Stuck in the Mud

Tegallalang Rice Terraces

The morning starts with a 7:30am yoga class by the pool. After breakfast our driver takes us to Tegallalang Rice Terraces.

These Rice Terraces used to be just rice fields but now they have become one of the biggest tourist attractions in Bali. They are stunningly beautiful on their own and they have added all these photo op areas around the fields. John refused to do the picture where we are both sitting in a big nest.

They also have these big swings that swing you out over the steep slopes. Women can rent dresses with very long trains for a photo op. It looks scary and I almost do it but change my mind at the last minute.

The trails are very uneven and in places a bit too challenging to manage. John and I should have worn something sturdier than sandals.

Unfortunate Incident

At one point John wavers off the track and steps into the mud beside the path. His left foot goes deep into the muck of one of the rice paddies. It is stuck so strongly that he sits down to pull it out with both hands. I am very supportive. After laughing and taking pictures and videos, I ask if I can help. John finds a nearby lily pond to wash off his foot. click here for the video

These rice terraces are lovely but a bit too touristy.

Holy Spring Temple

Our next stop is the Holy Spring Temple (Pura Gunung Kawi) where people go to purify themselves in the holy spring. This temple is dedicated to Vishnu., the Hindu God of water. It is built on a natural spring and used for purification rituals. Today there are both locals and tourists in the spring for purification. John and I are just watching… as we are such wonderfully good people we don’t need to be purified!

There is also a pond in another part of the temple where the koi go into a feeding frenzy any time anyone throws food in.

Campuhan Ridge Walk

We have our driver drop us off in the centre of Ubud and we walk to the entrance of the Campuhan Ridge Walk.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, it is amazing how quickly one goes from busy city to quiet nature here. All you have to do is turn a corner or enter an ally. In this case we go down a small path and are in the jungle. Click here for a ten second video.

We pass a temple and walk up and up and up a path for the ridge walk. Most of the way we are surrounded by jungle and then we go down a street that is interspersed with rice fields and cafes, shops etc. This rice paddy walk is not as natural as the Sweet Orange Walk that we did a couple days ago. This one is much more touristy and doesn’t have the same charm.

We stop for lunch at Karsa Cafe. The surroundings are pretty; we are seated by a lily pond with rice fields behind and beside it. It suddenly starts to pour and it feels like we are in one of those relaxation videos. Click here to see it.

We leave the cafe when it stops raining. And walk back to our hotel.

Rest of the Day

We spend the rest of the afternoon swimming and relaxing then go out for massages (I was so relaxed that I fell asleep) and end the day with supper at a nearby restaurant.