Bali, the lure of the rice paddies

Did I tell you about the rice paddies in Bali? I don’t think I did. We spent the majority of our time in Ubud, a small artistic town tucked away in the mountains and most importantly, far from the maddening crowds of Kuta and Seminyak. However, I should point out that nothing in Bali is laid back - the streets are constantly bustling, from dawn until late into the night. Shops never seem to close, people never seem to sleep and buzzing scooters are a constant drone of white noise. That is until you find a rice paddy. Then finally the welcome hush and you can think again. We meandered through the rice paddies for hours on end, marvelling at the lush green lands, realising that we were seeing rice being farmed for the very first time (much to the bemusement of our Balinese guide). In all the time we were there, we saw no tractors or farming equipment. It’s all farmed completely by hand.

And last but not least, while lounging by the pool, this little guy landed on our towel. While I ran off waving my arms and screaming like a crazy fool, Jord snapped pictures. How incredible are his colours? We also saw a golden ant. I never even knew such a thing existed.

All images via Wishful Thinking