Today's exchange rate: IDR 10,810 per AUS &
Today's weather: A bit of sun, a bit of cloud but not a bit of rain.
I was awake early as usually today and snuck outside to leave Mikhala sleeping a bit longer. I was wanting to book Sami into a spa for a couple of hours, because she had decided to not join us for white water rafting. Unfortunately she hadn't had much improvement with her back. I had wanted to book her into to Bali Botanica but it was booked for the next 2 days. She ended up going to a couple of spas and was feeling much better by the afternoon thanks to her relaxing day. Just before 7:30 I woke the others up and we soon headed to the restaurant for breakfast. Our pick up for the rafting was scheduled for between 8:15 and 8:45 but just as we had finished our breakfast at 8:05, the Sobek bus pulled up. We said our goodbyes to Sami and headed straight down. We needed to have a quick stop at another Ubud hotel to pick up a few other people and then we were on our way.
The drive was a scenic one and we happily chatted between ourselves and to the driver to pass the time. We had a stop at a Bali garden on the way, where herbs and spices like vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger as well as coffee. It is one of the places that specialises in Luwak Kopi. We were lead through the gardens by our driver, being shown the Luwak which looked very sad in its cage, the different spices being grown, the coffee being roasted and ground. We were invited to try some of the different coffees and hot drinks. Since I'm not a coffee drinker, I stuck to the Bali Cocao which tasted just like a hot milo without the milk and the lemongrass tea. The tea was divine and tasted like a lollipop. It was premixed with honey and sugar and I loved it.
 |
| Roasting coffee |
We were directed to the little shop and I decided to purchase a little packet of the tea as well as a couple of little jasmine perfumes which smelt amazing. It was set price here so I paid 90,000 Rupiah for the tea and 55,000 each for the perfumes.
We returned to the bus and soon arrived at Telaga Raja where we'd be doing the rafting. Upon arrival, we paid the balance of the tour before being introduced to our instructor. We put our valuables in a dry bag to come in the raft with us and the rest of our stuff in a locked bag to go back in the car and meet us at the other end. We were given life jackets, helmets and paddles before everyone was instructed in what to do, including the paddling, shaking the boat if they get stuck, leaning back, ducking down and what to do if you fall out. Then began the descent down to the starting point. It was a long way down, but going down is easier than going up. Regardless of this, our legs were quivering when we got to the bottom.
 |
| Walking down |
While we waited for everyone else, we watched people from other companies having to get out of the rafts, walk a way down the river and then get back in to avoid a couple of big drops that weren't suitable for rafting. The Sobek tour started immediately after this. While other guests began to get into the water, our instructor, Peos, helped me putting the GoPro on my head. Into the water we went and the fun began. Peos had told us that he was only in training and we're still not sure whether or not to believe him. We got stuck a few times at the start but that was all part of the fun. We bumped into rocks, cliffs and other rafts but we always had a smile on our face. From the back, Peos would call out "Forward paddle, back paddle, stop, duck, stop, boom boom" and every instruction he gave, we followed. I think we were all surprised that it wasn't actually very tiring (except for the steps). Peos did a lot of the work, steering the raft and pushing us off rocks, and we helped out when he told us to.
The scenery was absolutely amazing and what a way to see it. There were plenty of opportunities throughout the ride to take photos and I was so thankful that I had my GoPro on to capture everything I couldn't.
Half way through, we stopped near a waterfall to give us a chance to get a drink. The waterfall was beautiful. A lovely spot to stop and catch our breaths.
Back into the water we went. Not too long after we restarted came the infamous 4 metre drop. Just before we got to it, Peos pulled us over and made sure we knew what to do. He showed us how to hold on and lean back. We were all a bit worried, but didn't have time to dwell on it, because the drop was suddenly before us. We held on and leaned back for dear life and within a second, it was over. It wasn't much longer to the end, and the river slowed down so we had time to recover and admire the amazing view all around us.
After the rafting came the walk back up. We made it to the top but not without getting a bit out of breath. We were given towels and directed to the showers, where we washed off and got out of our wet clothes. Then it was time for lunch. The buffet wasn't huge, but it was definitely enough. After eating, we got a chance to see the souvenir photos that the company took for us. I chose 2 to get printed out and boy, was the look on the girls faces priceless.
We had an absolutely amazing morning doing the White Water Rafting with Sobek and without a doubt, I would definitely do it again. It was a great way to start the morning. Fun, a bit challenging and a great way to see an incredible view. We felt safe at all times and had no problems with the company whatsoever.
It was about 1:45 when we got back on the road to get back to the hotel. We all felt the tiredness set in and thankfully the drive home didn't take too long. Sami was very happy to see us and we filled each other in on our days before heading off for showers. We decided to head back into Ubud to do a bit more shopping before dinner. Just after 5:00 we walked down to reception and got the hotel driver to take us into town. We walked down Monkey Forest Road where I made a quick stop to buy a couple of fluro statuettes. I had spotted them from the car on the way back from rafting and it turns out,it was amazing I saw them at all. It turns out the stall was a tiny, 1 metre wide thing, squeezed in between 2 shops.
We continued walking down Monkey Forest Road, stopping at the restaurant Ibu Rai to book ourselves in for dinner. We turned down Jalan Dewi Sita and found the shopping along here much more impressive than Monkey Forest Road. We popped into many little shops, buying jewellery, candleholders and more jewellery. I bought 2 little charms from a jewellery shop called Yin, one for myself and one for my best friend at home. The charms have a pretty little flowers on the front and on the back is "Sanlosha" which means contentment with who you are and what you have.
We turned back at the end of the road to get back to the restaurant for dinner. Ibu Rai is a gorgeous little place with big, pink lanterns hanging down from the ceiling. We ordered drinks and calamari to share for starters. For mains, I had an Asian Duck Coriander, Sami and Courtney shared Nasi Goreng and grilled king prawns while Mikhala had fish and chips. Our food was all delicious and we decided to stay for a dessert of chocolate cake and applie pie.
 |
| Ibu Rai |
We had many laughs throughout dinner, which came to about $60. We walked back up Monkey Forest Road to find a driver to take us back to the hotel. Sami chose one that was quite a character and she shared quite an amusing conversation with him on the way home. Sami has recently became very interested and passionate about Schapelle Corby and was surprised when the driver said he didn't know who she was. She then continued to tell him that it wasn't her fault. It's not really a conversation that can be explained over a blog, but I'll have you know we were in the back seat in fits of giggles.
By the time we got back to the hotel, tiredness had well and truly set in. We watched TV for a while before doing a bit of packing and hitting the hay. Tomorrow we're off to the Safari Park before heading to Legian for our next 4 nights. Where, I hear you ask. Click here to find out! Good night.
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment