Ubud and its Ancient World Sites

After spending two beautiful yet challenging months in Thailand I set off to Bali. I was ready for the next venture in my journey and best of all to see my family and familiar faces. My sisters best friend was due to get married and it was the perfect opportunity for all of us to reunite.

I started off my two week vacation in Ubud and exploded with excitement to spend time with my sister, brother-in-law and their incredible bundles of joy. Ubud is an amazing little town with small streets blossoming with restaurants, vendors, historical sights, a market that runs across several blocks and rays of positive energy to soak up. Better yet it holds a monkey forest sanctuary that runs for miles. It is definitely one of Ubud's gems that we were eager to explore amongst other sights.

The sanctuary is the home for hundreds of monkeys peering out at every end waiting to grab the next banana. My nephew of course was barely through the entrance before handing a bunch of bananas to the cheeky little buggers with such delight. He was in his element and it was such a stunning moment to see. Within seconds the bananas were gulped down and we walked on surrounded by an abundance of towering trees. The sanctuary offers such a peaceful environment and is a must-see in Ubud. Even more so are the temple structures and the hidden waterfall within the sanctuary. It almost seems like an ancient world with unique characteristics all around to explore with a deep valley that you can overlook from one of the temple structures. It really is a stunning site and as long as you don't have any hidden bananas in your backpack or out of sight you are sure to come out untouched...

Ubud holds a few of these ancient world beauties within the town and nearby. Goa Gojah or Elephant Cave is another intertwined gem just outside Ubud that offers a cave with a facade of intricate carvings. The cave is where offerings are made which leaves a strong aroma of incense as you walk in. It is an amazing site to explore with several blessing pools, statues which are now in ruins and once again surrounded by nature and towering trees. This site is set in layers and with layers comes hundreds of stairs. But as we explored it each part I couldn't help but get "lost" in what I saw and the history that it holds so dearly. There is one particular tree that has a web of complex roots which truly represents the years of this breath taking site. Every part of it was absolutely stunning!

Over the next few days we maximised our time and explored as much as we could. We visited the various temples in and around Ubud. Each one in its own right is absolutely stunning and holds a rich history. There is one on particular known as Tampak Siring or Holy Spring Water Temple that has a maze of areas to explore and appreciate including various temples, springs in which people were experiencing the ritual and plenty of detailed structures pleasant on the eye. Again this temple is so intertwined boasting an ancient world aura where I felt so deeply absorbed by the sights before my eyes. It was one of my favourite gems of the Ubud area.

We explored the rice terraces and paddies which are plentiful. An attraction to most of the restaurants in Ubud is that they overlook rice paddies which brings about such a tranquil setting. One of the larger rice terraces we visited from a view point on route to Mt Batur, but only enough to see it from a view point and capture it. The one point that needs to be made is that viewing these sights, even from a view point, comes at a fee...Its a worthwhile sight of course and part of the Bali experience.

Our next view point experience was of Mt Batur volcano that lies within a large crater. Mt Batur brings about a clear reality through its engraved burns that it is still very much active. It is a beauty and with the early morning sun rays the lake alongside offers quite the complementary sight.  We then moved on to learn about the Balinese coffee in a coffee plantation that ends overlooking a lush valley whilst sipping on eight difference tasters of tea, coffee and hot chocolate. It was amazing to say the least! All of it was spectacular to explore.

Ubud really is such a quaint little place; a sanctuary in itself and definitely worth visiting with its ample ancient world sites...

Epic Adventure on Railay and Ton Sai Islands

A last minute decision led to a rather interesting experience on Railay and Ton Sai Islands to say the least. It all started off with a short and sweet 10 minute boat ride from Ao Nang to Railay Island where I was set to rock climb with Hot Rock Climbing School. I was super excited as I had planned on rock climbing for some time; I just was not sure where. But a teacher mentioned her friend worked at this school and not only that but one of the parents has a hostel on Ton Sai known as Chill Out Bar, which is only a short 20 minute walk from Railay West Beach...what more could I ask for. It was going to be an epic adventure weekend!

We started our climbing lesson on Railay East Beach around 09h00. There was a fair amount of people in the climbing area with their guides, but it didnt bother me. I could not wait to start...the closest I have ever come to rock climbing was a few years ago when I climbed in a gym my brother worked at. He was and still is very passionate about climbing, which makes me wonder why we never did the real thing together when I was living back home. But never the less, here I was giving it my best shot. The limestone cliffs are absolutely beautiful and surround the island in various areas. They are sky high and prime climbing spots with various routes.

Our first route was super mild simply to get us comfortable climbing...it was probably a few meters high. But then we were moved onto a 25 meter high route, which was somewhat challenging in two areas where I had to stretch over from one point to the next, nearly reaching the split position, hoping my grip would hold. The feeling I experienced climbing, searching for the next best grip point and placement for my foot was positively overwhelming but even more empowering when I got it right. I was in such a focused state where nothing else crossed my mind whilst I was climbing besides the present movements. I loved all of it! The view from the top was breath taking and worth every drop of sweat. It was the perfect moment.

We continued to do several routes with different levels of intensity and I completed 4/6. They were all incredibly fun but my body reached a point where I could no longer hold my grip, with as much chalk as I dug into...it just was not happening. The guide, Kung, was fantastic and such a cheerleader pushing me to keep on. His patience was admirable and the other girls and I really enjoyed the experience. I would high recommend it! The routes range from absolute beginner to pro...

After the climb I made way through to Railay West Beach which was a short walk past several little vendors, shops and restaurants. The beach is so beautiful with limestone cliffs on either side and colourful boats all along the shore. I could not believe my eyes...It really is an exotic island with an abundance of palm trees, soft white sand, lush vegetation all around and the water is luke warm. The route to Ton Sai is over a limestone cliff and around 20 minutes walk...or so it should have been. But as we all know by now my inner GPS is totally off and dont ask me how but I made way off the path before it had barely started. I soon found myself bashing through and under trees until there was no longer a path...only rocks below me and the ocean.

So I got into the water which was going into high tide but I thought I would make it to the beach before it became too high to walk in. However within 10 minutes and bashing against the rocks due to the current, with one hand above my head holding my backpack trying to protect my camera I realised I still had a fair way to walk / swim and was not going to make it. This was the point where I hit a panic...I had no idea how much higher the water would rise and if I was safe on the rock I sat on and couldn't see any path behind me within the trees. So I called a friend to help me and tried to wave down one of the many boats that passed by, but they clearly couldn't see me jumping like a loon.

I broke down as I had no idea what to do. the sun was scorching down on me and my legs were all cut up. Did I mentioned that I had a leg wound which cost me doctor visits for five days, a 12 day antibiotic prescription and daily dressings it to keep it protected. Well that exact wound had brushed against an incredibly sharp rock where I lost my dressing and resulted in another cut right over it. It was so painful...and the tears streamed down my face. It was what felt like a dire straits scenario and to top it off my phone died. By this point it was up to me to find a way onto the beach.

I pulled myself together and made way over the rocks into the trees and rammed through whatever was in my way hoping to find an actual path. I walked over a few areas covered by leaves that didnt look very secure and with thorn branches poking me in every direction I literally rock climbed back up to a flat point and after what felt like eternity I found the proper path I was suppose to be on. I have never felt so relieved and simply took a deep breathe. I quickly walked on, verging on a jog, until my feet touched the sand of Ton Sai beach....

Note to anyone doing this the path has a rope along it pretty much the entire way to guide you where to walk!

I eventually arrived at Chill Out Bar and met the other girl I am volunteering at the nursery with. I took a few minutes to change into dry clothes, clean my wound and order an ice cold beer... It didnt take long for me to relax and absorb the amazing hostel we ere staying at. It has such a relaxed atmosphere in a stunning bohemian setting. The staff are friendly and the music can take anyone from an unpleasant mood to enjoying the island vibes.

After a tasty late lunch we walked down to the beach and enjoyed a luke warm bath and relaxed on the beach. It was exactly what my body needed and a cat nap after the rock climbing. What made this picture even better was watching the sunset in an array of colours with a refreshing cocktail at a bar right on the sand. I just sat there and had a little giggle at myself for the ridiculous venture I had taken. But in saying that the rest of the evening was wonderful. We met a few other girls and enjoyed the fire show at Chill Out Bar - that man is so talented and brave to say the least. There were quite a few people staying at the hostel and the atmosphere was vibrant. We really had an amazing time there!

Even more so was going over to Railay beach the following morning and lounging in the sunshine the entire day and swimming in water that reached my neckline...I was so excited! I simply enjoyed the moment, the beauty surrounding us and the epic adventure on Railay and Ton Sai Islands. It was purely magical and totally worth my while in "dire straits".