Hiding from the Monkeys

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We took a Bemo from Sanur and requested the driver take us to Ubud, around half an hour away. A price of 150,000 was agreed (this is extortionate considering we paid 100,000 each for a luxury overnight bus including dinner from Surabaya to Dempasar) but transport prices are sky high in Bali. We had been told there are so many taxi drivers because from one fare they can earn the equivalent of what they would for a days' work in standard employment. We had considered renting motorbikes to get the most out of Bali as this is what most tourists do. With rental prices starting at £2.50 a day (and cheaper, the longer you rent) it is no surprise they are so popular. However, with neither of us having had any motorbike experience we decided it would be wise not to take the risk and opted to use bemos. There seem to be no public buses or anything in Bali- so prices are set on what the driver thinks he can ask for.

Arriving into Ubud our bemo driver dropped us at a family owned guesthouse known as Yuliati's. To reach the guesthouse we had to walk through a series of temples, the setting was extroardinarily beautiful. The aromas of burning incence welcomed us; our host offered cups of Balinese coffee and invited us to sit with his family, some of whom were practicing a dance, and others peacefully sketching. As we retired to bed that night we watched a young girl carrying out a prayer or ritual outside our room; she took blossoms from the tree and sprikled them over herself whilst speaking in a whisper. It was a pleasure be in the company of these lovely people.

The following day we decided to take a walk around Ubud, and discovered the delights of the crafts market, many boutiques, cafes and bookshops, and beautiful architecture. All of the buildings seemed to be imaginatively designed and decorated- and every few hundred metres there were walled public gardens filled with exotic plants and bushes, shrines and caged birds, accessible from the street through inconspicuos wooden doors.

As Ubud has become evermore popular for arty types, writers and craft makers since the film 'Eat, Pray, Love' local prices have risen. Restaurants were not cheap, and it was with great luck that we discovered Arima's Restaurant, just off one of the main roads in Ubud. This place served both local food as well as a variety of British and Dutch at reasonable prices. There is still quite a strong presence of Dutch influences within Bali since they occupied the island over 100 years ago.

Whilst on the subject of food we cannot forget to mention the amazing banana pancakes that we were fed for breakfast from our host at Yuliati's. Banana pancakes are served pretty much everywhere in Bali, but the best we had by far were here.

As we hadn't seen a lot of the island's touristy places, we opted to take a group tour the following day. If booking one of these, remember to ask whether admission prices are included, as generally you are just forking out for the transport. We paid just over 100,000 rupiah each for our transport, and were to be picked up the following day. On the evening we headed out for dinner at Kue, which looked like a patisserie downstairs, but had a restaurant upstairs. This was the best food we had eaten since being in Asia, it was beautifully prepared and delicious with fresh salads sauces and freshly cooked breads. Being attached to a cake shop we obviously had to have dessert which more than impressed; especially the chocolate mousse cake. This place was so good that we returned the following night.

The next day was to be our day of culture, but started with a bit of a shock as we were awaiting our ride outside the guesthouse. We spied two dogs on the opposite side of the road 'at it' but as they had finished they couldn't unattach themselves. They were both getting irate but it appeared they really were stuck. After enduring a ten minute struggle, our car turned up and we never did get to see how they managed to separate themselves.

It was a hot day, and one thing that really annoys us is that cars/ taxis/ buses will advertise themselves as having air-con, when in reality they only have air blowers. These are extremely different things when the temperature outside is near to 40 degrees and humid. We spent the next 6 hours driving around a variety of places such as the Elephant cave, that whilst impressive, we thought wasn't as impressive as some of the temples that are free to visit and dotted around the town. We also visited the Penginapan volcano and lake which were beautiful, but being on a tour we were constantly harrassed by children trying to sell hair clips/ fruits etc and it was really difficult to enjoy the view as they literally do not leave you alone. It is a shame that poverty like this exists and makes you question whether it is right for us as tourists to visit such poor places.

Whilst in the car on the way back to visit the rice terraces, we had an interesting conversation with a Filipino lady on out trip who was working as a teacher in Jakarta. She questioned how we managed to afford to travel, and whether there was a burden on younger Europeans to provide for their family when they find work. It is amazing how much we compare our own countries to others when meeting other travellers, and every time we find ourselves grateful for being born in the UK. As we dropped everyone back to their hotels we drove through the monkey forest which is apparently a nice walk. There were naughtly monkeys outside in the carpark standing on cars and inside the local shops. We had heard many horror stories about them stealing bags, cameras and flip flops, and when you try to fight them apparently they bite. We decided we would not take the monkey forest walk! Seeing them from the window was enough for us.

The rice terraces were lush green and so beautiful, despite being a lot smaller than those we saw back in Banaue in the Philippines. However it was so hot we were glad to be heading back. As we drove through the streets in the less touristy areas, we were surprised to see the number of shops and stalls sellnig exactly the same things as back in the towns. The furniture, paintings, and home decor things they sell are so lovely it would be great to come home shopping in Bali.

On our last evening in Ubud we decided to go and see a local dance group at one of the outdoor temples, which is one of the most popular things to do. Everyone settled down on plastic chairs and on the floor, listening to the ping pingy music played by the men, while ladies came out and performed dances. The costumes were really colourful and pretty, and the dance style was certainly unique, using eyes and fingers as the main entertainment factor.

The following day we decided to leave Ubud to visit the Gili's, a group of islands off the coast of Lombok, about which we had heard mixed reviews.

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Comments

[Beata and Tomek]

great photo ;-)

[Zee]

This place looks amazing!!!!
It's a shame it was soooo hot, Im really worried about the heat when we go to Thailand! It was so hot in June last year I could barely take it haha! That story about the dogs being attached made me laugh - the photo too! The photo of you and Luke at the temple is lovely :) xxxxxxxx

[D MJ Binkley]

We're fans of your work.
I had to laugh when you were talking about the cabs advertising air conditioning. We took the third class train from Bangkok to Kanchanburi and it was advertised as air conditioned....it turned out that meant the big two foot by three foot windows were open and they had a tiny three inch fan hanging from the ceiling above each row. Definitions in other countries can be different than what we expect. I guess we travel to experience these differences.

[D MJ Binkley]

We're fans of your work.
I had to laugh when you were talking about the cabs advertising air conditioning. We took the third class train from Bangkok to Kanchanburi and it was advertised as air conditioned....it turned out that meant the big two foot by three foot windows were open and they had a tiny three inch fan hanging from the ceiling above each row. Definitions in other countries can be different than what we expect. I guess we travel to experience these differences.