---

What a fabulous day! I was beginning to think that Bali wasn't all that great, since my hotel is located in a very touristy area. Tons of people walking around, which is kinda cool, but I prefer a more relaxed setting.

I started the day by hiring a driver to drive me to various places in Ubud. Ubud is a village located outside of Kuta, approximately an hour and a half drive. There, I saw wood carvers and silversmiths working their magic. It was quite cool. Then I was taken to the rice terraces. OMG! Breathtaking. I decide to make the trek down through the terraces, which took a bit of work as it was so hot! I climbed back and on my way, I lost my balance and stepped in mud. My Toms were covered with mud :( Oh well. Just another thing I have to wash! The Monkey Forest was next, which was probably the highlight of the trip to Ubud. The monkeys roam freely and you're able to feed them. One monkey took a banana from me and then took my finger and was about to bite it off! Essentially, it was a great experience and another monkey sat next to me eating away. Following the Monkey Forest, we headed to the market where I got a few things and bargained my way to get what I wanted :) By then, it was 2pm and was ready to head home.

I got back to the hotel at 3:30pm and wanted to check out Kuta beach, which is across from my hotel. I was told it was really easy to get to by Jim and his wife, a nice English couple from Kent who I met the previous night at the hotel restaurant (where I had the most amazing fried banana and vanilla ice cream). So, I walk over to the beach and decide to walk along the shore. From a distance, I see this weird guy waving at me like he knew me. He kept doing it and finally, he started swimming towards me and got out of the water. It turns out he thought I was his friend and he's a surfing instructor and asked if I wanted to learn how to surf. I didn't have much money on me, so he said he would do it for 150,000 Rp., which is like $18. Heck yeah! Luckily, I had my bikini under my clothes and he just loaned me a top to prevent any rashes. I get my board and we go! My first wave came, and I stood for about 3 seconds and then the next few ones, I kept getting better and better and before you knew it, I was surfing! I was actually able to maneuver my board to the way I wanted it to go! My instructor, Chris aka Peter Pan, was so impressed and told me sometimes it takes hours for people to actually stand on the board, and I got it on my first try. He then wanted to take me to the bigger waves, but by then, my ass was pretty sore from falling a bit that I passed. We went to get some of the best Mie Goreng (fried noodles) I've ever had (recommended by him) and hung out at Rudy's Bar on the beach. There, I met a few of his mates, an Aussie girl named Amy who was awesome! We had a few beers (well, technically I only had one and a girly drink called Mix Max..which was delish) and watched the most beautiful sunset ever. I told Chris that I was leaving on Sunday and that tomorrow was my birthday, so he offered to take me to the best sites and the best beach he knows if I just pay for the petrol and that he would make my bday memorable! So...I took him up on his offer. It was 7pm and pretty dark and he drove me back to my hotel on his motorbike (which was freakin scary since people are freakin crazy when they drive here). I will be meeting him again at Rudy's Bar at 2pm to head out to Nusa Dua beach and all the other cool places he knows! It's awesome that he's a local!

When I got home, I wanted to grab a bite to eat, so I went to Ocean's 27. There, you can eat with your feet in the water. Pretty darn cool. The meal was a bit pricey and wasn't the best I ever ate. But I guess you pay for the ambiance and the fact that you can overlook the beach while you're eating. Anyway, I'm looking forward to my b-day as I'll be lying on the white, sandy beach and will probably be eating one of the most amazing meals in Bali (according to Chris).

Happy Birthday to me!!!

---