UBUD BIKE RIDE

A few days ago, my family and I went on a bike ride through the countryside of Ubud. We had a lovely guide, Wayan, who took us through local villages and stunning rice paddies. This was a very leisurely bike ride, all downhill with great views.

First, we stopped at a local coffee plantation. We saw all of the fresh grown herbs and the bright red cocoa beans. My sisters and I took turns grinding the coffee beans – they smelled SO GOOD!

We enjoyed a tasting of all the flavors of tea and coffee. My dad even tasted luwak coffee. My favorites were lemon tea and hot chocolate. 

Then, we hopped on the bikes and rode through local villages and along secret paths in the rice paddies. We went for long periods of time without seeing cars, hiding among the rice fields.

As part of our day, we were invited inside a local family’s home. We learned that in one Balinese compound, more than twenty people can live in it! When a man and woman get married, they move into the husband’s family compound. If there’s not enough space, they build another room within the complex. This means that, if we were Balinese, we would live in a compound with my dad’s whole family. THAT would go well. 😐

The views from this bike ride were stunning. It was the first time we had been out of the Ubud city center. It was a nice break from all of the crazy traffic, and a fun way to spend our day.