Bali - Uluwatu to Sanur

From Uluwatu we had to head back to the airport to cycle off the Bukit peninsula, before heading east along the coast.

We hit crazy rush hour traffic around 8am - never seen so many scooters - and were glad to turn off at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park. Immediate peacefulness.

Opened seven years ago, GWK holds the towering copper and brass statue of the Hindu God Wisnu, atop his mount the mythical eagle, Garuda. I’d seen the immense statue from the plane, as it soars above Bali to a height of over 120 meters, the fourth largest statue in the world. (I’m a nerd, so I googled the other three: Statue of Unity (India), Spring Temple Buddha (China), Laykyun Sekkya Buddha (Myanmar)).

GWK is an odd place. The grounds of the cultural park are vast, holding other large statues and corridors of colossal cut limestone pillars. It was weird wandering through this strange oversized exotic landscape that we virtually had to ourselves. Sadly, we didn’t learn much about Bali’s culture except perhaps how to monetise the tourist dollar. When GWK was first put forward religious authorities worried its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and its commercial nature was inappropriate, but the project went ahead, favoured as a new tourist attraction on barren land. It was weird visiting, but at least we got to see a fish unicorn…

Back on the bikes, negotiating busy roads channelling a heave of traffic through the narrow isthmus connecting Bukit peninsula to the rest of Bali, squeezing past the airport, we finally got on to the pedestrian/cycleway that borders Sanur beach.

Holiday atmosphere all around. This is the Bali you hear about from holidaymakers. Sand, sea, palm trees, manicured resorts, and white guests wearing very little. Beachfront restaurants with western menus exude laid-back surf-boutique vibes with polished natural design decors, all just begging to be Instagrammed. It felt safe, very relaxing, and a little surreal. I had avocado smash on sourdough and Lilz savoured a flat white!

Our homestay was tucked down a side street away from the beachfront, our room perched above red tiled rooftops. Plants abounded. Our host owns six bicycles and enjoys cycling around Ubud’s rice fields. I liked it!

Behind the beach, Sanur and its busy streets are difficult to navigate on foot. Pavements (when they’re there) have very high curbs, broken slabs, deep dark holes, lying dogs, parked scooters, and ever-present canang sari (small offerings made of square baskets woven from palm leaves, filled with flowers, incense, and sometimes food, cigarettes, or money. You have to be careful not to step on these as a sign of respect).

We slowly wove our way to the Night Market and had a delicious dish of noodles, rice and vegetables sitting behind the stall as we watched the cook throw ingredients around his intensely heated wok. This was swallowed down with fruit smoothies from another stall, and finished off with pisang nutella terang bulan (banana and nutella pancake). Out of this world. I can definitely get used to this!

High on sugar and Bali good feelings we decided to round the night off with a Bintang beer on the beach.

Rising early in an attempt to beat the heat we were cycling only 15 miles, all a gradual uphill, to reach Ubud in central Bali on the foothills of the volcanic mountains. (Ubud: pronounced OO-bood).

We enjoyed cycling the roads into Ubud as it did seem the creative cultural hub it is known to be. We cycled past workshops kite making, wood carving, stone temple chiselling, basket weaving, and thatch making. I screeched to a halt outside Agung Dian Egg Painting workshop. Love a painted egg. A teeny tiny lady came out and showed me her husband’s work: beautifully intricate paintings on chicken, duck, cassowary and ostrich eggs. It takes him seven hours to paint one egg. And luckily wooden eggs too - an unbreakable souvenir for me!Læs mere