Jungle Adventures and Rice Terrace Wonders: Exploring Ubud

It is rare that a picture can look completely fake but it is 100% real and unedited, however our stay at Clove Tree Hill was that gorgeous all the time. We drove about 2 hours to the literal middle of the jungle in Ubud. There had been a bit of rain, and some of the hills we were trying to climb did not want Eddie’s car to climb them. On several occasions, Jeff had to jump out of the car, stand on the ever eroding road, and push! As we went deeper and deeper into the jungle, we knew we would be staying at the resort and not venturing far.

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Luckily, the hotel had a wide variety of food, and Jeff learned to love ginger tea. It was a good time for us to catch up on work and take some chill time from all of our run-around activities. The pool was large enough for the boys to play sharks and minnows, and there were lounge chairs a plenty.

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The bugs here were a plenty, too. Apparently, we arrived at the perfect time for the termites to spawn. For our first dinner, there had to be hundreds of thousands. Andre was about to lose his shit if we sat outside for dinner for one more second. He really is not a fan of flying insects, and there were enough bugs to over-stimulate David Attenborough. Side note: did you know that dude is 98 years old!

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Here is a nice sampling of the food offered at Clove Tree. Those bananas were super tiny and had an interesting, firmer texture on the inside to go along with a sweeter taste. Jeff and Owen loved them. The staff would deliver to our room, or you could eat at the restaurant overlooking the rice patty field.

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We took several jungle hikes while at the resort and found an awesome waterfall that the kids played in. The water was absolutely freezing. Owen is the polar plunging king, diving into water of any temperature without issue, while Andre seems to act like he is being persecuted. It was a special moment to have this private waterfall to ourselves. There was no way I was going into that freezing water though.

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The hikes were long and took you by a ton of local houses, farms, and rice patties. We saw bananas, cocoa beans, herbs, and some crazy looking flowers. There was one moment where this random dog started to chase us, barking. Everything was happening so quickly, we didn’t have much time to react, but luckily it didn’t try to bite any of us. He was just guarding his territory in the most terrifying way possible.

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During our hike and stay, we made it a point to learn how rice is cultivated. We had been watching some of the farmers hand plant the rice, and the process seemed horribly tedious. Turns out, the process is terribly tedious. It begins with land preparation, where fields are leveled and flooded to create a suitable environment for rice growth. This appears completely manual where we were staying. There was no large farming equipment of any kind.

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Farmers then sow rice seeds directly into the waterlogged soil or transplant seedlings that have been grown in nurseries. Throughout the growing season, the fields are maintained with proper irrigation (which is a shared system between farmers), fertilization, and weed management to support healthy plant development. All of this is done by hand. There are families that work together for multiple farms.

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Once the rice plants mature and the grains ripen, the fields are drained to facilitate harvesting. Harvesting is typically done by cutting the rice stalks, which are then threshed to separate the grains from the husks. Afterward, the rice is dried, milled to remove the outer husk, and stored or processed for consumption.

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The other fun activity around the area was an ATV tour. This was pretty rustic, and Jeff almost killed Owen by doing donuts in a mud pit! I will say, I do enjoy the loose regulations in the less litigious countries. While there are some higher risks, it is just so much more fun and enjoyable to let loose. You just need to not be an idiot.

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The relaxing environment created a great opportunity for us to catch up on work. The boys continued to plow through their journals, workbooks, and essays. Jeff and I continued trip planning and accounting work. Then my good friend Bali Belly decided to resurface. I had spent quite a bit of effort on the hikes and had partaken in a couple beverages, and I think it lowered my immune system enough to allow it to come back. The food here was 100% safe, and I know it wasn’t from the resort. The rest of the family was at 100%.

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I spent the next day on bed rest as I had now developed a fever and felt like I could not move. We were too far away from any doctor/hospital, so I just worked hard to stay hydrated and eat as many vitamin C items as possible.

As we left this little slice of paradise, we headed to our final stop near the heart of the Ubud town area, super close to shops, food, and activities. We will miss Clove Tree Hill!