We wasted no time and as soon as we were finished with breakfast, we packed up Faith and hit the road again. Chris very kindly taking on all the driving as myself and Beth did not feel confident enough to tackle the busy, narrow, and moped infested roads.
It was about an hour or so from Ubud to Canguu, a beach area on the south coast of Bali. We arrived at 'Matra guesthouse' much earlier than anticipated so the room was not ready for us to check in. Therefore it was a quick re-shuffle of valuables, grabbing our swimmers and towels, and heading off to the beach. Following the GPS we found ourselves trying to drive along a road, with oncoming cars and hoards of mopeds, wide enough for exactly one car, but raised above the rice fields, i.e absolutely no margin for error! Thankfully Chris was driving and his reversing skills never fail to amaze me - especially under pressure and in a tense situation. We waited for cars and an abundance of mopeds to pass before seeking the gap and Chris putting his foot down. Luckily we managed to pass along the road this time with no oncoming traffic.
We were en route to Echo beach - a black sand beach renowned for its surf. Rightly so, it was busy with surfers and spectators, so we found our spot on the beach and slapped on the suncream. The surf was close to shore enabling us to appreciate the skill and talent of some of the surfers. One girl particularly caught our eyes as she surfed and turned elegantly and with such ease on the powerful large waves. Of course there is always some that don't realise the force of nature, one of whom provided us some great entertainment as she tried to even just enter the sea! She was on a large foam board for beginners and it must have taken her at least 15 mins to make her way out over the crashing waves. But she was not out long before she came tumbling back to shore and taking much deserved rest on the beach.
After several back and forth's up the beach in search of a warung that turned out to have closed a few years ago, we settled at a small Japanese cafe along the beach front.
Early afternoon we made our way back to check into our room, a lovely modern, clean, light, spacious room, even equipped with flat screen TV and a fridge! All for just under £5 each a night. Then it was off to Tanah Lot temple for the remainder of the afternoon and to watch the sunset.
Beth had researched into Tanah Lot temple and shown us some stunning pictures at sunset, hence why we were keen to go for this time. We had read that it's a popular spot so to arrive early, leading to our decision to arrive around 4pm. Tanah Lot is a rock formation in the sea and home to the pilgrimage temple Pura Tanah Lot. The large offshore rock has been continuously shaped over the years by the ocean tide. What we didn't expect to find was a barrier entrance into a complex, highly commercialised, with the pathway to the ocean front covered in souvenir shops. Then to our astonishment, as we approached the ocean edge we could see crowds of tourists gathering around the temple. We were massively disappointed to see so many people around, it was not at all what we were expecting, but we can't blame them. Looking past the hoards of people the temple was beautifully rested on the intriguing rock formation. We found a spot at one of the many restaurants along the cliff edge, sipped away at an iced coffee, and munched our way through various snacks as we watched the sunset. The sunset made up for our previous disappointment, as the sky filled with an array of oranges, reds and purples, with the silhouette of Tanah Lot temple.
We crawled along in the traffic back towards our guesthouse and walked up the road to a busy restaurant, 'ON'. We all ordered standard Indonesian dishes from an extensive menu of western, Belgian, Italian and local dishes. But it was the breakfast menu that caught our eye and would draw us back....

And so it did. We returned for breakfast the next morning and much to our delight it was a bargain! For £1 each we could order a fresh fruit juice, a coffee/tea, and a choice of breakfasts. For myself and Beth we couldn't resist the savoury oatmeal, combined with spinach, nutmeg, parmesan and egg. For Chris it was basically a fry up! Overly pleased and extremely full we left feeling very set for the day ahead.
Chris drove us to Seminyak, a beach resort area with abundant luxury hotels, villas and spas, as well as high-end shopping and restaurants. We had read that the surf was better for beginners here, but with the surfboard rental's charging extortionate amounts we decided to try the neighbouring Legian beach. Thankfully the hire cost was much more reasonable so Chris and I hired a board each. Beth was in need of a nap so looked after our belongings as we headed out to the waves. To be honest I think they were still too big for me as every wave I tried to catch I was nose diving and being thrown around all over the place under the waves. I was struggling to enjoy myself and feeling like I was getting in the way of more experienced surfers. So for my final wave I managed to stand up and ride it all the way into shore. Chris, with much more enthusiasm and persistence, found a different spot along the beach to head back out to and continue practicing. I decided I was much better off keeping Beth company!
We returned to 'ON's' for dinner that evening having not seen anything better around. Chris and I went western and I had steak and chips, with Chris ordering a pizza, costing us less than £5 for the both. Beth stayed Indonesian and opted for a favourite, beef rendang, which was extremely tasty.

It was inevitable that we returned to 'ON's' for breakfast, mainly as Beth and I wanted to try the sweet oatmeal. A delicious concoction of creamy oatmeal, chia seeds, cinnamon, honey, banana and strawberries. Then it was back on the road again, fighting against the traffic towards Uluwatu..