Day 3: Awakened by the Earthquake

We were awakened by an earthquake shortly after 7 am. The bed, the wardrobe, everything was shaking and the windows were about to shatter. Padi instinctively took my hand and we ran outside. After it was all over and the locals were sure there would be no aftershocks, we went back to our room. According to our landlord, it was a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5. Normally, there is only a slight earthquake once a month. We were so shaken up that we couldn't sleep anymore. Unfortunately, our room also suffered some damage. (See pictures)

For breakfast, we ordered the Indonesian breakfast, which was really delicious and without soy sauce (it was served on the side for dipping) and also gluten-free.

Shortly after 11 am (punctuality doesn't exist here), our shuttle bus arrived. It was supposed to take us and three other backpackers to Ubud. The 1985 Mitsubishi bus with 692,000 km on the odometer gave us a lot to see during the one-hour drive. The traffic here is chaotic, and nothing happens without honking. Luckily, we had an excellent driver who had everything under control.

Ubud is a small town in the middle of Bali and is located in the rainforest. Our accommodation, 'Secret Garden Guest House,' is beautiful and very clean. We have a small bungalow right by the pool and a rainforest shower in the bathroom, absolute luxury for us and highly recommended. We will be staying here for 7 days.

After having lunch, we went for a swim in the pool. Then we had tea on the terrace. For dinner, we strolled through the town until we found our perfect restaurant (we will now be regulars there). It is small and cozy, with traditional dishes (many of them gluten-free). We don't like the larger restaurants that only serve pizza, spaghetti, sandwiches, etc. 😉

On the way back, we observed a ceremony in the temple, really impressive. Out of respect, we didn't take any photos.