Sunday, September 7th, 2003 – Day 201
I was pretty lazy agin this morning. With the heat and my little ineffective fan, its hard to get yourself going. I was packed and showered by 11.0am (cold water only) and walked around town. My bus to Ubud was at 1.30pm. It a small one hour journey. it cost me 20,000 IR.
The sun-and-fun atmosphere of Kuta is fine for the Australian and New Zealand market, who invest only 3 hours and bargain basement prices on airline shuttles to the island. But for the rest of us who live around the corner from the St. Barts, Hawaii, or St. Remo, a simple beach bum holiday isn’t going to justify flying halfway around the world. And so it shouldn’t. There’s no mistaking Ubud for a rural or pastoral village, but if your aim is to expose–no, immerse–yourself in the Balinese culture, there’s no reason to go anywhere else. About the only thing it doesn’t have is a beach, but again, you can easily day-trip to Nusa Dua, Sanur, Candi Dasa, or Jimbaran for that. But I guarantee that once you arrive, you’ll kick yourself for having “wasted” your time elsewhere, and that you’ll never want to leave.
Ubud feeds the pulse of the island. It is the richest region in Bali for art production, which is possibly why so many expat artists have made their homes here. Its arteries have long ago extended beyond the boundaries of the small art community it was 75 years ago, but this commercial boom has only helped to create a surreal atmosphere of refinement and artistry. The confines of the town are just unable to contain the explosion of high quality galleries, shops, and the newest trend: spas.
Meanwhile, the locals’ commitment to spiritual life continues, and there always seems to be some ceremony or other going on. Ubud is also the closest thing going to a central Bali location; just about everything you might want to see is an easy day (or even half-day) trip from here, which makes it a good jumping-off point. It’s also got a disarming collection of some of the finest hotels in Asia, as well as some of the best and most lush scenery of any significant center on the island: phosphorescent rice paddies, virgin jungle, gorges, ravines, and river valleys. Any side street will lead you into a parallel universe of rural fantasy, a dramatic transformation from the glossy commercialism of Ubud’s main thoroughfares. It’s no wonder many non-Balinese have come here for a visit and never left.
You know what, the blurb is right. I liked this place as soon as I got off the bus. a dutch guy from the bus and I walked into town (20 minutes) and you pass numereous temples and stone statue carvers. We checked out a few places until I decided on a quite bungalow place.
Its very quiet and peaceful. I get my own large bungalow bamboo apartment for 30,000 IR per night, Great value when you get an ensuite room plus a patio.
I did some shopping for my temple visits. To aviod offense a guy needs to buy a sarong (yes, I bought one – very David Beckham), a scarf for the wait and one of the head (the whole set up including 2 head scarfs, a waist scarf and a sarong (bottom entry kind) cost 65,000 IR).
The amount of goods available can be overwhelming, particularly since many carry nearly identical items. Before buying anything, you might want to check out the Ubud Market, at the southeast corner of Monkey Forest Road and Jalan Raya Ubud (open during daylight hours). It’s a real market, great noisy fun, with dozens of stalls selling goods intended for locals (check these out for bargains), produce, livestock, and the like, among the tourist kitsch. This is a good place to pick up a sarong and sash, if you haven’t yet, or to start working on a more climate-appropriate wardrobe. It also functions somewhat as a wholesale market–many of the stores buy their goods here. Bargaining can be a bit tougher here, owing to some really hard-nosed (but often quite charming) lady proprietors. You might well get better prices elsewhere, but at least you can get an idea of what to pay. If you arrive first thing in the morning you can try some of the snacks the ladies bring to sell.
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Ubud – Bali – Indonesia – Dancing Queens (07-09-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Ubud – Bali – Indonesia – Dancing Queens (07-09-2003)
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Click on the picture to see it in its original size
Ubud – Bali – Indonesia – Dancing Queens (07-09-2003)
Just a post note. When i was sitting out in my porch / Patio with no city lights or traffic noise Having a beer, I said to myself – this is why I am travelling. If you have been following my blog, I only have such a feeling a few times.
I am really ahppy to be in Ubud. Forget about Kuta, its a mess. If you want to expereince Bali, get into the interior. With my Bamboo bungalow behind me and the large ceiling fan with kids passing by, I have to say that yes, its great to be here. I am going to stay here 4 or five days to kick back and relax. i am not a beach person and I enjoy rural scenery far better.
Article here on racism in New Zealand.
Here you will find a site about Kuta and a festival starting on the 11th of September ending on the Bali bomb Anniversery on October 12th. its a festival of remberance. Check it out.