Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

We were dubious to stay in Ubud originally, not sure if the Eat, Pray, Love vibe would be too much for us - when in fact we loved our time here.

It was nice to be in civilisation again after the Komodo Islands, and have access to some fantastic restaurants and interesting shops. The Ubud area was beautifully built, most of the entrances to restaurants and shops looked like intricate temples, and lit up atmospherically at night. Usually as you wandered around at night you could hear drumming from actual temples in the air, seeing tourists stop to watch the locals ceremony. There was also small offerings along most walkways, each morning being replaced with new ones, so you had to keep your eye on where you were stepping!

We were lucky enough to be visiting when there was a royal cremation happening, as this can only be done on specific days of the year. We saw a procession of two bull statues, and a large totem pole - we believe the three statues were burnt in the cremation but unfortunately didn't see the ceremony.Read more