Bermudian Robyn Skinner hooked up with an old friend, Lee, when she arrived in Bali. Here she discovers life on the country's roads is not always smooth, but marvels at the beauty of the countryside.

Next Stop: Touring Bali

Trading motorbike for massive car, my travel buddy and I relieved Lee of his hosting duties for a couple of days and set out to discover what more Bali had to offer. This means everything from erupting volcanoes to dolphin-drenched oceans. First though, we had to figure out the roads.

The rules of the road in Bali are a mixed bag. About 80 percent of the population adheres to negotiating the roads at the fastest speed possible with nothing like other traffic to stop them.

The others plod along swerving left and right as they try to either change the radio station or figure out where they want to go. When these 20 percent do decide where they want to go they stop, indicate and then turn. Ha ha. No I'm kidding. They start moving towards their intended target, which could be ten or 100 feet away.

With slightly frazzled nerves we arrived in Bedugul, a town in the middle of Bali, three hours after departing Lee's. This lovely town rests on a lake that also hosts a temple where tourists can take everything from Jet Ski rides to lunch. We enjoyed the temple as a chance to stretch our legs and a break from negotiating festivals.

Lunch was in a tiny restaurant/inn nearby with a flowered garden shrouded by the mountains overhead before heading for the nearby waterfalls. These offered a refreshing pit stop on our journey to the northern coastal town of Lovina best known for boats that hunt dolphins for the tourists. We wanted nothing to do with that and instead decided a swim in the pool at our hotel, some dinner and early bed were a better idea before more driving the next day.

I will give Bali this. Regardless of the chaos on the roads, the countryside with lush green rice paddies and the towering mountains will calm. The drive our second day also had the luxury of the coastline to keep us company before turning inland to the still-active volcano Mt. Batur, which towers over the aptly named Lake Batur.

By the time we arrived we were starving so found a restaurant near the lake. We approached unsure if it was actually open, only to have a man nearby telling us to wait before running off. Apparently he was calling his brother to come and make us lunch! I love Bali.

Unfortunately this man was also a guide. So relief that he found the chef quickly turned to dismay as he hovered fly-like buzzing about Mt. Batur and ruining our lunch. When I made it clear we were not interested (poker is not a game for me) he tried selling us artwork. I inhaled my lunch and with travel buddy in tow we decided to reward his harassment by leaving Mt. Batur and heading for the coastal town of Ahmed where I could put my recently acquired PADI licence to use.

After a stressful afternoon of wrong-turns (heading down a one way street!), near misses with cliffs and some spectacular countryside we arrived here in the dark. We had enough time for some more incredible Gado Gado (a salad with tofu, peanut sauce and potatoes) before organising a scuba trip the next day and then bed.

Unfortunately my travel buddy woke up with a head cold so the scuba trip was off. Luckily the company was understanding and offered us two dives the following day. With a day to fill, we decided to give me a heart-attack.

Instead of exploring the ocean we decided to explore the dirt road circuit that ran through the village and along the coast and then back to Ahmed. I of course had to drive, which did neither my travel buddy's head cold or my confidence any good (I only started driving a manual car in Turkey). Not only was I dodging cars, but also pigs, dogs, chickens and children as young as seven driving motorbikes, it was all I could do to get us out a alive.

About an hour later and with so many close calls that my travel buddy took over, we stumbled across a temple dotted with ponds and statues of bearded soldiers. It provided a sanctuary for me to decompress after the harrowing drive.

We continued to the nearby town of Amlapura because my travel buddy and I both needed money and the only ATM for miles was here two hours from Ahmed. After stocking up on cash, fulfilling internet requirements and picking up some groceries we set out for the 'highway' read: no pigs or dogs in sight and a road the we could find on a map back to Ahmed.

The next day it was an early rise to drive to the wreck of the US Liberty a cargo ship that was torpedoed in the Second World War. About 30 feet from the beach the wreck offered incredible amounts of fish life. What was not great was our guide's insistence on entering the wreck. I had only just been open-water qualified and was still getting comfortable breathing underwater. Regardless, he and my travel buddy went in.

Let's just say a tirade of bubbles did not clearly explain how I felt when it finally dawned on them that I was not following and maybe they should turn back.

Following this less-than-tranquil dive experience, we returned to the hotel and the second dive spot. Swimming for ten minutes from water's edge disturbed a spotted ray, then another and another until we had disturbed a sand-bed of these beautiful creatures. We then ran into a turtle hanging out and watched a mini-seahorse navigate a sea fan. There was such an abundance of life here I could have stayed for the rest of the day.

But my air running out and we had to surface to leave Ahmed that afternoon. Begrudgingly I came out of the water, ate some lunch, and got in the car to head to the wonderful, inspiring town of Ubud.

This artistic town attracts hundreds of authors every year as part of the writing festival, that unfortunately I would miss by a day because I had already booked my tickets to South America. Nevertheless the scribbler's vibe is here hidden amongst Bali jungle, as was a gluten-free café! They had a black-rice pudding with brown sugar that I nearly dove into. Heaven.

Besides soaking up the energy expended that morning diving, Ubud also offered a traditional dance performance, that I just had to see. My grandmother had raved about the dancers she had seen here when she travelled with my grandfather so I was curious.

With hand gestures so precise I'm not sure why they are not surgeons and gold costumes that threaten to blind, these skilled dancers told a variety of well-known (well by Bali standards) stories of Kings, evil witches and young maidens.

The next morning I was sad to see Ubud go, but we had to return the car. After a couple days of enjoying an apartment, another attempt at surfing and indulging in all of the cheap, first-class food I could manage it was time to say adieu to Lee, Asia and my British travel buddy. It was time to hit the next continent South America.

Unfortunately, this required plane trips from: Bali to Singapore to Tokyo to Dallas to Santiago, Chile. By the time I landed in Dallas I wasn't entirely sure what day it was, what time it was or if my skin was going to survive.

Choosing my skin over caffeine I sacrificed my coffee as I waited six hours for my flight. I should have invested in more moisturiser.

Without a decent night's sleep in two days and my usual stimulant I cuddled up at the gate on the cement seats with my book and promptly fell asleep. Yes after staying awake all afternoon waiting for my 9 p.m. flight I missed any calls for me to board and awoke half an hour after my flight. Perfect timing Robyn.

Gate staff confirmed I was in fact too late and I exited the terminal to plead my case to the American Airlines staff outside. I don't know what I must have looked like, but something in my pathetic eyes and the kindness in the gate-agents heart meant he put me on the next flight to Santiago without charge, comped me a room at a nearby hotel and begged me to get some sleep.

Next Stop (well if I stay awake long enough): Santiago, Chile