Our week at the Novotel Benoa had been exactly what we were after in a family holiday. We were quite sad to leave. On the up side we were heading to Ubud to stay 2 nights at Alam Shanti. We had booked to stay in the Yamuna room. Yamuna was basically the downstairs of a big house. (Gangga room was upstairs). As part of the deal, the Yamuna and Gangga rooms got their own pool between them. We found it a great place to stay. I was worried our young kids would get bored here but that wasn't the case at all. We spent a bit of time in the main part of Ubud looking around the shops and galleries. When the kids would get a bit restless I took them back to AS for a swim leaving my wife to do a bit more exploring. She found this arrangement worked well. I also enjoyed spending time with the girls either in the pool or exploring around the gardens.
The first night we were there we went to Leka Leke for dinner and their show (Saturday night is Frog Dance night). We had a good table with a view of the dance performance. On the nights they have the performances they have a set menu buffet. Normally I am not a fan of buffet dinners. This was a very different experience. The food was some of the best I had on my holiday. Lots of different curries as well as Indonesian dishes. Surprisingly good. Our daughters loved the frog dance performance. They are still talking about it. We got our photo taken with the performers after the show. Very cheesy I know but my daughters loved the experience. The second night in ubud we had Mexican dinner at Taco Casa ‘n Grill. Again, a great dinner. I love Mexican food and this really hit the spot. Nice frozen margaritas as well. I should also mention that Alam Shanti offer a shuttle into and back from the main part of Ubud. This was very handy at night when we didn't really feel like walking along side the monkey forest back to Nyuhkuning.
I took my nephew on a bike riding trip with Bintang Bike Tours. I had never done this before. Like a lot of others on TA I can thoroughly recommend this trip. It is advertised as a half day trip but is pretty much a full day trip. We visited a family along the way and had a look around their compound. I was very moved by the poverty these people endured. I ended up leaving some money for them. It was not because of any pitch by the guide (there was no pitch) but because these people really needed the money. Some family members were unwell and were going without medical treatment. I couldn't stop thinking of this for the rest of my holiday. I still can't. It was a very humbling experience.
The kids wanted to see some more 'stuff' so we decided we would take a trip to see some elephants. We grabbed a driver off the street and he said he would take us to the elephant safari. I thought we were going up to Taro. On the way I realised we were travelling east rather than north. When asked, the driver said he was taking us to Bakas as it was 'better.' It ended up being the Elephant Safari Park. It was OK but didn't seem all that well run. When we got there we paid our money to see the elephants. It was US$15 each. It was emphasised to us that this did not include a ride or a show. Photo only. No ride. Yep, got it. Anyway, once we got up to the elephant area the handlers took me aside and what followed was something along the lines of: you give us tip, you ride elephants. This little enterprise ended up saving me a fortune. The elephants seemed to be very well kept. They are logging elephants brought from Sumatra, along with their entrepreneurial handlers. After the elephant ride, you get to take a look at some other animals. I've got to say that the way they were being kept would not pass muster at home. But who am I to judge? The animals were no neglected and seemed well fed. There was a baby orang-utan there which my daughters could not believe. On the way home we took a look at the Goa Gajah caves. But the kids were getting restless so we headed back to the Alam Shanti for a swim. A shame really as I would like to have a bit more of a look around.
We left Ubud after 2 days and headed for Kuta. Next trip I would like to stay longer in Ubud and see a bit more of the place.