Ubud

We loved Ubud from the moment we arrived. It was nothing like Kuta. It's in the middle of Bali and is really cultural. All the streets are lined with temples and amazing art work. Once we arrived, we set off to find our accommodation. If Gili Trawangan is cat island, this place is definitely dog city. They're everywhere just roaming the streets.

Our homestay was very nice and really welcoming, with a great view of Ubud's roof tops from our balcony. Everything in Ubud seems to be art. Even our door to our room was amazing; hand carved and looked like it would cost a fortune. Again, we had breakfast each morning brought to our balcony.

We decided to stay in Ubud, for a lot longer than we had originally planned but the homestay didn't have room for us, so they sent us to their nephew's homestay which was just as nice, but the room was even bigger! When we were moving homestays, we were asked if we would like to go and watch the cremation that was just about to start...weird welcome, but we said yes. Bali is mainly Hindu and they deal with death a lot different than we do. They celebrate a life rather than mourn one when someone passes as they believe in reincarnation. We left the hostel and all the streets were packed with the locals and travellers waiting for the funeral to begin. We didn't know what was going on so just followed everyone else and stood around waiting. Then we could hear drummers coming down the road and we saw loads of locals all cheering and laughing, all wearing white running down the road followed by a 20 foot paper mache of a giant white bull (Hilary thought it was a goat) with at least 30 men carrying it down the road. Then just behind the bull came the coffin on a tower all decorated elaborately. This was again carried by lots men and it had what we think were the priest and maybe some family hanging off it. It was crazy! They marched all the way through the streets chanting, singing and laughing down to Monkey forest with everyone following. We followed the crowd and stood around in monkey forest watching the whole funeral process. The family and priest open the giant white bull and then lift the body out of the coffin, which is wrapped in white cloth, then lower the body into the bull and close it back up. It went on for quite a while. Everyone were laughing and joking, even when they were handling the body into the bull. It was bizarre when you think of the type of funerals we're all used to back home. After about 2 or 3 hours, they set the bull on fire with the help of 2 massive b unsen burners! As we were waiting for the cremation another funeral rocked on up. This one being a black bull. We later learned that if its a white bull then its a priest who had died, if its a black bull then its of someone important or high up like a king. The locals just have a red tiger and normally can't afford to do a funeral, so they bury the dead and wait for 5 years while they save up it, then dig up the body and do the funeral once they've saved enough cash.

We went on a bike ride tour while in Ubud. We set off to mount Batur, which is a volcano and had breakfast over looking then lake there. We then went to a coffee farm, where they have the most expensive coffee in the world called Kopi Luwak. Its basically the poo of an animal called Luwak, which looks a little bit like a ferret. I had to try it even though I'm not really a coffee fan. Verdict, tasted like sh*t! I paid about £3 a cup, but in Australia its about £35 a cup. We then hoped on our bikes and headed back to Ubud, stopping at traditional Balinese home where learned all about the Balinese family. Then we stopped off at some rice paddies and had a little go at rice farming. Then we stopped off at wood carving place where we learned that the intricate doors at our homestays are actually dirt cheap! We also stopped off at a banyan tree which is over 500 years old. In all we cycled 25km...Which sounds a lot, but it was ALL downhill. Our perfect type of bike ride. The most muscles we used were our fingers on the breaks!

It was nice just chilling out and walking around Ubud. It's definitely got a very spiritual and hippy vibe to it. Being in Ubud, we just had to go to the Monkey Forest which is a holy place. I love monkeys, but even I was a little afraid of them. They were everywhere! They were jumping on anyone who walked past, rummaging in peoples bags and going through people's pockets. It's a really nice forest though and was nice walking around it. It felt like being in an Indiana Jones film. While we were sat just laughing at the people stupid enough to tease the monkey's with food and then panic when about 5 of them jumped all over them. One quietly snuck up on us both and jumped on us. Luckily, it was happy enough sat at the side of Hilary eating one of the buttons on her shorts! Oh, while we were walking around, I slipped on a banana skin...I only thought that happened in cartoons!

One of the owners of the homestays we stayed at sold us some tickets to a Kecak Trance and Fire Dance show they do at one of the temples. Bali is famous for its various traditional dances and the owner of our homestay was starring in this one the white monkey! It was really good, and I have to say the white monkey stole the show. The women were all dressed up, with loads of eye makeup on and dance very slowly, never seeming to blink just staring! All the men are sat around the show on the floor chanting together which is really catchy. You find yourself doing the chant for days after the show and you can here other travellers in the street doing as they've obviously been to the show as well. The finale at the end of the show was the fire part...they set a load of coconut husks on fire in the middle of the floor, then a guy dressed as horse runs through it all bare footed kicking it everywhere until it's all gone! We were glad we were't sat on the front row as it seemed you were getting burned if you were! No health and safety...you wouldn't have got that in England!

We really enjoyed our stay in Ubud. We were sad to leave but also ready as we were running out of money. Mainly because of the amount of babybels we were buying from the supermarket as it was the first cheese we could actually afford or find since we'd left England..we definitely got our fill for a while...lots of cheese sweats!

Looking forward to getting to our next destination Vietnam. It's been good in Indonesia, but hasn't really felt like travelling. More like a very long holiday!

A few things we learnt

• Don't go in Ramadam as nothing is open

• They love a babybell

• Shop lifting would be easy as most of the shop keepers spend their time asleep on the shop floor

• It is actually possible to slip on a banana skin

• Monkeys are actually quite scary

• The Balinese love a celebration

• 25k bike ride....easy

• Seriously good shopping to be done

• Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world