22nd Feb 2008 - 24th Feb 2008UbudUbud is the cultural center, in the middle of Bali. Charles (the diver I met on Lembongan, and one of very few fellow backpackers I met in Indonesia) and I decided to rent motorbikes in Ubud so we could get out of town a bit and explore the back roads. We spent 3 days cruising around, checking out small villages, rice paddies and temples. We even went to a monkey forest where the monkeys jumped on our shoulders and heads (there was a local guy with bread trying to sell photos. Wild monkeys didn't just jump on us for no reason.) It was very beautiful, very green and lush. The locals were friendly and the weather was beautiful. We had arrived in the rain, but it cleared up and we somehow managed to get a few days of sunshine. It wasn't all perfect. I somehow managed to get a flat tire and had to have the tube on the motorbike replaced, but it only cost about $3 US, and there is a motorbike repair shop about once every 10 feet, so overall things weren't to bad.
We ate at some nice restaurants, and even took in a show to get some culture, watching traditional balinese Legong dancers. It's really cool how they move their hands and heads and even their eyes. They look like puppets.
Three days in the middle of the island was enough, however. We had seen most everything we cared to see and we were both ready to get out of Ubud and get back to the beach. Our next destination, Gili Trawangan, a little island between Bali and Lombok, known for its diving and its reputation as a traveler's hot spot.
