We took a local flight from Flores to Denpasar, Bali and then hopped in a taxi with a Dutch couple to the cultural town of Ubud, about 2 hours from Kuta. It is a lovely place - the streets lined with art galleries, craft shops, clothes stalls, bead shops and endless cafes and restaurants. We found a lovely Balinese style guesthouse with a pool, and this became our oasis and retreat from the heat after long walks in the surrounding paddies and fields. We left early our first morning there and took a long trek along a river gorge, through rice paddies and unbelievably green fields. It was hot and humid already at 0730am. We reached the top of a steep climb along the ridge and came upon a couple of small houses and local artists'
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