Day 13: Ubud, Indonesia (Wednesday May 24th, 2023)

Today I decided that I would get up early to do a full workout instead of just yoga. I feel much more rested and energized than I did in the beginning of my trip, and my legs are not as sore from the hike than they used to be. So I woke up at 6:30 (after going to bed at 10:30 for a full 8 hours of sleep).

When I got up, I journaled and then did a leg workout followed by meditation. I finished everything around 8am, showered, and ate breakfast at the hostel. They provided a free omelette with toast and fruit for breakfast! 

Afterwards, I was waiting for my roommates to get up because we were planning to adventure around together today. So while I waited, I applied for some online studies/interviews. 

Once they were up around 9, we got ready and headed out for the day. There were four of us, two girls traveling together, another girl, and myself. We rented two motorbikes and headed north towards the Ceking Rice Terraces. 

We got there around 10am and walked around for a while. It was an absolutely gorgeous and peaceful place. We walked for well over an hour. There were lots of photo prop opportunities, swings, and even swings with dresses. But we just walked and enjoyed the views. I looked up some rice facts along the way to learn how it's cultivated and grown. 

• 90% of the worlds rice is grown in Asia (mostly China, India, Indonesia, and Bangladesh)

• Grows 1.2m (4') tall 

• Annual plant (new plant every year) 

*Source: https://www.britannica.com/plant/rice 

Afterwards, we were hot and needed to cool down so we all got milkshakes at the cafe where we parked our motorbikes. 

Next, we continued onto our next stop - a waterfall! Lucy and I were in charge of leading and since she was driving, I was doing directions. It was definitely a challenge to hold onto the bike, my phone, and look at directions all at the same time. So we took a few wrong turns. I kept holding my phone in my hand while also holding onto the bike - especially on bumpy, hilly, and windy roads - and google maps took it up on themselves to add random stops along the way. But we eventually made it there! It was a beautiful day for a bike ride anyways. 

Once we arrived at the waterfall, we had to pay. You have to pay for everything here it seems that everything is tourism and nothing is natural or free to the public. Everything has to be commercialized. But the waterfall itself was beautiful! 

After the waterfall, we were all very hungry and headed out for a late lunch. It was about 2:30 now. The two girls found a beautiful spot on the way back to Ubud. 

Chloe and Gem got pizza, Lucy got Mei Goreng, and I got sushi! I was so excited to have cheap sushi. By Indonesian standards it was expensive at 50k for one roll, but that's only about $3.33USD. I should have gotten two though, one was not enough. 

After lunch we split ways. Chloe and Gem went to get ice cream while Lucy and I headed back to return the motorbike and then back to the hostel.

Once Chloe and Gem got back, the three of us went shopping! I had about 575k left - which meant it was time to go shopping! That's only about $33; however, having 500,000 in my pocked made it feel rich. We went into just about every shop. Gem bought a dress straight away. I got a yoga top, two shirts, long skirt, and some souvenir presents. I wanted a dress, but didn't find anything that I liked. I packed really light on this trip so that my backpack would be light for my back and so that I could buy things along the way that I liked without having too much. But now, I almost don't have enough! It's so hot I'm sweating through everything daily and need clothes just to not have to do laundry every few days. 

At the end of shopping, they headed back to the hostel and I went to get dinner. Someone had recommended Ubud Warung to me, which was close to where I was, so I went there. I got a mushroom chicken dish with rice that was delicious! 

Afterwards, I headed back to my hostel, showered, and went to bed.