Everyone knows Ubud. It’s where Julia Robert falls in love with Javier Bardem and dumps James Franco for him in Eat Pray Love. It’s about an hour away from the coast, so unlike anywhere else in Bali you don’t come here for surfing. I came to Ubud for the rice paddies, vegan food and yoga.

The bus kicked me out on the side of street and I still needed a place to stay. Wandering around Ubud, I ran into a lovely German couple and we eventually found an amazing homestay together. It was a little oasis in the jungle and every morning they served delicious banana pancakes to your private balcony. Check it out – all of this for 9 euros a night!

The guests always chilled together by the pool, which was kinda nice. There was an American guy who came back to this home stay every single year and could tell me all about Ubud’s best yoga places. I went to Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga once but the humidity of 90% killed me! Especially when upside down – I thought my head was gonna burst. Instead, I went hiking, rafting and exploring with this English guy who had just come back from the Fijis. 

Monkey Forest Ubud.

Monkey Graveyard.
Skyping my parents at Starbucks. They were travelling around South Africa at the same time. And my sister was in Mexico with her boyfriend. We had nothing but iPhones on us – God bless technology. Our family whats app group literally had the best combination of travel photos at that time. Writing postcards. My idea of The Burrow from Harry Potter. Sari Organik in the middle of the rice paddies. It’s the best vegan food you can find in Ubud with only homegrown ingredients. Lotus Temple, Ubud.

This is my Dad’s old batik shirt which he bought on his Bali trip 30 years ago. He lay it on my bed and told me to take it with me before I left. 

Road Trip to Mount Batur. I should’ve not gotten on the back of R.’s motorbike, he was such a bad driver. We even got stopped by the police twice, but hey, I made it home in one piece. Serenading in the middle of nowhere, as you do.  

The weather at the bottom of the volcano Mt. Batur was bad when we arrived . There was no way we could hike to the top – especially now that I couldn’t trust R. and his judgment anymore. That boy was a little too self-confident for his own good. Either way, we made the right decision because 30 minutes later we got caught in a massive thunderstorm. Later the sky cleared up when we were about to leave, classic. At least we had a nice view on our way home.

Ubud, 5am, waiting for my bus. With this kinda humidity even my hair gets real frizzy. I couldn’t take this heat any longer, I needed to get back to the seaside and feel a fresh breeze in my face. 

Adios Ubud. Next stop – Lombok!