Yesterday was the start of our first 2016 Bali By The Backroads Tour.  We have 11 Kiwis here in Bali with us all looking forward to nearly two weeks zipping around this scenic island on motorbikes with us. Today was our first day out on the bikes.  First up we had to battle a bit of traffic to leave the busy south western part of Bali.  Soon the traffic thinned and we were heading north towards Ubud. We even managed to get in a bit of 'offroad' riding.

You can't go to Bali without checking out at least one or two temples and Mengwi is a rather beautiful one that is well worth getting off the bike to have a look at.

Our lead rider for the first four days of the tour, Wayan Lega, took us down some great little tracks through rice paddies and fields.  

We had lunch at Cafe Wayan, an original Ubud restaurant and one of our favourites.  And then the rain came in great big drops so we headed for our hotel taking some winding back roads up and down ravines to avoid the post lunchtime traffic that happens in Ubud every afternoon.

A great day was rounded off with dinner at unique restaurant built almost entirely from bamboo.

Tomorrow it's back on the bikes for some more adventures on Bali By The Backroads!  Keep checking back here to see what we've been up to.