After the joys of the many Balinese beaches we had visited we decided to travel inland to experience a different side to the island. We headed for the town of Ubud with high hopes having discovered that it was named best Asian city by Conde Nast Traveler and it really did not disappoint. Ubud also features heavily in the novel and Julia Roberts film 'Eat Pray Love' which is a tale of a woman's journey of self discovery and apparently brings lots of 'soul searchers' to the area who we intended on avoiding like the plague.

We found a gorgeous guesthouse named Kunang Kunang where we settled nicely into our room which was completely glass fronted and over looked a pretty little rice field. Ubud is a hub for arts and culture and is one of the few places where rather than seeing 'room available' signs everywhere, you see 'art studio space available'. On every road you'll either find a gallery, museum or art shop and we thought it only right to get involved. We visited the Agung Rai Museum of Art (ARMA) and strolled around viewing 19th century Javanese works as well as an exhibition of work from Walter Spies - a supposedly influential German artist. With no guides or information about any of the art we were well and truly out of our depth wishing we knew a little more. Nevertheless we soaked up a little more culture before heading back for the hotel pool and some well deserved drinks.

About an hour to the north of the town we visited some stunning rice fields and indulged in a lovely lunch overlooking the beautiful view. Our final evening in town was a memorable one and began with dinner at the Dirty Duck Diner. The duck was delicious but it was slightly odd to actually hear ducks quacking away in the surrounding fields as we tucked into one of their relatives... We ate quickly and made a swift exit. We ended the night in a brilliant bar watching a live Spanish band and making friends with a group of rowdy locals who stormed the dance floor with us and had some spectacular moves.