Leaving the coast and Canggu behind, our private car transfer headed inland and up into the mountains and rain forests to Ubud. Our hotel, The Udaya Resorts and Spa, was quite well hidden in a back street opposite a scooter rental shop but our driver seemed to know exactly where he was going and quickly found it. Google maps works everywhere!

The rooms are set around a lush tropical garden with fountains and koi-filled streams linking the main building to the swimming pool. We had to cross stepping stones to reach our balcony. Once again, Debbie had chosen well and our room was luxuriously appointed. Although we didn’t have a private pool this time we did have a big marble bath filled by a goddess holding an urn!

The hotel ran a frequent shuttle service into town using electric buggies and we were able to book seats whenever we wanted them by WhatsApping reception. On our first full day we used this to explore Ubud and stock up with snacks for the hotel room.

We had read about the Sacred Monkey Forest, a temple surrounded by forest inhabited by 750+ crab-eating macaques and were planning to visit it later in our stay. The guidebooks say not to take anything the monkeys can steal because they are clever enough to grab cameras, phones etc and hold them to ransom either trashing them or only returning them in exchange for food. Monkey Forest Street runs past the grounds and there were many monkeys scampering over the rooftops eyeing up tourists. Debbie fell victim! She was hit in a pincer movement by three large males who, in seconds, ripped open her carrier bag, stole a large packet of crisps and carried it back up onto the rooftop, where they proceeded to settle down, casually open the bag and eat our crisps! After that, we decided we had seen enough of the monkeys of Ubud and that we didn’t need to visit the Sacred Monkey Forest. We were later told that the monkeys had got a lot more aggresive during Covid when there were no tourists to feed them so they had learned to steal food where they could.

We were staying in a resort and spa, so Debbie toook the opportunity for a massage and flower bath. There aren’t any photos of the massage, but here she is in the flower bath.

Campuhan Ridge Walk

The Campuhan Ridge Walk is a 2km paved path running out of Ubud into the hills, from the confluence of two rivers; Tukad Yeh Wos Kiwa and Tukad Yeh Wos Tengen. The path is a relatively gentle climb throught the rice fields, initially following the river, culminating in a viewpoint high above a valley where there is a rather nice hotel and bar. Just the place for a refreshing drink before retracing our steps.