And then the reverse speedboat trip from Nusa Lembongan to Bali.

New port building in Sanur.

Then on to Ubud.

‘U’ is pronounced ‘oo’ so it’s ‘oo-bood’

It’s inland and considered a cultural centre with many temples. And retreat spas, massage, yoga…

And traffic! It takes forever to get anywhere.

I loved the tightly woven baskets, trays and bags.

Hanging orchids in a cloth bag created a wall outside the restaurant.

Ubud is full of contrasts.

Going the souvenir street gauntlet to reach rice paddies.

New home construction.

It’s usual to hire a driver to take you around to see temples, rice terraces and waterfalls.

Some are Instagram magnets with hordes of tourists so I asked for a less busy selection over two days.

Jatiluwih is still well known and an UNESCO site, but a little further away. It is also low season because the rains should be starting.

Rice is very important here, and usually eaten three meals a day.

Nungnung Waterfall was also quiet. The 500 steps down, and up, may also be a deterrent!

Pura Lahur Batukau was a temple that even my driver had never been to before. But lovely, peaceful and shaded.

We also visited his village and a local artist that works in sand.

Buana and his daughter. We visited his home while he explained the system of family compounds.

We also stopped at a local market to taste fruit I may not have known. This is mangosteen.

The inside looks like garlic, but definitely isn’t! Very sweet and juicy. Only the white part is edible.

Snake fruit is firmer and mild.

In between the busy streets of Ubud there are little patches of green and quiet for lunch in their gardens.

My hotel had amazing choices for breakfast. This was black rice coconut pudding with their own cinnamon bun.

They also had amazing sourdough bread toast! With yogurt and fruit. No rice!

And more Nasi Goreng (fried rice).

Nasi Campur is rice with a selection of little dishes. 60,000 rupee (Cdn $5.50) including the coconut.

Noodles with stewed chicken.

Grilled eggplant and tomato confit on my hotel’s great bread!

My hotel was a big surprise. It was called a ‘Guesthouse’ and only Cdn $50 a night, but it had been recommended by an Australian couple I’d met in Sri Lanka.

The view of the pool from my balcony.

Beautiful gardens and connected temple next door.

Then a flight to Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores.

Talking of Bali traffic, it took almost two hours to go the 28 km to the airport!

Bay view from my hotel room.

Labuan Bajo isn’t a huge town, but it’s the launch site for tours to Komodo National Park.

My hotel recommended this day tour which included six stops for Komodo Island as well as snorkeling,

I was happy with their choice, and saved me shipping from the ++ tour operators on the street.

Hotel pickup was 05:30 to take us to the harbour meeting point. We were back by 16:00.

Too much sun for me. It’s pretty intense here (close to the equator) and with the swimming and sweating,, suntan lotion doesn’t work for long!

I’ve only burnt on my first day in Nusa but I’m getting more colour than is probably good in this day and age.

One of many tricky on/off boat maneuvers.

Komodo rangers escort every group, and only carry a forked stick.

We were very lucky and saw seven Komodo dragons. This was a small female.

This was a big guy snoozing under the boardwalk. It looks like I’m standing on him but I’m actually behind! With four rangers watching and taking our photos.

Komodo dragons eat their young, so the little guys learn to climb trees until they are too heavy around 3 years.

‘Pink Beach’ gets it’s colour from the coral.

Kanawa Island had colourful fish.

This was a tiny spit of sand surrounded by turquoise water.

We also snorkeled above Manta Rays. Repeat – above.

Their wingspan can be up to 8.8 m (29 ft). Amazing!! But needed a GoPro to photograph!

A borrowed photo for reference.

So I’m sitting in a coffee shop to get reliable wifi. It’s pretty sketchy in Labuan Bajo, especially for uploading photos.

I’ve already bought a coffee and juice, and hoping they are happy with that!

And more iced latte! With banana pancakes this time.

Weather is staying around 30 with 70-75% humidity so still feel like a wet dishrag in a sauna.

Tomorrow is a travel day back to Bali. So I’ll post this now while I have wifi!