Arriving in Ubud, Bali was rather a shock to the system. The previous two days had been spent in Semrang, Java waiting for a connecting flight to Denpasar. Semarang is a huge city but still with very few foreigners so despite the step up in coffee shops and internet access it still felt pretty away from the tourist trail. Bali is at the complete opposite of the spectrum. The airport, though small was bustling with Europeans and Aussies. Having just passed the six months away milestone we both felt in need of an extended stay in one place and Ubud seemed the perfect choice. A little further away from the clubs and beaches of Kuta, Ubud is a bit of a cultural hub and we were expecting a chilled out atmostphere. Arriving on the main drag we couldn't quite believe it, shops, bars, restaurants and tourists galore. A refreshing change but to be honest it almost felt a little too much for me at first. The extremes of development in Indonesia are quite striking.

Our accommodation for the next six days was a tranquil spot overlooking rice terraces just set back from all the bustle. Time soon ticked by and the majority of it seemed to be spent eating, which for us is not all that unusual. However it's been a while since we had so much choice and we certainly took advantage of it. A highlight had to be our cooking course. Starting off in the market we took a quick tour of the tourist and local's section, nothing new as we've seen rather a lot of these now. But from there it was a short drive to our hosts village where we stopped along the rice terraces and got involved in a bit of harvesting. Ever since arriving in the Philippines the whole process of producing rice has fascinated us, I know that sounds incredibly dull but seeing vast swathes of land dedicated to rice is quite impressive. Up until now we've not really been able to figure out how it goes from a plant to what ends up on our plate three times a day so this little lesson in harvesting was quite fabulous.

A little further up the road we arrived at our hosts home but before getting started we were all usherd over the road to another families compound where a baby ceremony was in full preparation. Vast quantities of food were being prepared. A delicious spit roast pig was being hacked to bits and spices dished out onto banana leaf plates. Unfortunately we weren't invited to tuck in but needless to say that would have been a little hasty since we were just about to cook up a feat of our own. Learning a little more of Balinese culture was an added bonus. Finally we set about our feast making. Throughout the day we managed to produce a veritable array of Balinese specialities from curry, to satay to gado gado. No doubt we will be experimenting with these culinary delights when we get home.

Another day was spent in the saddle, bicycle saddle that is, freewheeling downhill through some of the backroads. The trip was advertised as a downhill tour which in mountainous terrain certainly seemed to be a bonus. But after a few hours even I was hoping for a bit of flat to actually peddle on rather than coasting the whole way. Miraculously I managed not to fall off but somehow still got covered in scratches and bruises on my knees. The most hilarious aspect of the day had to be our guide. Not long into the car journey up the mountain there appeared to be something familiar about him, he had a tendency to finish each sentence with 'aaaaarrrrhhh' spoken in an identical manner to Roland Rat! He could easily have been the voice for him. That aside he also seemed to be a bit obsessed with sex, he referred to it frequently as 'activity' I imagine out of respect for those sensitive souls among us but nevertheless it cropped up in conversation about every five minutes. Another favourite word appeared to be 'poo' often used when referring to Kopi Luwak (cat poo coffee) but again he was happy to talk about it at every opportunity. As you can imagine James and I were in fits of laughter every time he opened his mouth.

Another day was spent astride a motorbike beginning with a near death experience as I tried to drive it for the first time. Starting in a narrow alley with statues blocking the way was probably not that sensible but being a little cocky I thought I'd be fine, clearly not a good idea. How hard can it be I thought to myself, especially seeing kids about 10 years old driving them everywhere. Well steering was one thing but trying to steady myself whilst holding the accelerator was another and it all ended rather abruptly! No harm done, just a little scratch and James was back in the driving seat as it were. I reckon riding pillion is so much better anyway. Fay I am now mightily impressed at your scooter skills around London next time I think I ought to stick to wide open spaces to get the hang of it. So James took us off on a tour around Ubud, stopping at a few temples and some impressive ancient rock carving. Traffic in this area is simply nuts, absolutely everyone has a motorbike and those who don't have a car or drive a bus. No one walks anywhere. James did a fantastic job and soon mastered additional skills of pushing out into traffic to create a space where one couldn't possibly exist.

From here it is on to the Island of Flores in Nusa Tenggara in search of the Kimodo dragon.