Bali Day 4 - White water rafting, Dirty Duck and Ku De Ta

I heart Bali.

Everytime I blog about it, my heart fills with so much joy and lovely memories! And yes, we´re recommending this place to everybody! Can´t wait to go back there again. :) Ok, in case you´re wondering why I´m blogging about Bali all the time, its because I want to get this over and done with! That´s over 300 photos to sort out and blog about in an understandable and entertaining matter....that´s why. :)

On the 4th day, we got another driver, Norman (same name as my Dad) - who´s one of the drivers from "Drivers with distinction". He was another superb chap, very down-to-earth, who gave us a lot of good advice about where to go and what to eat.

Our first stop for the day was white water rafting at the Ayung river. This isn´t our first time, since we tried it in Krabi, Thailand before. However, I wanted to try something more rocky and dangerous, hence we decided to give it another go in Bali. The river was not as rough as I´d hope it to be, but it was much longer and there were more rapids. There was even a high and refreshing waterfall during the row down the river.

Us all set and ready to go!

First the steep climb down the steps to the river

The other couple in the photo are Singaporeans too!We stopped at some spots to take photos of the carvings of the crocodiles on the walls. The guide kept making loud "crocodile" splashes with his oar to "scare" us.

The waterfall that only Stephan dared to go under. We went really close, but not close enough. The force of the water was so strong that Stephan couldn´t stand straight as his body was shaking from the sheer weight of gushing water.

After an-hour of canoeing, we headed straight for the famous Dirty Duck restaurant in Ubud, for a taste of its renowned crispy duck. It was so weird, because I kept referring to this restaurant as "Mad Monkey" and my sis referred to it as "Naughty Nun". Haha. At least we kept the same first letters! The duck was really well-done, the satay was great, but Stephan developed a bit of an allergy from the fish in his seafood platter. Fruit shakes are a must in Bali. This was one of the more affordable meals in Bali (about 30€ altogether) and the ambience was very much like that of a countryside - open huts where one has to sit cross-legged at the table. Stephan, being long-legged opted for the normal European sitting.

We walked around Ubud for the rest of the afternoon. Ubud is pretty much the artistic, cultural part of Bali. If you´re interested in carvings, sculptures, paintings etc. this is the place to go. There´s a long stretch of shops - similar to Patong in Phuket, ranging from non-negotiable fixed-prices-stores to the bargain-like-crazy markets. That afternoon was so warm that we walked for about an hour before deciding to call it quits. Oh, this was the day we bought our Polo Ralph Lauren stuff! BOY! This place is SO cheap! I got myself 4 Polo Tees, Stephan had 2 pants, 2 long-sleeved shirt and 1 Polo Tee. Guess how much we paid? 150€! That´s a meagre fraction of the normal price. AND the clothes ARE authentic!

This was the BEST restaurant in Bali. KU DE TA! They offer both local and international fare and the food was awesome! This is THE place to go to when you´re in Bali. Its by far the most beautiful restaurant we´ve ever been to.

The awesome view where we sat. One needs a reservation for this place. So popular it is.

The thing that really sets this restaurant apart is its ambience. It has the smartest concept of combining fine romantic dining, cool bar with music and chill-out-on-the-grass-with-small-pool-cum-beach-chairs. There you have it. The best way to capture people from all walks of life. I.e. you have the romantic honeymooners, the groups that head to the bar for snacks, beer and music and families with children who run around the open space and go for a dip in the pool. And yes, this is the place to see and be seen. There are SO many gorgeous-looking people here! Many A-list celebrities have been here before too....Christina Aguilera, football players to name a few...

The most beautiful and only sunset I got to see in Bali. It was simply too cloudy on other days! Even then, I had to snap the shots very quickly because the sun disappeared as soon as it came out from behind the clouds!

Culinary feast. I had lobster pasta, Stephan went for the Grilled Veal - its melt-in-your-mouth type of meat. Our usual cocktails and for dessert, we had 4 different types of Créme Brulee and Apple Strudel with Vanilla ice-cream

That´s our goodbye shot with Norman...notice the car decal on the back of the car?