We took a rental car to the north coast and stayed in a simple but comfortable room with our own bathroom and a ceiling fan, in a guesthouse right on the beach. The open dining area led directly onto the black sand and sparkling sea, right next to a simple village where the inhabitants went about the business of fishing, repairing boats and nets and where hens, chicks and piglets, as well as the usual dogs, pecked, scratched, snuffled or rested along the water's edge. Women and children sat in groups and the colourful fishing boats were pulled up on the sand. Cane lattice baskets contained roosters, ready for market, or, sadly, being fed and primed for cockfights.

Our return to Ubud took us along steep,winding roads, through misty mountains and around scenic lakes. We stayed overnight at Munduk, a steep town with breathtaking views, particularly from our room on the top floor of a guesthouse, one of several built on the slopes to capture the 180 deg vista. Coffee plantations thrive here. In the mountain town of Bedugal we happened upon another traditional ceremony at the temple beside the lake.