Bali, Indonesia this time folks!  We decided to stay away from the main tourist resort of Kuta (as it's way to hectic and busy). Instead we headed north to Lovina, a smaller resort by the sea, then onto Kintamani which is located on the rim of a volcano that had a small eruption back in 1999. Our last couple of nights were spent in Ubud, a town jam packed with local arts and crafts. We opted to stay in the smaller hotel/guest house accommodation which worked out well. Friendly service, good food, less expensive and met lots of very interesting world travellers.

To be honest, we were all rather surprised with the island and it's life... initially not sure if we liked the place or not! There are not many beaches at all and most of those that do exist have black sand. Driving the rental jeep was a nightmare. Basically the road system is a free for all, whereby traffic laws and regulations just don't seem to exist... so you can imagine the chaos. Most of the local people are very poor indeed and see the tourist as a potential source of income... so they will try and sell you anything and everything as soon as you stop the car. You can have up to half a dozen folks tapping the windows wanting your attention. The island is very lush and green, and quite beautiful in many ways... just don't expect beaches is the key. Lots of terraced rice paddies on the moutainous slopes, tons of coconut palms and banana trees, fantastic fresh vegetables and fruit.

We had a fun time shopping around Ubud. The bargains in wood carvings were fantastic and Paul decided to let go some of his money. All in all we bought a number of pieces in Ebony, Mahogany & Teak woods some of which are being shipped back to the USA direct. You have to barter hard though... in general we were able to knock prices in half and in some instances even more.

If you want to go there... you don't need to book in advance any accommodation or rental cars at all. Just turn up and you will get great prices and loads of choice.