Stephy J Singapore: Christmas in Bali

This year I spent Christmas in Bali! It was wonderful! Lena and I journeyed to the inland part of Bali this time to enjoy some of the great activities on the island. We stayed in a Villa owned by a really nice couple. The wife Trisha is from Australia and her husband is a local. Our villa had a view of the rice patties so common in the area. Though we were rural outside the town of Ubud, we were well taken care of by the owners and the locals.
We spent Christmas Eve on a great bike tour Lena arranged of the Ubud area! So fun to bike through the local villages and have children run out and say "Hello" as they watch a group of 10 westerners pass by. The people of Bali are so welcoming and kind to everyone. The views of the hills, rice patties, and temples were beautiful. We visited a local coffee bean farm and tested some of the drinks and local chocolate (so good and it doesn't melt!). We started with breakfast at a restaurant overlooking the holy lake and volcano (which we later climbed!). Then we biked around 25 km to end up at the bike tour group owner's own where his wife cooked a wonderful Balinese lunch. We also learned about how families in Bali live - all live together on the property in different buildings. They only cook one meal a day in the morning and eat it throughout the day when they are hungry. Also they pray each morning and night at their family temple. The Hindu religion is so much a part of the day to day life in Bali.
For Christmas Eve dinner, we headed to Ubud and joined in the fun at the Cafe Havana. The salsa band was playing and the crowd dancing. Also the restaurant served yummy turkey dinner! So it was Christmas Eve dinner Cuban style in Bali with American food - perfect!
For Christmas Day, we headed out with our great driver to visit one of the original villages of Bali. Here the first Balinese lived. This is a protected region. Next we headed to the Blue Lagoon Beach area where we got a captain and a boat. Our boat was just a small wooden boat with two seats that took us to a beautiful reef where we snorkeled for a couple hours - the fish were colorful and everywhere! After singing some Christmas carols we headed back to the beach for our ride back to town. For dinner, we eat in at the villa cause on the 26th we had an early start to the day - 3am pick up for the volcano trek!
On the 26th we started our trek to the top of the volcano around 4am. It was a fun hike with our flashlights. We were lucky to have a great Canadian family with us - they are currently living in China. Meeting so many great people from around the world! We made it to the top as the sun rose over the mountains! Perfect start of the day. Though it was a little cloudy - there were breaks of clear skies to allow us to see the amazing view. Also our guide cooked eggs and bananas in the steam of the volcano - and after the hike they were yummy! Then we hiked down the mountain with amazing views of the lake, mountains, and volcano lava from past explosions.
After the early start to the day, we came back to the villa and watched the Packers beat the Bears (YEAH!) in the pool. The slingbox on the ipad is so great! Then we want into Ubud to do some shopping and eating. Ubud is a great little town with lots of shops and restaurants.
What a great trip for Christmas! Can't wait to come back to Bali again! Merry Christmas to All!
Here are some pictures!

My room