I had heard that the gamelan music on Bali was more energetic than the subdued Javanese version, and I knew I would come across it fairly soon. But I didn't expect to be dancing to it at a wedding in the mountain village of Munduk. I got the invite because my home stay owners were close friends of the groom. The Balinese are predominantly Hindus, and as such Bali is fairly unique outside of India. There are big differences though that even I can spot. No cows on the streets, but they appear to be on the menu. But the similarity is that there are shrines and temples everywhere, albeit in a unique Balinese style with pointy thatched roofs. Also, in similar fashion, there were lots of weddings on the same day across Bali, as the choice of date is important.

My first port of call on Bali was the resort town of Lovina, but being on the north coast rather than the touristy (and I believe rather tacky) south, it was quiet and relaxing, which was just what I needed after four out of five mornings of pre-dawn alarm clocks.

The transport infrastructure has suffered here since most locals own scooters, and most tourists use expensive coaches. So it was a challenge to head south through the central mountains. Bemos (minibuses) sit at the bus stations all day waiting for more than one person to turn up, so I had no option but to use the pillion seat of local's scooters, and some walking between villages. But with some heavy rain in the afternoons, the latter was not one of my better decisions, especially because I was carrying my entire belongings on my back. Never again!

The mountain areas were particularly attractive though, with bright green rice terraces, coffee plantations and thatched temples. It was still a relief when I made it to Ubud, which sits on the southern slopes of those mountains, and I have enjoyed a few walks in the surrounding area which is littered with small villages populated by artists.

Just as Yogyakarta is Java's cultural centre, Ubud is Bali's. More of a town rather than a city, it is smaller, and more manageable, but there are a heck of a lot of tourists here. There is a wide variety of food on offer; my favourites being babi guling (suckling pig), which is spit-roasted in front of the palace every morning, and the tapas restaurants which enable you to try lots of small interesting dishes. There are many shows around town every night. Last night I watched a fire and trance dance with music supplied by men sitting in concentric circles using only their voices to mimic gamelan. And tonight I will try to see a shadow puppet play. All shows are some form of extract from the Hindu epic Ramayana.