Day 2 Tanah Lot + Day 3 Ubud

After a wonderful breakfast at my accommodation, I set off on the scooter towards Tanah Lot. Unfortunately, I found out that I didn't enjoy riding the scooter so much and the traffic in Bali is incredibly terrifying. Without traffic rules and left-hand traffic, hats off to the 10-year-olds who ride scooters here! I died a thousand deaths inside.

Therefore, the tour to Tanah Lot was not a very pleasant experience for me. However, when I arrived there, I was still rewarded. The temple was beautiful, although crowded with tourists, but still nice to see.

After taking a few photos and minutes, the moment was already over. I didn't want to pay for admission just for a few photos of a water temple. So I continued and walked along the water, barefoot of course. At the end, I saw a rock formation where some tourists had already ventured to have a better view - so I did the same. As soon as I reached the top, everyone naturally stared in the direction of the temple, but I discovered a lonely beach on the other side of the cliff promontory. The beach stretched for miles along the cliff wall. The rocks below me looked trustworthy, so I dared and climbed down the cliffs. After a few meters, the rocky ground gradually turned into a sandy beach and around the next curve, a piece of untouched paradise awaited me. And there it was, my Robinson Crusoe moment!

I enjoyed my time there very much, took many photos, and immediately shared my moment with the camera. Then I simply sat on the beach and let the waves cool me down (going into the water would have been too dangerous, the waves were quite high!). After some time, I made my way back, climbed up the cliff again, and met Beau - Beau is 27 years old and from London, but currently working near Duisburg for the military. He was also a solo traveler! He was super nice and so we decided to spend the afternoon together. We drove back towards Kuta to the Potato Head Beach Club - since this is a very Instagram-hyped place, it was accordingly crowded and expensive. But Beau was a gentleman and treated me to a coconut. Later that evening, we also met Helena, 26 years old and from L.A. - and only then did I realize that even though I am traveling alone, I am not alone at all.

In the evening, I decided to return the scooter to the rental guy and instead asked if he could drive me to Ubud. I made a financial loss, but anything was better than having an accident in the end. He agreed, and so my journey continued into the heart of the island - to Ubud.

My driver picked me up at 10 o'clock, the backpack was strapped on, and off he went. It took a little over an hour to get to Ubud, but he asked me if I wanted to see a famous coffee plantation. I decided to do so, and he immediately turned on the indicator. A woman showed me the entire process and also explained some details about Luwak Coffee. I had heard a lot about it and was disgusted by it because Luwak is a cat-like animal that eats the coffee beans and excretes them. However, the woman explained to me that they naturally clean the excreted beans and only extract the inner part of the bean, so there is no feces on the part of the bean that humans use. The good thing about it is supposedly that the stomach of the Luwak extracts the caffeine from the beans, making it sweeter. She took me to a small hut and served me various coffee and tea varieties to try. I had to pay extra for the Luwak coffee, but I think that's okay - after all, it is the most expensive coffee in the world!

After a short break, we continued to Ubud to my first real hostel. When I arrived, I had about 2 hours to explore the first few streets in Ubud. And let me tell you, Kuta was nice but Ubud is amazing. It went up and down between small stands, along bridges, into small alleyways, and colorful markets. I think my brain had a little sensory overload with so many smells and colors, people and impressions. I needed a break (my wallet thanked me for that!) and went back to the hostel.

When I was able to check in, I was overwhelmed! The hostel looked exactly like in the pictures! Stunning views of the rushing river surrounded by the jungle, wonderful bathroom with an outdoor shower, and my bed was right in the corner, a bit separate. I immediately met 2 young men (names unknown) who also checked in here, and together we went to the pool - which I didn't know about until that moment! It was located on the other side of the street and belonged to another partner accommodation. It also had a fantastic atmosphere with the river just below the pool.

And after hanging out there for a while, I went back to the hostel because I had to rearrange my trip a bit since I didn't want to ride a scooter anymore. But that's no problem at all because while I'm writing to you here, I'm sitting on the terrace, watching as it slowly gets darker outside, hearing the sound of the river, surrounded by nature, and right now - in this moment - a hummingbird flies up and collects nectar from the colorful flowers right at my feet.

I'm doing well, - and I mean really well!

Update: Just brushed my teeth surrounded by the chirping of crickets, the jungle in front of me, the stars crystal clear above me, and behind me on the wall, there was actually a gecko watching me.

I'm not just doing well, I'm damn good!