Our first stop - Ubud, Bali

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The sawah - rice fields - around Ubud thrum with the sounds of crickets, frogs and the gentle trickling of water.

The verdant terraces separated by winding mud walls, traverse the gentle slopes like contours on a map.

The temples and quieter streets smell of incense, josticks and meals prepared with lemongrass and ginger.

Apparently dormant men spring from doorways, offering 'taxi' with the approach of a tourist. Evening performers of traditional Balinese danes enthusiastically sell tickets for their shows.

Ubud is awash with Balinese art - mainly paintings, but wood carving too - in galleries, shops and museums. The unpretentious workshops and little galleries extend into the upper reaches of the rice fields. Some run courses for those that prefer making to seeing.

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Photos

Rice fields in Ubud
A lovely long walk around the rice fields of Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Traditional Balinese Dancing
Trance dance, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Traditional Balinese Dancing
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Traditional Balinese Dancing
A story about a boy getting ready to go to war, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Monkey forest
Ben is getting to know that local inhabitants and making new friends, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Hindu Temple inside the Monkey Forest
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Monkey family
A monkey family feeding and cuddling each other, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

Comments

[Oli]

I didn\'t know the Danish had colonised the area... Anyway, we\'re reading this blog to find out about you guys - what you been up to?? Enjoying it??