Promising, this is my very last article about Bali, since i think i finally made it to cover all my different experienes. I still can't believe how much i did and see during only 14 days. It was in a way stressful, but it's more than a handfull of memories i will keep after that journey.

So this one is all about the main aspect in Balinese Culture: Religion and Offerings!

I have been visiting a lot of different temples around Ubud and further surroundings. Most of them are built for different gods and my landlady did go to each temple on different days and times, since you pray and offer for every other god in a seperate place.

When entering a temple there are only two rules: not being on your period (although no one checks, haha) and wearing a sarong, which is a big squared piece of fabric that you wrap around your lower body. You are not supposed to show your legs, and similiar as in our church your shoulders should be covered. Often there is no one controlling it, but i think one should treat other religions with respect and honour their rules.

Moving to the temples outside of Ubud is quite simple, you can rent a driver or join different tours that are advertised all around Ubud. I had a driver, that showed me a few temples that i will just

mention below.

Ubud Temples

Mostly known is Ubud for its orange temples, since i just think all of them are orange. The most famous one is Pura Taman Saraswati, which is located behind a very big water pool. So hard to get a picture of this one without tourists, even if you go in the early morning there will be others with the same idea. Otherwise  a really nice bright orange temple is Pura Padang Kerta (Picture). All temples have different opening hours for public people, so you have to check, sometimes they are not accessable at all during specific holy periods. (you can also visit Pura Puseh in Ubud and the temple in the monkey forest)

In the Ubud Palace, which is also a big temple, you can watch the very famous legong Dance every night. One can purchase tickets already during the day or directly before the Show, which is more expensive. The Price was 100.000IDR/7€ , when i went. It is a very specific Music and Dance Show, to be honest i did not like it that much. It should have been aorund 90min long, but i left after an hour. But otherwise one has to see and get your own opinion about it. 

Pura Besakih

This is the most important temple and mother of all temples on Bali. It is located very far up in the mountains and approximately 45min drive from Ubud. I would not recommend you to try and find it with a scooter, since its so many roads and turns until there. The temple is huge and has a big black wall around it. On the day i came, it was not possible to access the heart of the temple, since there was a ceremony. Also if you would like to enter the inner wall, you have to go with a guide that wants you to pay him for showing you around. My driver was not allowed to follow me either, since it is the guides 'hood' and theirs only to show people around.

Gunung Kawi Sebatu

This temple is less famous, but it was actually my favourite during all the visits. My driver suggested to take me there, since i haven't read anything about this one before. It is consisting of a lot of different pools with holy fish inside and it is located in a valley surrounded by jungle and completly calm. Also it is not so touristy there, so one can really enjoy the peace and have a  long look around.

It is one of the water temples near Ubud, i have visited the other very famous one Tirta Empul as well, but it was really overcrowded. In both you can take a bath and get a blessing.

Goa Gajah

This temple is different from all the other ones, since it's main attraction is actually the cave built next to it. This temple area is also built in a valley, so from the top you have a fantastic view over it. Deeper down there is also a lake and some small waterfalls. This was actually the last temple i visited that day and i was really happy to find a small market near the parking lot of the temples. Here you can find anything from wooden carved elephants to porcelain, shells and different kind of clothes, for a much cheaper price, than on Ubud market.

Balinese Offerings

Generally there are endless numbers of temples and each specific on its own. I was really sad, that i could not visit the temple on Beratan, but it was a completely different direction and approx a 1h drive from Ubud and unfortunately my time was quite limited. So that is on my bucketlist for next Bali Trip.

What i thought was really cute is, that Balinese people make these small baskets, that you can find in front of every door, in every car and on every scooter. People believe in them and that they bring you luck, happiness and keep you save. They are litereally everywhere, so take care not to step on them. Also they are renewed daily with a process of prayer and most of the time nice smelling incense sticks are added as well.

You can actually learn much more about the offerings and make your own by attending one of numerous courses in Ubud.

During my stay on Bali i quite spontaniously decided to go back from Gili Air to Nusa Lembongan one day before my flight, since my air bnb host also told me, that boats are not as reliable.
So i was supposed to leave Gili Air at around 10 and arrive at lunch 1pm on Nusa, but unfortunately due to bad weather conditions and the stucked boat on the beach, i finally made it to Nusa at 4pm.
I had actually planned to go arround to Dream beach at least and Devil's Tear, but did not make it in the end.

I had booked a hotel quite close to the harbour, it's really only a 5min walk maximum and called Bungalo No 7. The rooms are really nice and clean, the hotel offers also a pool, which is not really neccessary since it is located directly at the water as well. In the morning you can eat breakfast and have a look around the whole bay.
When i arrived the sun already started setting, so i spontaniously decided to do SUP Paddling, since the water really calmed down. The Bay at Nusa was also much more easy to paddle in, than the beaches at Gili Air. It was super fun to paddle along the sun set and definitly worth the 7€ for renting it.
In the evening i decided to go to a restaurant, but i didn't do so much research before i came to Nusa, since this was not planned. So i went up the main road from the harbour north and looked at different places and menus, since i really didn't want to eat Nasi Goreng again and felt for a Curry instead, i finally found a place that was kind of okay. Generally the whole island seemed to be pretty empty and all the shops and bars in the street were not so busy.
I was super exhausted after my very stressful journey from Gili Air and so i went to bed quite early, but got up early again as well. The next day the weather turned even worse. It was actually raining for the very first time in 2 weeks i've been there, which was a bit sad.
I had a basic breakfast (included in price) at the hotel terrace (since they have pancakes and fruit salad, i only could eat the small fruit salad because of my allergies), they do serve scrambled eggs though as well.
Anyway in the evening in my bed i finally had found some place i thought would be amazing to have breakfast at. Since i missed my morning smoothie bowls from Gili Bliss on Gili Air already, i decided to go to Bali Eco Deli and was not disappointed.
They do make a lot of nice raw cakes and fruit bowls, serve a really good coffee and make amazing salads. I could not order or eat more, which was quite sad since i was already full after my smoothie bowl, but it is definitly worth it. The café is also offering free drinking water if you have a reusable bottle and it takes back PET bottles to clean the island.

The place is consisting of one big straw Hut, but two smaller ones were to be built when i was there. Everything is made of wood and really authentic. I would definitly recommend this place again!
On my way back to the hotel i got my ass wet in the pouring rain, it did not stop for half an hour and i really needed to get back to catch my boat. Also i was already scared that the boats would not go at all, because of the weather and my plane was supposed to leave in 8h.
Luckily the sea was quite calm on that day, so everything went pretty well and i was way too early at the airport, but there are some super expensive shops one can get some snacks for the plane and spend your last IDRs.
Going to Nusa is definitly worth it, but better plan around 2 days or more in total, since the island has a lot to offer.

what is better than a nice cup of coffee on a sunday morning? Thinking about coffee i just realised i haven't been writing yet about the coffee plantages on Bali, that i visited. After a while i sometimes realise how many things i actually did during my travels. Although it might be just small things, its still nice to keep track of everything and remember even after a long time!

So i'll try to keep this one short, since there are so many different plantages and they are all quite the same. Visiting coffee plantages is a short and cheap activity, that you can do while driving around Ubud or elsewhere on Bali. Almost on every street you will find signs: Try Kopi Luwak, which is the very famous coffee of Bali. This Coffee beans are eaten by a catlike animal called Asian Palm Civet and afterwards cleaned and roasted. The taste is very aromatic and less bitter, since it has been processed in the stomach of the animal already. You can always buy a cup of Luwak coffee in the plantages (prices variate between 60.000-80.000IDR,).

In the coffee plantages they also grow a lot of different fruits like papayas, mangosteen, bananas and many more. In some plantages you can find cocoa plants, which were super fun to see for me, since i am a dark addicted chocolate lover!

So i have been visiting 2 different plantages, that my driver showed me on the way. If you have a driver they are likely to suggest you places, where they know people, since they all help each other out to find costumers. The first coffee plantage i visited was south of Ubud, the very first day i arrived and it was a rather small one, with nice temples inside. I was guided by a young girl who explained all the different plants and processes of the Kopi Coffee to me and they offered me a trial of many different sweet teas.  That day i denied coffee, since i had been up 32hours already during my travel time. The teas variate with different characters from ginger to flower and more fruity taste, but all they are very too sweet, i think. The second plantage i visited was more rural and very high up in the mountains close to Mount Batur. Here the plantage was much bigger and more open, with many different other plants to see, here i enjoyed my first cup of Luwak coffee and it was very delicious, although one first is a bit sceptic.

So if you are a coffee lover, you should definitly squeeze in an hour for a cup in one of the uncountable plantages.

So... i'll be going to Gran Canaria this weekend and i always thought it was kind of a short flight, because we Germans use to tend to fly to Canary Islands, since it's the warmest spot in Europe you can reach, with a moderate flight time.

But now since i moved to Sweden, flight time has actually increased a lot, never thought it would take 6h !! to go to Gran Canaria.

So if you travel alone, flying can be super boring and already depressing you at the start of your journey. Believe me, if you are stuck for a long time only on your seat, no one to talk to and the only active moment you have is walking to the toilet, you feel pretty bad alone.

So i need to definitly come up with a lot of things, that i can do to make time go faster on the plane.

Of course there are some general tips when traveling by plane. Always take warm cloth, always wear super comfy cloth, i would love to wear a pyjama on a plane to be honest. The air conditioners on planes just spread a cold super easily, so i always have some throat candy with me, that keeps my airways save (tip from my grannie). Might sound uncool, but the older one gets, the more small the seats seam to appear. Especially the cheaper class tickets at back. So my legs get always stiff and my feet are swollen (i sound like an old women), but on this flight i will for first time try some compression socks, we'll see if that makes me feel better!

PS: I am actually never sitting at the window if possible, because i don't want to ask people getting up for me when going to toilet, or if you want to access your luggage. Also one can always stretch your legs in the aisle. 

As almost everyone i have been visiting the Monkey Forest in Ubud as well. It is located in the south of Ubud close to one of the main roads, one really can't miss it. In the evening of my arrival we drove up there to Ubud and the monkeys were also running around on the steet, since it's not a fenced or closed area, but an open jungle with a temple inside. The entrance fee is around 3€, which is very cheap, so although i was not super excited i went. Cause you will always regret the things you did not see, even though they might not be as good as you thought.

So you enter the park and there are a lot of rules, that you should consider, like bringing no food and not wearing anything loose, like sunglasses or hats, since the monkeys are stealing it sometimes. To feed the monkeys, one has to buy a banana or fruit from a small hut in the park. Then you hold up the banana so the monkey will sit on yout shoulder, thats how all the photos are taken. haha

I might be a bit of a pussy, but i was scared of the monkeys, since there are also not many caretakers and even if a monkey would bite or attack you, they would not be fast enough to save you from damage. So generally i did only walk super slow, not trying to look the monkeys in the eyes, because they see this as a sign of aggression. The area is relatively small and built on a mountain. There is also one way down to a river, which is really nice (although the river is actually quite polluted and smelling)

There are also always a lot, lot of baby monkeys, which are super cute, but hard to get on pictures, also i did grab my phone so hard all the time, because i was scared of the monkeys stealing it.

Actually i don't have so much more to say, if you want further more nice reports, you surely will find a lot somewhere else as well. 

I hope you found this post not too boring, since i know everyone is writing about monkey forest, but i thought it would also be great to write a more authentic experience. If i would go to Bali again, there are many spots i would love to visit and see again, but monkey forest does not belong to it. If you do only go for a short time to Bali and you have to decide for either monkey forest or rice terraces, i would choose second.

If you like monkeys and are not scared to be scratched, then you will definitly love it and you should pay them a visit and feed them bananas, to take a typical Ubud Monkey Tourist Picture!

So i took the scooter there, and as i have written before, the road was not ready built at that time. Maybe you are lucky and it will be finished. 

The Park is lying literally far off in the jungle, streetsigns advise you to be aware that elephants can be crossing the road! Unfortunately i couldn't take a picture of this, since i was driving! So sometimes it's good to have a second person with you. Anyway the park is a huge area, and there are a few lodges and nice bungalows build around, if you want to sleep and wake up next to the elephants.

Also there is a terrace with a restaurant directly next to the swimming pool of the elephants, so while eating some basic food, you can watch the elephants bath. To be honest the food is fairly expensive and not worth its price, i was a bit disappointed.

The entrance fee with ride on the elephant, including a show and feeding the elephants was around 75€

So in the park, there are only indonesian elephants that could not survive in their original spaces, and can also never return to wilderness, which is quite sad indeed. Also there was an elephant baby at that time (3years old), which was born in the park, but also can not be set free since those animals are really in need of family bounds. The whole ride takes a pretty long time through the whole park. I would guess it was around 40min in total, first through different jungle areas, then you will pass an open space where other Elephants are kept and at the end you will actually get to go in the swimming pool on top of the Elephant! They love to spill water, so prepare to get a bit wet. There is always also one guide standing close to the fences, who will take pictures of you all along the last part of the ride, so you will have fantastic memories. You will be seated on a wodden chair on the elephant (which is not as comfortable as it looks) the caretakers are always sitting on the elephants head and they are guiding the elephant. They do talk different languages sometimes and they take good care of the animals. Most of the elephants really need to be walked around all the time, although it is not so busy. They eat and drink amazingly much, i mean my elephant stopped once to release some water and it was a whole bathtub. Those animals are so fascinating and adorable, more people should care and get to know them.

After the ride i got to see the baby elephant and fed him with countless pieces of palm and he/she also gave me a hug with his trunk. I directly fell in love with him.

Then i saw the Park's show, where all the Elephants do different tricks and play with a football or draw for example, since they are quite clever animals, they learn a lot.

Saying this was the most amazing and exciting visit for me to get to know animals better. Also i have never been to any safari park before, but i am defintly planning to visit more!

Jawi House & Painter, Ubud

If you really want to get to know the Balinese spirit and kindness of the people, you should stay with someone local. I stayed with Putu Merni at Jawi Painter House in Ubud and honestly, i have never met such a kind and warm person as Putu. She is the absolute personnification of the good in people, giving you so much and being more welcoming than anyone could be. Her main business is actually doing a lot of things in the house and preparing offerings and going to the temple. She is really passionate and living her religion in everyday life. I have never met such a GOOD person. Before my stay i already contacted her for some information on how to get to hers, but she was directly so very helpful, that i did not need to worry about anything.

She send a driver to fetch me from the airport, which was really nice and i was feeling more secure with a person, that she knows.

So when i arrived she welcomed me as warm as any person could be, thanking me hundreds of times for staying with her. The room i rented is located over her own little home. It is really clean and nice, with a king size bed and a freshly renovated bathroom. It looks super modern and nice, i directly felt home. Also i had a small balcony, that was surrounded by palms and other trees, one feels like waking up in the jungle every morning. I would advise you not to open the windows or anything, to keep out the mosquitos. Putu is cleaning the room every day and making sure, that no insects are in there. There is an air conditioner and a very big fan under the ceiling, keeping the room always cooled and very fresh. Sleeping here was like heaven.

The bathroom is equipped with a european toilet (not to be found everywhere in Indonesia) and a nice bathtub, can be used as a shower as well.

The best thing about this place was the owner herself. Putu helped me with really everything. She booked a driver for me to see the different temples, for a nice price. Also she rented a scooter for me from her sister in law, also for a friendship price. Same goes for my transport to Gili Islands. She has been amazingly helpful and always offering more help. In her description on Air BnB Putu says she will cook for you the last night of your stay, but in reality she cooked for me 4 nights and everytime it was so delicious. Putu does not own a real kitchen, so she will prepare everything on two electric cooking plates on the outside. In the morning you can smell the amazing pancakes she prepares. I am allergic to many things and first i had to explain to her a few times, but then she tried everything to still serve me amazing meals. One other really nice thing about this place is, that Putu is offering you free drinking water in your room, so one does not have to worry about that.

Whether you travel alone or with other people, i would always recommend this place to you. As it lies in the central heart of Ubud, one can access almost everything in Ubud by walking.

Staying at Putu's Place was around 22€ a night including breakfast (and very often free dinner). If you stay for a longer time, she will make a better price for you. So especially for Yoga people a good place to stay if you are on retreat!

As said i was first a bit sceptic about renting an Air BnB with a man, but this was really not neccessary. Bale Kampung is a nice group of small accomodations, 2 bamboo huts and some real houses in a yard with tropical flowers, approximately 10min walk from the beach. It is lying in the east of Gili Air, the local area and very easy to find. There are a lot of signs if you walk down the main road from the harbour you turn right once and then left again and you will be there. Also Dean and his family are very popular and everyone knows them on the island, so you can always ask people around, if you are lost. Before i came to Gili Air i asked Dean quite a lot about transport and the boats and he was really helpful and offering me to organise a transport back, once i come to the island. When i arrived, he was not there, but his daughter is organising the place, while he on travel and she is super friendly. There is always someone around at Bale Kampung, if you have any question, they will be always happy to help. You can also rent a bike or they will help you to organsie a trip to another island, or snorkelling adventures. They always know someone, who knows someone, so you can get better prices. Also there is always fresh drinkable water for you offered and coffee and tea, which was super important for me.Also they serve a nice breakfast to you every morning.

The bamboo hut i rented was super clean, as well as the outside bathroom in the back. First it feels a bit weird, but then it's amazing to have a shower in the morning when the sun goes up!

Of course one has to consider, that there are also some negative aspects about a bamboo hut. There is a small fan in the hut, that keeps you cooled at night, but makes some noise, so if you are sensitive to that, you might need earplugs, because without the fan on, it's super hot and impossible to sleep at all. Also better have it on, since mosquitos do not like windy areas, so that keeps them off, as well as a very good repel mosquito spray.

One night i was waking up, because i heard something running around in the hut. It was really frightening and actually it was the biggest cockroach i have ever seen in my life. Not having anyone else in the middle of the night to fight this monster, i was totally stressed and getting super frightened. I know obviously, that they do not do anything, but still they are disgusting. So this monster was running up the ceiling of the bamboo hut and then falling down of its own weight, onto my bed!! Panic attack! Then it was running down on the floor and i saw my chance to finally set an end to this. I got my shoe and managed to slap it once, twice, it took around ten strokes until it did not move anymore, they have such a strong shell. I took it by one of its legs and threw it as far as possible out of the hut, directly closing the door again. After that i actually sprayed my mosquito spray on all small holes i could find in the hut and lay towels in front of the door, because there is a small slit under it, where the monsters crawled in.

Apart from that, my stay at the bamboo hut was really amazing. The bed is really comfortable and if you are not scared of nightly visitors, you will definitly enjoy this!

I paid 27€ a night at Bale Kampung, including breakfast, but prices can variate around the year.

What could be better, than a fresh, tropical Smoothie Bowl in the morning? Here's the answer - nothing!

As i said before the best place around the Gili Islands to have breakfast is Gili Bliss Cafe. They serve the best Coffee (with soy milk) if you want and the most amazing Smoothie Bowls, i have ever seen. The Cafe is located on the main road on Gili Air, approx 50 away from the harbour. There is one kitchen downstairs, where the sweetest girls prepare the lovely juices and fresh fruits. Upstairs you find a big balcony and another kitchen, where avocado toasts and other main dishes are made. Unfortunately.  I could not try any lunch, since i was always diving or elsewhere, but visit their Instagram and see for yourself! Or just try one of the healthy black burgers and fresh scrumbled egg menus. Also they offer a lot of different delicious pancakes.

I had breakfast there every single morning, directly after they opened and tried my way through all types of smoothie bowls and each was more delicious than the other. Still my favourite was the Dragon Bliss Bowl, which is made with pink dragonfruit!! This one is really popular and sometimes not available so better ask for it directly! Anyway each bowl was a sweet suprise and they are lovely topped with crispy homemade granola, different seeds and sometimes cocoa nips (my favourites). Added on top is perfectly cut fresh fruit, i still do not know how they make it so nice, have tried it several times at home as well. The food is amazing, but even nicer are the people. The owner Suki is one of the friendliest and most positive-attitude person i have ever met. She is so open-minded and a really good person, treating all her girls really nice and giving a lot of good and bliss to the people. Bless her! All of the girls working

there are super cute and they love, what they are doing. Some of them do not speak english so very well,but they make up for it with their kindness. If you want to offer something special, ask on the top floor, they will understand and translate for you! The prices for bowls variate between 50-90.000IDR (3,50-6€), you can get food cheaper elsewhere, but not as blessing!

If you need to load up your batteries and energy with positive spirit and amazing, healthy food you have to visit this fantastic place, more than once!