We arrived to our last stop in Asia, Bali, with transport arranged to pick us up from the airport it was nice and easy finding our villa that would be our home In Ubud for four nights. I used Airbnb and the place was exactly what we needed even if it was a long walk from Ubud centre.

Day 1
We spent the morning relaxing and reading up on everything we planned on doing over the next couple of weeks in Bali. In the afternoon we visited the Sacred Monkey Forest. Watch out for the monkeys! This is a nature reserve and sacred area with temples. It’s very touristy, and a lot of people break the rules and feed the monkeys, which teaches them bad habits and means they try to take other items in return for food to get it back. Still, it’s exciting to watch all of the long-tailed macaques running around and playing with each other. I would have loved to stay longer exploring all the pathways but we got caught in a downpour and left to take cover in a nearby cafe.

Day 2 - Elephants Sanctuary and Rafting
The park is located at the Village of Taro north of Ubud. Experiencing a leisurely stroll through the Elephant Park and surrounding forest on the back of a gentle Sumatran Elephant is a must for any visitor to Bali. The park is home to a herd of 27 Elephants including 2 baby elephants that we were able to feed and the elephant show is great to watch. 'Lady Gaga' the oldest elephant in the park shows off her basketball and football skills and at the end she shows the audience how she paints!

Next stop Rafting, an hour north of Ubud, we arrived at the Ayung river where lots of rafting companies are stationed. The action starts when you launch into an 9.6 km river stretch, navigating through 33 class II and III rapids set to a backdrop of wild unspoiled rainforest, towering gorges and magnificent rice paddy terrace. Definitely a day not to be missed when staying in Bali.

Day 3 - Haunted valley Fin Komodo ATV tour
[via village rice fields to Lembah Jinn Waterfall, combining mountain bikes & Finn Komodo. The tour covered a total 24 kms distance, 5 hours journey including 2 1/2 hours ATV driving, 1 hour down-hill cycling]

We were picked up by our driver at 8am for an hour and half transfer to the Munduk Wilderness Base Camp for the day’s briefing and your introduction and safety preparations for driving the Finn Komodo. We had two Komodos between the three of us so Bobbi and Brandon had the first go. It was great fun even as a passenger in Brandon's buggy! We started off on the road and then veered onto a dirt track and before we knew it we were glad of the suspension as we were being flung around through the mud tracks created from previous tours. After an hour of driving we stopped and swapped over... It was even better to be driving you had to put your foot down and go for it otherwise you would quite literally get stuck in the mud! My Komodo over heated and Bobbi got stuck as the steering was too stiff but it was all part of the fun.

After a couple of hours we arrived at the point where we swapped onto a mountain bike. The guide insisted we wore knee and elbow pads (he didn't quite believe that I cycled at home and had ridden harder descents!) The ride was 85% downhill, over a combination of sealed and dirt roads where we got to enjoy the peace of the countryside. We took a break for a walk through the rice-fields and we enjoyed a young coconut which was very refreshing.

We got back on the bikes for a short ride to the point where the Fin Komodos awaited our arrival. Where there was a short 15-minute drive over relatively easy roads to the vicinity of the waterfall. After another 15 minutes walk into the Valley of the ghosts (Lembah Jinn) we found a great spot by the waterfall to stop for lunch. Rested and refreshed after bathing in the pools and an energizing snack, walk back up to the road and drive the Komodos through the village plantations and back roads up to the Munduk Wilderness Base Camp for an early dinner before setting off for the journey back to Ubud.