Riding the vulcano - downhill!

After several cool and delicious dips in the pool and soaking in the still, quite nights in Ubud we decided to go on a bike ride. We were driven to the top of the volcano for a breakfast of pineapple pancakes and sweet tea, all with a sweeping view of the crater and lake. Then, off we went – down hill to Ubud!

Seeing Bali by bike is a great way of experiencing life here.

We stopped to look at vanilla pods growing, to savour cool tropical fruits in a paddy field and to take pictures of the many happy children running in the streets after our bikes. After several miles of downhill we hit our first uphill, the guides were greeted with the shouts of ‘I thought this was all down hill’ as we slowed our pace and puffed up hill!

But, we were never disappointed as our friendly guides yelled ‘next left’ and we went rushing from concrete roads onto bumpy, muddy paths. These were the greatest parts of this trip as we ventured onto paths less travelled and were rewarded with seeing animals, birds, and Balinese people getting on with their daily lives.

By 1pm we had reached a temple, surrounded by huge trees and we rested here for a while. The air was so fresh and clean, and the temple seemed to be more about rejoicing in nature – a beautiful place to think and appreciate life. When we looked up to the sky, however, we saw dark clouds forming and knew that we were likely to get wet! Off we went, choosing the muddiest path possible of course!
A short way on we took shelter in a building whilst we watched the rain come down and sat with artists who were making their wooden handicrafts. We finally made it back to Ubud, hungry but happy. Our guides hadn’t finished with us yet though, as we were whisked off to have a banquet at Roda Restaurant on Jl. Kajeng. This was the perfect ending to a day that I think one we will all remember. After eating as much as we could, back to Lady Bamboo we went. Happy to shut out the noises of Ubud and welcome back our sanctuary, away from the worries of the world.

On one of our walks starting directly from outside of the Ladybamboo Villa

My husband, Stuart and I work in Banda Aceh, at the very tip of Sumatra, where the tsunami devastated so many lives in 2004. My parents, Pat and Chris always make it out to wherever we are working and this year was no different.

We booked to stay at the Lady Bamboo in Ubud because it looked so inviting on their website. When we arrived, we were not disappointed. Lady Bamboo is an oasis within an oasis. Ubud is a magical place, full of surprises and delights and Lady Bamboo was our tranquil refuge. The staff at Lady Bamboo are attentive, but not over whelming and blend into your own style of relaxing.

Pat, Chris, Ruth and Stuart. UK and Banda Aceh