04/07/23
Canggu – Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
For breakfast, we ate at Cargo Cafe. I ordered the E&B with an orange juice (60k IDR) and we shared the salt & chili calamari (53k IDR).
We packed up and made our way to Ubud (1hr drive). We stayed at the Hidden Bali Inn.
We met up with our friends Daniel & Natalie and we went to Yoga Barn. We did a yoga class called Cranial Yoga with instructor Lawrence Jay (he’s Canadian). The class was 150K IDR. It was a very different yoga class than any others I’ve done before. He focused on not forcing the body but instead listening to it by allowing the body to move in any direction of its desire.
We all hold tension on many levels and this class helps you separate thought and let your body just find its own flow. After the class, we hung out and grabbed some snacks at the cafe.
Yoga Barn is a massive facility and on Friday nights they host ecstatic dance where music plays and you just let loose and let your body take control. While the adults are dancing, the kids have a movie area in the cafe to hang out.
We parted ways and Bev and myself walked back. The humidity that hit you in Canggu subsided in Ubud and it made walking a lot more enjoyable especially with the soft lighting of the sun setting. This place is definitely more walking friendly.
We ended up ordering food at the Inn. We ordered the nasi goreng special (35k IDR), sautéed mixed (25k IDR) vegetables and chicken satay skewers (20k IDR).
We had an early night to prep for the following morning activities – Sunrise hike of Mt Batur.
04/08/23
Ubud – Mt Batur, Bali, Indonesia
230AM call time to hike up Mt Batur for sunrise. We booked this tour via Airbnb Experiences ($58CAD). It was myself, Bev, Daniel & Natalie. We had Jero Banteng as our driver and Don as our Tour guide. We thought we would be hiking up with my friend Daphiny but turns out even though she booked the same tour, she was in with another couple to hike up with. An hour drive to the base of the mountain in the Kimtamani region.
The moon was wild with a full circle called a 22 degree halo. Don our guide handed us a bamboo walking stick and a headlamp at the base and off we went. I wore shorts, a tank top and a zipper jacket. It was roughly 19°C which is super comfortable for me as the average that week has been 30°C with humidity. By the time we passed the lettuce on the farm we walked through, I had to remove my jacket.
At first, I didn’t think I needed the bamboo stick but it was such a blessing. Mt Batur is an active volcano so loads of Volcanic rock and sediment/skree around. Roughly 700 others hiked up that day. It took about 1.5 hours to get up. Once at the top, we sat on a bench while we were waiting for the sun to rise, our guide made us breakfast of boiled banana sandwiches, a boiled egg, chocolate bar, snake fruit, Clementines and a warm drink (tea or coffee).
Even before the sun started to rise, it just felt magical at the top and definitely worth the hike up. The hike wasn’t too strenuous but even for an above average level of fitness it does take a bit of work and there definitely was sweat especially between the back and backpack. It is an incline the entire time.
As the sun was rising, I heard someone call my name and from the level above, it was Daphiny. We also met her tour buddies Austin & Hailey from Maine. We ended up all staying together for the rest of the hike/day.
The sun started to rise quickly at that point and the sky filled with orange spanning the full horizon and even peeking between clouds and mountains with Lake Batur shining as well. Magical is all I can really say.
When the sun was fully up and everyone had taken their photos, up further we went. At certain points, you can actually find mounds where you can feel the heat seeping through. There was one photo spot as you step into the Crater that they used a cigarette to help aid in creating more steam. This is also where the wind picked up making it chilly.
We walked further up the ridge and there was so much more to look at. What goes up must come down but this time with light. I have more trouble going up than down but it was fun and hectic going back down.
We made it down and headed straight to Batur Natural Hot Springs and well, it’s not quite a natural spa but more like a water park/terraced pools. We didn’t stay long (even though 1.5hrs is allotted there). We also decided to skip the coffee Plantation visit since majority of us already had done it.
Everyone passed out on the car ride back to the main area of Ubud. We decided to have brunch together. We went to KAFE. I ordered Bubur Injin (black rice pudding w/coconut & banana) (30K IDR) & a Yerba Mate (35K IDR).
With Bev, Austin, & Hailey we went to Tukies for some dessert. I got the Cendal (sago jelly, coconut milk, pandan, jack fruit and palm sugar) (34K IDR).
Rested for a bit before getting a Balinese massage at Putri Spa Salon. Hour and half couples massage.
After the massage, we (Bev, Daniel & Natalia) went to Toro Sushi for dinner. I ordered the Chirashi bowl (105K IDR). We walked a bit after dinner and finished the night with Earth Mama from Coco Kind – coconut based ice creams.
04/09/23
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia – Taipei, Taiwan
I went for an early morning walk before having breakfast at the Inn.
After breakfast, we walked through a portion of the Kajeng Rice fields.
Made our way to the main shopping area of Jl Hanoman street to browse the stores before having to leave. Our ride to the airport was about 1.5hrs. When we arrived at the airport, we found out that our flight was delayed about an hour.
We ate lunch at the airport – Made’s Warung. I got a Bintang Radler (59K IDR) and the Nasi Campur (152K IDR).
We flew with Eva Air (4hr51min). Sanrio themed everything. The flight was relatively smooth but since we arrived at 11PM and had to go through customs, the service desk where I had reserved an Easycard and MRT ticket package via Klook were closed so had to order a taxi into town. Our taxi driver was good and got us in under an hour (1350TWD).
The temperature was 20°C on arrival which is super nice especially with the lack of humidity.
