Elizabeth Gilbert and Julia Roberts has put Ubud almost on everyone’s bucket list. A town that was considered sleepy ten years ago is now a busy little town filled with yoga studios, vegan and vegetarian restaurants, homestays and guest houses, cafes and co-working spaces for expats, and boutiques with cool clothing and jewelry.
Inspite of all these changes, the locals are very warm and hospitable people. They still practice their age old traditions and customs. I got to interact with a lot of them and did get a glimpse into their way of life which is a balance between work, family and spirituality.
The Balinese people had always believed in spirits and had built small temples within their home courtyard to pray to the spirits of their ancestors. Their home architecture style was inspired by the architecture of the big temples. It’s believed that after Dutch colonized Bali, Indian traders started coming to Bali and they also introduced the locals to their Hindu religion. It also brought with it spiritual ideas, myths and legends – which can be seen in the unique festivals and events associated with the spirits of ancestors and their gods. There are nearly 20,000 Hindu temples in Bali. Ganesha seems to be everyone’s favorite as he is placed at the entrance of the house as protector and to ward off evil.
Local Market:
In the morning before 8am, the market caters towards the locals with fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers. After 8am, it is filled with cheap stuff for tourists.
Streets of Ubud:
It’s so inexpensive to have a really nice meal at fancy restaurants. By inexpensive, I mean literally, around $10 for an entree with a drink.
There are lot of clothing and jewelry boutiques but the prices are at par with what I’ll pay back home.
If you want to rejuvenate, just for $8 you can get a 60-minute Balinese massage. How can one say no 🙂
Want to keep on practicing yoga and meditation, there are lot of yoga studios around and the prices are same as what you would pay in the States. Also, you’ll see a lot of expats and travelers around you.
Charming Meena –
During my stay in Ubud she took good care of me. In Bali, when a husband has a child with another woman, then it’s the fathers responsibility to give the child his name and take care of her. That’s how Meena’s step-daughter came to live with her and she takes care of her, as if it’s her own child. The locals believe in forgiveness and that we are not perfect human beings. No reason to punish the child. I’ve so much more respect for Meena.
Dying Young –
You won’t see many old people in Ubud. Either they die young or retire to countryside. Some believe that it’s due to their eating habits, since each meal is super salty, sugary and with MSG.
Scooters Everywhere –
That’s how everyone travel on this island and you’ve to watch out for them when walking or crossing the streets. Learning to ride a scooter is now on my “goals” list. I have heard that accidents are very common here, so I opted to just walk or hire a taxi. Unless you are going out of Ubud or staying far from the center, then you need some mode of transportation, otherwise you can walk everywhere in this small town.
Ridge Walk –
Early morning, Jennifer & I, headed for the ridge walk to beat the mid-day heat. It was a nice walk through some rice fields but kinda overrated on some travel forums. We did find a nice restaurant to have brunch which overlooked the lily pad, so that truly made the entire experience so much worthwhile.
888 –
Beautiful door of house number 888, hinting me that I’m on the right path and to keep on going forward.
The Monkey Temple –
I’m so glad that I visited the monkey temple. The monkeys here are very accustomed to having humans around them that they don’t even care about us, unless we try to provoke them. The rating “R” sign should definitely be placed at the entrance because they are very good at giving you a full performance without any advance notice. Walking through the forest while seeing them in action, jumping from one beach to another, is always so mesmerizing.
Night with Ketuk Dancers –
The temple was a perfect setting to watch the Ketut performance. The mythical stories each dancers conveyed through their body movements, facial expressions, big eyes and costumes was a performance not to be missed. One of the dancer had a wardrobe malfunction at the beginning of her performance but she didn’t let it come in the way and gave a brilliant performance. Lot of people didn’t even notice the malfunction.
