INDONESIA-The first days in Bali!

Hello from Indonesia :)

...here I am in the first country of my world trip. After the emotional farewell at the airport and the long flight (without sleep), I finally arrived in Bali on Tuesday!

After spending 2 relaxed beach days in the surfer region of Uluwatu, on Friday we moved on to Ubud, the cultural center of Bali. By we, I mean Melli by the way. We already used to strain the nerves of our teachers with our constant giggling back then, well now the neighbors in the accommodation have to endure it... at 2 am :D

Back to the city of Ubud! We fell in love with this place within a few hours. Our accommodation is built like a small temple with many small Hindu statues and lots of palm trees in between. When you walk through Ubud, you will notice that every 'house' looks like a small temple. Although the city is very influenced by tourism, it has a special flair, which is especially noticeable in the rice fields. When we arrived there in the evening, we sat down in a small restaurant and couldn't stop wondering how special this place is. It smelled so good of incense, the relaxing music, the fantastic view of the lush green rice fields, and the delicious food, which alone could score points with its great appearance, convinced us to extend our stay at the accommodation by 2 days in order to enjoy this dreamy place a little longer.

For the next two days, we rented a scooter to explore the surroundings of Ubud a bit. On the first day, we visited 3 waterfalls. Unfortunately, the first two waterfalls were very touristy and the journey there was a bit different than we had imagined. But luckily, it changed at the third waterfall! The way there finally allowed us a glimpse into the beautiful nature of Bali. Palm trees and rice fields as far as the eye can see, and we could even see Mount Agung very well during the drive. By the way, Mount Agung is still an active volcano that has great importance for the people of Bali. It is believed that the spirits of the ancestors and some powerful deities live on and around the mountain.

On the second day, we chose a longer route that should take us to the Jatiluwih rice terraces. We were able to see the first rice terraces already in the last 5 kilometers. The further we drove, the greener, more extensive, and more mountainous it became. I could hardly concentrate on the navigation because I constantly switched to the camera mode of my phone to capture everything :) After parking the scooter, we chose a route through the rice fields and started walking...it ended up being one of the most beautiful and funniest walks I have ever taken :)

The rice fields were beautifully lush, ranging from dark to light green, depending on how mature the rice plants are. This alone gave these rice terraces a special touch of color. Surprisingly, it wasn't very touristy either, so we were mostly alone on our way, except for some field workers. So we were able to enjoy the view, wonder around, and go crazy with the selfie stick :D on our own. Along the way, we also ate a dragon fruit which had hardly any taste but was also very delicious at the same time. The ambiance probably played a role too :D

Just before we wanted to head back to Ubud, Melli gave me a little introduction to driving a scooter. Well, a winding mountainous road might not be the best route for the first scooter ride - but hey! I learned to ride a scooter in between the rice fields! And that almost without incidents :D

The way back was once again characterized by a warm-hearted people who smile at you and wave to you, fully loaded scooters, beautiful nature, and traditional temples that seem to be used as houses. So, in terms of visual impressions, we could have continued riding forever, but unfortunately, sitting for a long time also has its disadvantages :D (ouch^^)

Next up is the east of Bali, the island of Lombok, and the Gili Islands. Stay tuned... I am too :)))

Until then

Best regards from Ubud :)