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We got off the plane in Bali and were immediately hit by a wave of heavy hot air. We definitely weren't in New Zealand anymore. Nothing shows you the obsurdity of plane travel more than being dropped in a completely different culture after only a night. We filled out several forms and finally made our way out of the airport to jump in an overpriced taxi to Ubud. We found the place we were staying at easily, although the outside was slightly deceiving: at first glance it looked just like a temple. It turns out most of the big family houses have their own temple out front, so this was just the norm for homestays. We had our own private room, with an outdoor bathroom and a little porch looking out onto a beautiful garden. Our two months in New Zealand had made us forget how cheap Asia is.
It was joy all around that evening as we were reunited with our friend Lara, who we'd met in New Zealand and who was also in Ubud. We spent the evening catching up on everything that had happened in the last month, before going to bed early as we hadn't slept in a bed for at least 36 hours.
Our first morning was spent in the Monkey Forest, a sanctuary at the south end of Ubud. This is literally just a forest full of monkeys, which can be slightly intimidating at times. We watched from a safe distance, until a man who worked there convinced us to hold one, which was all fine until it turned around and bit Sofia. No skin was broken though, so we decided she probably didn't have rabies. So far so good.
We met up with Lara for lunch before heading to a chocolate factory a short way out of Ubud. The factory is a building made entirely out of bamboo so it cuts an impressive sight. We were given a quick tour and got to try some of the chocolate. It was a whole world away from Cadbury's, here they did everything by hand, not because they didn't have the machines but because they were trying to preserve all the natural ingredients. Instead of using normal sugar, they used sugar made from coconut nectar in various flavours and we all found ourselves leaving with pots of it.
It was an early night that evening as we were getting up at 2am to climb Mount Batur. We went with Lara, a couple of people from her volunteering programme and a girl she knew from home called Jane. We were driven up to the volcano in a mini bus and just before four handed over to our two young guides. It was a two hour climb up to the ridge of the crater and we made it with a little time to spare. We nabbed one of the best benches to admire view. To our surprise we could see pretty much from end to end of Bali and even the mountains in Lombok, as the island turned out to be much smaller than we expected. However for some people it is the opposite way round: they arrive thinking it's just a tiny paradise island and are surprised to find out it is so much more. The sunrise itself was beautiful and we watched it while being served breakfast by our amazing guide.
We were back in Ubud by about ten, in time for a second breakfast at our homestay. The rest of the day was spent marveling at the fact that we could finally afford things - our laundry was whisked away and we were ushered into a room for our very first massage. In the evening we went to dinner with Lara and the other volunteers, and for the second time on our trip Sofia had a spontaneous haircut. We found ourselves sitting on a bridge in the dark, while Martha and Lara hacked off her already short ponytail. Pixie cuts are the way forward in sweltering heat.
The next morning we decided to avoid the iconic though incredibly busy Tegalalang rice terraces and instead did the short Campuhan ridge walk. This took us to a little restaurant overlooking some equally beautiful terraces where we stopped for lunch. In the afternoon we went to the village where Lara was staying for yet another goodbye, but again it's only a month until we're home and will be able to see her again. In the evening we went to a Balinese dance performance in Ubud Palace, which for Sofia brought back fond memories of studying gamelan in music lessons at school. The dancing was incredible, especially the way eye movements were incorporated almost as their own dance move. It was a great way to end our four nights in the cultural capital of Bali.
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