Ubud Ibid

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It's been awhile since I wrote a post, and by this point, I've been in and out of Ubud 3 times, so I'll break with chronology and just talk about my time there.

Ubud is Bali's cultural nexus, with lots of arts, crafts, and a great cafe scene. Ubud captures many travelers and retains them for longer than they had anticipated, by offering chill vibes, and an alluring mix of weirdness and comfort.



I came to Ubud (for the first time) after leaving the beach in Seminyak. What really stands out about the place is how well the traditional Balinese culture fuses with the Western culture brought by the emigrants who have settled here. And some of them have been here awhile – I met a middle-aged British lady who had been here for 17 years, well before Eat Pray Love brought Ubud (Love) to prominence in the West. The town is chock-full of organic vegan Western places, traditional Balinese Warungs and Padangs, yoga and dance, and art studios.



Ubud does seem in particular to attract female travelers, particularly those who are either already into artsy/alternative culture, or who are recently burned out from corporate culture, looking to reboot and reassess their life direction. Each time I visited, I stayed at a place called “In Da Lodge,” which was probably 2/3 female, and a great place to chillout and meet other travelers. Nearly every settled Westerner I meet here is female.



Ubud is relatively central in Bali, so is a natural place to pass through when doing an East-West or North-South traversal. I took a tour from here with a few other travelers, checking out the beautiful rice paddies in Jatiluwih and a coffee farm where they produce the vaunted “Luwak coffee” - this Civet that they call a Luwak eats raw coffee beans (they had a few on display in cages running around nonstop like they were on cocaine!), they ferment in its stomach and after it excretes them (they assure me that they wash them thoroughly!) they are then roasted as usual, and supposedly emerge improved at the other end of this journey. I can't vouch, as I haven't yet ponied up $5 for a cup (about 5x-10x the normal coffee price here). But I sent a small amount home to be tested by the more refined palates of my folks.



Our tour took us to a bunch of temples whose names escape me now, and frankly I get very little value out of seeing anymore. I think I'm about maxed out on temples on this trip, although maybe I could make room for Angkor Watt. However, often the accompanying scenery is fantastic, such as by a misty mountain lake, mountainside, or in a jungle. I had no idea before coming to SE Asia that most of the cultures out here were historically such prolific temple builders. While the temples aren't architectural feats on par with the cathedrals all over Europe, taken collectively, they are as impressive. Wikipedia tells me that there are 20,000 temples on Bali, home to



There's also no Western analogy to the small shrines that are in every home and workplace in Bali and Thailand. In Bali, offerings (flowers, incense, sometimes a bit of food) are made to these, and also on the streets around the premises, several times a day. While nominally Hindu, the Balinese retain some of their ancestral animism, and many of the offerings target local spirits. Villages may have one or several people whose entire job is involved in the production and distribution of these daily offerings. At least their attachment to religion and ritual haven't yet had the outcome that they had on Easter island :P

Anyway, Ubud is a great place to visit if you are interested in getting more exposure to the culture of Bali, or just chilling out at some cafes or doing some yoga. I'll be back for fourth time, as I have to return my motorbike there before leaving Bali in 2 weeks.

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Photos

Nice bike
Thats the kind of stuff that pops up regularly in Ubud

My water
Ubud has a fun Monkey Forrest. As I was buying my ticket, I set down my water bottle, and this guy promptly snatched it. At least he was actually thirsty.

Typical offerings
I volunteer to run the randomized controlled trials to see if these work!

Sketchiest bridge I've ever crossed
We were Indiana Jonesing it at this shrine. Down into the river basin there was a cave, but the water was too ferocious to risk it.