Ubud - jungle or rain forest?

I was a bit worried leaving Amed that Des wouldn’t like Ubud. Driving from coastal paradise towards the busy, noisy town of Ubud demands a shift of all senses, an adjustment to the pace, noise and so much to see and take in. I have learnt more about Ubud each time I’ve been there over this trip. My friend Charlie had booked a guest house surrounded by paddy fields surprisingly near to the centre of town. As we turned onto the jammed Monkey Forest Road, I wanted Des to close his eyes and ears and get to the guest house before he started to judge. Sitting in traffic, surrounded by people on bikes, foot and just the milling masses, we couldn’t do anything other than watch the world and his wife go by. Just as I left Ubud last time I had the best massage of my trip. He told me his teacher had taught him everything he knew, so I’d booked a massage with the teacher - go to the source, right? Balinese massage isn’t really a thing in the same way Thai massage has a distinct style an...