Although we were content to let a few days go by without accomplishing much in Bali, on our last Thursday on the island, we left the villa early. This morning, we’ve got a 3 hour whitewater rafting trip followed by a 6-hour tour of northern Bali.

There are two rivers for whitewater rafting in Bali - Ayung River and Telaga Waja River. For my first rafting experience, we set off to test the faster currents of Telaga Waja. The river flows from Mount Agung - an active volcano and Bali’s highest peak.

From Telaga Waja, we could spot rice paddies and small villages up the mountain. Waterfalls run down the side of the rocks, some gushing down with a force so strong that I thought we’d tip over. But, occasionally, the guide would let us know that parts of the river was suitable for swimming and we’d all jump, letting ourselves get carried along by the gentle current downstream. The mountain is lush with  tropical trees; traveling downstream, we let ourselves take in beautiful scenery around us before heading to to more adventures further north of the island.

Like most of our days in Bali, the day ended on the beach. We pulled up to Pura Tanah Lot as the sun was about to set over the temple. We let the breeze cool down our sunburnt skins and wash the sand from our hair. The photographer in me knows that sunset only lasts for a few minutes but we stood there for what seemed like half an hour, dragging out our goodbye to the scene in front of us.