"Sometimes when I laugh, I feel like I am taking magic mushrooms" (Ubud, Bali)

---

We left the Gilis after a couple of days, since we only had a week together and wanted to see more of Bali. We got a bus to Ubud, still in South Bali, and made famous by the book/film Eat, Prey, Love (not the reason we went, I’d like to point out!). Ubud is beautiful, laid back, and full of amazing shops. I rarely go to places where I think, "Yes, I’d like to live here", but Ubud is definitely one of those places. I’m adding it to my list (currently consisting of New York and Barcelona).

Stayed in the nicest accommodation again, and so cheap – just over 10 quid a night for a big bungalow, with, of course, an outdoor bathroom.

We decided to be vaguely active and hired bikes to cycle to Goa Gaja, a Hindu temple which is about 2km from the centre of Ubud. A guy called Made showed us around – he was so cool, and seemed to have many English ex-girlfriends. "My ex, she arrived in Bali today, she keeps texting me!" Bloody women, ay Made! He told us that he used to take magic mushrooms five times a week, but that he doesn’t anymore because they made him 'funny'. "Even now, sometimes when I laugh, I feel like I am taking magic mushrooms", he told us. Let that be a lesson kids! Don’t take drugs.

Made told us about another temple nearby called Yeh Pulu which was set in, he said, beautiful rice fields. So off we cycled, and sure enough, it was indeed set in beautiful rice fields. Another man showed us around, also called Made. In Bali, he told us, there are only four names, depending on whether you are the first, second etc born child. Made is the same for the second born child, so I guess both our tour guides that day were second children!

The cycle back to Ubud was uphill and nearly killed me – I swear, I need to get fit! We rewarded ourselves with a massage, which was the best massage I’ve ever had - a bold statement, but oh so true.

---