Scootergirls, the 3rd.

It's official, Iris is actually a Balinese roller girl... No jerking, no squeaking from Tine, smoothly navigating through the traffic chaos... taking advantage of even the smallest gap to weave through, all while driving on the left side of the road!

You can tell we went on a self-guided tour today, visiting 3 temples, 1 overcrowded waterfall, avoiding 50 dogs and chickens, rice terraces, encountering many helpful Balinese people, and unintentionally taking a detour around Ubud :-)

Although Bali's road network is relatively small, we managed to get lost several times and even drove in circles. However, Tine quickly got the hang of it and skillfully interpreted the road map, even performing some acrobatic dismounts from the scooter when it struggled uphill.

The roads are actually in better condition than the sidewalks, where there is a real danger of disappearing into a hole, just like Tine almost did today. Thankfully, she only twisted and bruised her foot, but we have seen holes big enough for both of us to fit in together. It's actually warned in local magazines not to wear high heels here - very understandable!

Our first destination was Puri Tirta Empul, a water temple that is considered one of the holiest sites. According to Hindu belief, you can cleanse yourself of worries and illnesses here. We don't have any of those at the moment ;-) so we decided to skip the bath... plus, it was so incredibly crowded that there was no space left.

Next, we made our way to Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave, even though there were never any elephants in Bali. It's a mystical place.

Riding a scooter definitely works up an appetite, so after the tour, with our heads filled with new impressions and our stomachs empty, we stopped at a warung to eat. You can always find good food in Bali.

Afterward, Iris took another solo ride on the scooter because it's just so much fun.

Tomorrow, we will leave Ubud with mixed feelings and head towards the east coast. We will finally reach the sea (!!!) and arrive in the fishing village of Amed. A little peace and quiet after the bustling Ubud.

Sampai besok!