As Indonesian destinations go, Bali was very low on our list of priorities. Clearly, we are in the minority though since the majority of Indonesia’s tourists end up there at some point. Most of them head to the beaches in the South to approximate an extended version of a debauched weekend at home while working on their sunburn. Laura had been keen to follow Lonely Planet’s advice to wear modest clothing as to ‘not offend local sensibilities’ but that changed within 2 minutes of arriving in Ubud. Local sensibilities must have changed considerably in the two years since Lonely Planet was published since every foreign woman wore tiny shorts and tank tops, and many of the dudes strutted around shirtless.

Ubud: Three way battle- tradition, skimpy shorts and yogic bliss

The traffic from the airport and around Ubud was utterly atrocious. Many tourists visit Ubud on day trips from the beaches and the streets snarl up fast. Laura had done a fine job again of finding a hotel a little ways from the main drag so we had a bit of peace and quiet. I suppose in some parts of the world, walking into an establishment with a Swastika over … Read more