From Ubud to Gili Air

To get to from Ubud to Gili Air you can buy a ticket almost at each travel agency around Ubud. However, the prices vary a lot and unfortunately we bought ours at Praety Home stay to save some stress for 450k IDR (ca. 30€) however we talked with others who paid only 300k IDR because they checked out several travel agencies. You have also the possibility to take a slow ferry for 100k IDR or 150k IDR, however, they take a lot of time around 8h and are apparently a bit unsafe.
First you are brought to the harbor from where you take the ferry which first drives to Gili Trawangan then to Gili Air and afterwards to Gili Meno.

Activities in Ubud, Bali

The activities on Bali and/or around Ubud are more or less endless. Depending on what your interests are you can find the most delicious restaurants, amazing scenery or action-packed trips.
First of all, you need a motor bike to be mobile and explore the island independently. Most roads are in good condition so that driving should not pose any problems. However, pay attention that wearing a helmet and having an international driving license with you at all times is compulsory, otherwise you can get a fine. Furthermore, although Bali is quiet safe I recommend to put your valuables like a camera either in a bag or in the helmet compartment during the ride.
You have already several activities in Ubud, which shouldn't be missed:

Monkey Forest 
As the name implies Monkey Forest consists of a huge area where you can find hundreds of monkeys just strolling and sitting around, which aren't afraid of human contact. However, be aware that the monkeys will try to steal all kind of food or water you are carrying around. Furthermore, you can feed the monkeys with either the roots which are lying around or the food you can purchase at the entrance.
Being that close to the monkeys and being able to observe is really a lot of fun.

Rice Field Walk 
The Rice Field Walk in Ubud is magnificent in its scenery. It is a little bit outside of bit aroudn 20min walk or 10min drive. Just drive to the west and turn to the right (north) after the Tourist Office into a small alley, then follow it to the end over a hill and you will arrive at a viewpoint from where you can choose between a short (30min) or a long walk (1h) through the rice fields. Furthermore, you can visit the Sari Organic farm to get a refreshment on the way.

Payung rafting
The next activity in which we participated was the Payung rafting for 300IDR (ca. 20€). You have several different providers of the rafting and depending on the price you start on different spots along the river. However, I suggest to book the one around 300k IDR. Although, the rafting itself is not the special or exciting the scenery is just gorgeous. The guides try to make the best out of the river and you make several stops where you can relax and enjoy the landscape even more. In the end you have the possibility to have a shower to wash of the smell of the river and an all you can eat lunch which is quiet good. 

Kintamani volcano tour 
The Kentanami volcano tour was the last tour we started from Ubud. We booked it again at our Praety Home stay for 150k IDR (ca. 10€) and it includes 7 stops/ temples (entrance fees not included). The usual entrance fees are around 15k IDR except for the temple in Kintanami which costs 35k IDR. Usually, a Sarong will be given to you at each temple, however, if you can bring your own with you.
The first stop is the Goa Gajah temple (Elephant Cave temple). Where you can visit a deep cave with a beautiful stone carved entrance.

Afterwards, we visited the Gunung Kawi (Rocky Temple). There you can visit huge royal tombs which are carved into a stone wall, which are really astonishing to look at.

The third stop was Tampaksiring (The Holy Spring Temple) which was one of the highlights of that trip. The temple is quiet big with a hot spring and two other different pools allowing visitors to "cleanse themselves" from their sins. So if you would like to do that bring some spare clothes, change rooms are provided. 

Additionally, we visited Temen a Coffee Garden & Spice Garden, where you are shown how various spices grow. Furthermore, you can taste the famous Luwak Coffee and other tastes like ginger etc. 

Afterwards, we drove to Penelokan to view the Mount Batur. This is basically a stop at the viewpoint at the Mount Batur with additionally the possibility to have some (all you can eat) lunch at the restaurant next to it. Lunch costs aound 180k IDR so a bit expensive, however it is quiet tasty and worth it if you are hungry.

The last temple was located at Kintamani and is called Ulundanu Batur temple. At this temple don't purchase any Sarongs no matter what how strong the sellers press you. Furthermore, you should be able to rent a Sarong for free in case you didn't bring your own. The temple itself has a nice architecture however it is not as interesting as the previous ones.

The last stop was the Rice terrace in Tegallalang where you had to pay 5k entrance fee. Although, there are a lot of tourists it is quiet beautiful to look upon. If you have the possibility to drive there on your own you will have the opportunity to walk in the rice fields and not just look at them from the viewpoint.

Overall this trip was a really amazing and worth the costs although it should be possible to drive the route by moped and saving the 150k IDR.

Praety Home stay - Ubud, Bali

As always, we didn't want to spend that much money, and Ubud provides various option regarding accommodations. We concentrated our research on Tripadvisor.com and decided to go with Praety Home Stay, which was the right choice in every aspect. Located in the Jalan Sukma it is a little bit outside of the center of Ubud with all its restaurants and bars. Nonetheless, everything is easily reachable on foot (ca 15min) or by motorbike. 
We booked our room through Agoda.com and paid 200k IDR (ca. 13€) per night. Praety (the owner) is a lovely host and provides the best breakfast we ever had during our travels. Each day you can choose from 8 or so dishes which are prepared and brought to your room when it suits you. 

Our room was located at the first floor and was huge with its own  terrace where you could relax undisturbed whenever you wanted. The room had two beds one double and single bed with one fan, mosquito net and closet. The bathroom had a bathtub but because we only had cold water (like cold cold) it wasn't usable. Wi-Fi was also available everywhere with a really fast and reliable connection.

One negative aspect was the every morning at 6.30am the rooster began to make some noise but since it was already mentioned on Tripadvisor.com we expected it so although it was annoying it is part of the experience. 

Furthermore, it it possible to book trips and a moped through Praety. We booked a moped for 50k IDR per day (ca. 3€) and were surprised by the good condition it was in.
If you want to book your transit to your next destination you should first scan through the local Travel agencies. To save some stress and time we decided to book ours to Gili Air for 450k IDR at Praety but apparently you can get the same trip for 300k IDR on the street. 

Overall, we had an amazing stay at Praety Home stay and despite the roosters we would definitely be back, due to the location, the comfortable accommodation and the loveliness of Praety and her family.

Terrace

Ground room

Double bed

Single bed

Bathroom

Terrace

Garden

Impressions Bali - Indonesia

Impressions Malang & Bromo volcano Tour - Indonesia

From Malang to Ubud, Bali

The cheapest option for us to go from Malang to Ubud was by bus. The bus company we used is called Gunung Harta and is located at the Patimu street 45 in Malang.
Our bus left at 4.30 pm and we paid 175k IDR (ca. 11€). First the bus drives to Ubung near Denpasar (you don't have to leave the bus for the ferry)from where you have to take the Bemo to get to Ubud. Like always don't get fooled by the ridiculous prices suggested by the taxi drivers etc. We paid 50k IDR (ca. 4€) to get to Ubud.

The bus itself was spacious and comfortable with enough leg room to stretch yourself and take a nap. Water, a blanket and some snacks were provided as well, however, the dinner stop is not worth mentioning so you should brink some food for the trip.

Activities in Malang

Malang is mostly used as a junction for trips to the Bromo volcano (as for us) and is even smaller than Solo.

However, it has some activities which are worth checking out. First you should visit the bird market which offers a variety of birds and other animals, but if you can't look at animals in small cages this isn't anything for you. Afterwards you can visit the shopping mall or the Moshe which is also quiet beautiful.

Bromo 
The trips to the Bromo are the main attraction in Malang and can be booked at various locations. The price range is between 550k IDR and 650k IDR and takes around 12h. We booked our tour for 550k IDR at the Solo tourist office, which had the cheapest price.
The trip started with the pick up at 1am and a several hours drive to the viewpoint for the sunrise. From the parking area you have still to walk a short distance until you reach the point. On our way up we saw a lot of small snack bars which provide tea, coffee and Noodle soup for the hundreds of tourists who are visiting the spot at the same time. During that walk we already noticed that almost all visitors were wearing hats, gloves and anoraks. We knew that it might get cold but not that cold. During the sunrise we could see our breath and despite my four layers of T-Shirts I was seriously freezing and standing in a crowd of hundred other tourists didn't help. But in the end the view was astonishing and we could enjoy this unforgettable moment to fullest.
The next stop was the Bromo crater itself. We arrived at the bottom of the volcano and afterwards had to walk for ca. 10min to the stairs which lead to the top. The climb has its difficulties due to the ash and the stink of the horses which carry the lazy tourists to the stairs. In the end we didn't use the stairs after all because they was a huge queue to get up. Instead, we climbed next to it which wasn't that easy and our shoes were completely ruined. But it took us only a fraction of the time compared to climbing the stairs. From the top it was possible to look into the crater and have an incredible view over the valley around the volcano.

Afterwards we made a quick stop at the sand sea which is located in the valley to make some quick pictures in the vastness of the sand and afterwards continued to the savanna which has a completely different landscape compared the valley and the immediate surroundings, although it is more or less located just around the corner of the volcano.

The last stop of our trip consisted of a visit at a huge waterfall, which was located along the way back to our hotel. At the waterfall it is necessary to pay another entrance fee of ca. 30k IDR. Afterwards, you have to walk a small path for around 15min until you reach the actual waterfall which is quiet beautiful and huuge, the biggest one we ever saw. 

Overall, the trip was amazing and although quiet exhausting because we really were on the move from 1 am.