We spent our second week in Bali in the well-known area of Ubud. We stayed at a lovely villa with a small private pool and larger community one. It was a wonderful oasis amidst a chaotic, hot and humid and crowded surrounding. We did a bit more exploring in Ubud than in Sanur, venturing out into the town for daily breakfast at a fantastic spot and doing a few fun activities to learn more about the area, traditions and customs.

A glimpse of the streets of Ubud:

The walk from town to our villa:

A look at our villa:

Our daily breakfast spot:

Steffen and I took a walk along the Campuhan Ridge Walk one afternoon. It was hot and sticky! Supposedly it is best at sunset but there were quite a few mosquitos out in the evenings, so we went in the late afternoon instead.

One afternoon the girls and I did something very fun–we made silver jewelry! Olivia made a charm because she has been collecting charms, and the rest of us made rings. The workshop was very well done, and they let us participate in every step of the process. I took a bunch of videos, as well, that I posted on our instagram, if you’re interested.

We picked out the design we wanted to recreate, melted the balls of silver, formed the silver into either a small disc (for Olivia’s charm) or long threads of various thickness for the rings. Then Luisa and I each twisted some for our designs, and Hannah put a small knot in hers. Charlotte formed three spirals, and Olivia etched her wave design on her charm. We were all very happy with the results!

Another day we went on a full-day tour of three waterfalls in the area. It was wonderful to see some of the natural beauty of the area and fun to see how different each waterfall area was. Our first stop was Tibumana which was a spectacular fall that drops straight down into a little lagoon. The water was a bit muddy looking but felt great. There was a smaller falls that you reached first that was also beautiful!

The next stop was Tukad Cepung, the most adventurous and favourite falls for all of us. We had to walk through a canyon in knee-deep water to reach the falls which were hidden in a cave. It was fun and exciting! And then we reached the falls which were so powerful and impressive. It was so wonderful to just stand there and feel the spray, listen to the water pour down and appreciate the beauty of nature. From there, we walked through the canyon again and went the other way, where we reached another small waterfall and a pool built into the side of the jungle.

Our final stop was Blangsinga Falls, a more touristy spot that was quite crowded but still very impressive. At the end of our visit, we spent some time soaking in this picturesque pool that was above all the chaos. A nice end to the day!

And just like that, two weeks had gone by. With the perfect mix of relaxation and exploration. We spent our last night at a hotel near the airport since we had an early flight the following day. We squeezed in one last massage, one last dip in the pool and one last sunset.