saltwatersteve.com/travel

We made a last minute decision to check out Ubud in Bali which we had never even considered. We knew that Bali was pretty touristy, so we were initially uninterested, but after being off the beaten path for several weeks, we thought maybe a little tourist infrastructure and perhaps massages and pizza might be nice. And we were right!
We ended up spending 8 days in Ubud which is the cultural center of Bali. There are several dance performances every night, more art museums than you could see in a month, markets with handicrafts including Batik and wood carving. The town is small and quiet with narrow, winding streets lined with stone walls covered with green vines and flowers. Gardens are everywhere and you can ride your bike to rice terraces and temples.
We did indeed pamper ourselves as well. We got massages and stayed at a hotel with a swimming pool which we took advantage of at least once, sometimes twice, per day. Evenings were spent watching the local dance performances which included legong and the frog dance accompanied by gamelan music, eating wonderful food or splurging at the jazz cafe for delicious food and excellent music. We even managed to go to a cooking class where we compiled recipes with measuring units such as thermos lids, small bowls and handfuls and instructions like “cook over coconut shell fire.”