A few months ago, I wrote a post about my 5 most picturesque places to see in Bali, but I felt that I left too many things out, so this is a follow up of sorts.  These are some fun things we did on day trips while staying in the Ubud area of Bali.

1 – Monkey Forest Park, Ubud.  This park is located in the center of the city and you don’t have to go far before you see monkeys – a lot of them.  There are notices everywhere before you enter explaining that the monkeys take anything from you that is not secure, like hats, water bottles, purses, backpack – I mean anything.  Many people apparently didn’t take the time to read the notices or didn’t take them seriously, as we watched many of those items get stolen from tourists right out of their hands or from their pockets.  They roam a very large area at their leisure and are just wonderful to watch.  On a hot day, the park was heavily shaded with all of the trees, so it was a bit cooler than other spots in town.

2 – Paon Cooking Class, Ubud.  I knew I wanted to take a cooking class while in Bali and there was a lot to choose from.  Not knowing which one would be the best, I asked the manager of our Villa for help with this.  He suggested Paon, as it was always a favorite with his prior guests.  Included in the low price of $28US, was a 2.5 hour class with preparation, discussions, and of course eating, along with a shuttle to and from my Villa.  The 2 women who ran the class were very organized and seemed really happy to explain the history of the ingredients being used for this authentic Balinese cooking.

Everyone participated in each of the 5 courses and then we all sat together and ate at one large table as the sunset in the distance.  The food was so delicious, the stories surrounding the menu items chose were wonderful and the ambiance was peaceful.

3 – Cantik Agriculture Coffee Plantation, Gianyar, Bali.  Our driver brought us here on our way to the waterfalls, which is next on my list.  We were greeted by a tour guide who walked us through the plantation while pointing out the various native plants and explained the coffee process.  This was all complimentary, along with a tasting of many teas and coffees at the end, on a beautiful patio overlooking the jungle.  While wandering through the walkways, we came across cows, chickens, and some civet cats – they are the ones that eat the coffee beans and then poop out the best ones.  It was a fun excursion, even for the one person in our group who didn’t drink coffee.

4 – Gitgit Waterfalls, Singaraja.  Our driver told us about quite a few waterfalls that we could visit, but this was his favorite.  There is very little parking in the area, so he dropped us off at the trailhead, parked the car, and came back to meet up with us.  It was raining a bit when we first started out, which made the rock steps slippery, but we continued on.  You wind around a narrow trail for a bit and then it opens up.  There are many street vendors on the side of the trail and more right at the base of the waterfall with local items to purchase.  The rain had almost stopped by the time we got to the waterfall and the clouds were parting – just beautiful.

5 – Fabulous Food.  We had so much fun trying new things, everywhere we went.  We enjoyed a hot breakfast served with fresh fruit and coffee or tea each morning at our Villa – every day was different and absolutely delicious.   A few nights we had food delivered to the Villa,  otherwise, we ate in restaurants in Ubud or on our daily touring around and usually ordered many different items to share.  Trying new food and drinks while I’m traveling is one of my favorite things to do, and Bali didn’t disappoint!!

Even though we spent about 10 days in Bali and managed to do a lot of fun things, there are many sights we didn’t have time to see, so as usual, I’m getting my list together for my next trip back to Bali and I might combine it with a trip to Australia, since it’s so close…