ll have to be content with my hammy shot at the waterfall posing point. I tried to work the lifejacket and strappy sandals look, but I don’t know that I quite pulled it off.  

I know, I know… I said New Zealand was the next destination for an overseas holiday, but a two year house building process has meant our options had narrowed considerably and Bali was pretty much the only thing we could afford 🙂

Anyway, we arrived safely and let me state now for future reference that we never wish to fly JetStar again! Well, apart from the trip home of course. I mean, I know it’s a budget airline, but the leg room is ridiculous! OK, finished with the airline vent.

View from villa

We’re staying at the Maya Ubud which is nestled in the hills and is a far contrast to everything around it. Bali really hasn’t changed that much in 15 years. It’s still unrelentingly grim in places, so this is really an oasis – photos to come… but here is the website if you’re interested: www.mayaubud.com