From Ubud we decided to head for Bali's north coast and the town of Yeh Sanih. We picked up a charming driver from the main street in Ubud and we were off.
The first stop was Gunung Kawi, 10 rock cut shrines, 7 meters high cut into a cliff face at the bottom of a valley. To get to the bottom of the valley we had to got down around 500 stairs. On the way down I crutched past an elderly German gentleman and when he caught up at the bottom we stopped for a chat. When I passed him again on the way back up he (summon to mind your best German accent here, the Arnie) "you are putting me to shame."
On the way to lunch we stopped at a small private plantation, where the owner showed us around his various crops, which much to Erin's delight included a cocoa crop. We were then served some delicious home grown chocolate. For lunch we stopped at some dodgy restaurant by the side of the road. The one thing it had going for it was the view of Gunung Kawi out the window (above).
After stopping for directions a number of times and hanging a few u-turns we got to Yeh Sanih. The accommodation there is set inside beautifully manicured tropical gardens, with popular local hot springs at one end. When we arrived at the bungalows the lady manger came out to meet us. Almost the second we started talking the price dropped dramatically for the three water-front bungalows (view from the veranda pictured above). After a dip in the springs we headed for dinner, also cooked by the lady manager. The fish was so delicious we all (except for vegetarian Georgia) had seconds. Meanwhile, Georgia headed off for a massage, also from the lady manager. Along with her massage Georgia also managed to get quite a story:The lady and her husband don't own the bungalows and gardens, they are just employed to run them. They only get paid when someone is staying, and since the bombing, nobody ventures that far off the beaten track (why would you when even Kuta is relatively deserted). So we were their first prospective guests for almost two weeks, hence the price of accomodation immediately dropped as low as they were authorised to offer it. To make some money on the side, she cooks fantastic meals for the small open air restaurant and they both offer massages. Her aim in life: to save enough money to buy a washing machine and open a laundromat.
Needless to say, we didn't need any extra encouragement to eat plenty of delicious fish, have plenty of massages and stay an extra couple of nights (despite the fact only one of the bungalows had a functioning toilet).
One day trip from Yeh Sanih took us to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan (pictured above) and the beautiful garden surrounding the lake.
From there it was onto Air Panas Banjar, hot springs in tropical gardens carved naga (mythical snake like creatures) spewing how water into the sulphur smelling pools. In respect of local customs our ladies dressed in modern swim wear, including Beck's very stylish pink number.
From the hot springs we headed into Lovina to find a bar where we could watch the Australian Open final (and Lleyton lose).
On the way back to the southern coat of the island we detoured via eastern region, principally to visit Tirta Gangga. This palace has huge ornamental ponds throughout the grounds and stone lily pads on which to frolic (pictured above).
Our final stop on the way round the island was Pura Besakih, Bali's most sacred temple. Once the people at the office were done trying to rip us off, we wandered up and down the many stairs to explore the temple, arriving back at our vehicle just in time to not be engulfed by the afternoons downpour. Instead we moved a short distance to a scenic restaurant nestled in the valley, where sat on the deck and watched the rain fall around us.
