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Published: November 16th 2023
Like water rolls off the taro leaf… ~ Indonesian Proverb
HE SAID... Today we were travelling southeast from Pemuteran to
Ubud– by road.
Locations > Pemuteran is a fishing village located on the northwestern coastline of Bali
> Ubud (our destination) is a bustling mountain town in central Bali.
Transport We left Kubuku Ecolodge (our accommodation in Pemuteran for the past two days) around 8:30am and set out on a southeast journey to Ubud. With various stops along the way, it became a five-and-a-half-hour road trip. We hugged Bali’s northern coast for a while, where lush green foliage lined the road verge. As we passed through small towns and villages, I was surprised by the sheer number of cars, trucks and motorbikes on Bali’s narrow roads. There were very few moments when you could look ahead and see a clear open road. There was no respite from the traffic congestion.
Before long we started to climb into the rugged terrain of Bali’s central mountainous region. We drove on narrow roads with steep gorges and ravines to one side. As we continued to climb, the roads became narrower and the drops to the side became steeper. We drove through tiny hillside villages where dwellings and buildings had
been built right to the very edge of the road.
As I gazed out the window of our tiny minibus, I was mesmerised by the mountains surrounding us. I was captivated by the way they relentlessly pushed skywards, as if to escape the clutches of the lush green forests that clung to their sides. As the road grew steeper and steeper, our driver started to drop back through the gears – we were clearly struggling to climb.
Suddenly, our minibus stalled on a steep corner and could no longer climb. The engine was smoking and we were worried (to say the least). The drop over the verge was steep. What to do? Should we disembark and lighten the load? Luckily, our driver managed to start the engine and get the vehicle moving, but it was touch and go. We were now in the lowest gear. If the road got any steeper, the engine would continue to stall. I looked ahead, and the road seemed to get considerably steeper…
Fortunately, we didn’t stall again, and we traversed some very steep inclines. Before long we began our descent, and it was just as steep. I silently hoped the brakes
were okay, because the drop to one side was now very steep. It wasn’t vertical, but it was close. The driver didn’t seem very familiar with the minibus, but he was very familiar with the narrow mountain pass. This was our saving grace.
I never tired of the amazing view of lush green forested hills and mountainsides through my window. We crawled through the tiniest of villages – barely two or three houses at a time – and I wondered if the residents communicated daily, weekly, monthly or yearly. Or at all?
We stopped on a narrow pass that offered an amazing vista of two lakes – Danau Tamblingan and Danau Buyan – located side by side in the caldera of an extinct volcano. It was a relief to get out of the minibus and breath some fresh mountain air. The place was popular with tourists and locals alike, which understandably attracted touts. They weren’t pushy, so we easily avoided their spiels.
We clambered back into the minibus and continued our journey along the ridge of a mountain. It wasn’t long before we started to descend into Bedugul, a large town on the edge of an equally
large lake (Danau Beratan). We continued our mountainous descent on a narrow, winding and very crowded road which eventually emerged into a large valley filled with rice fields, forests, villages and towns (all of varying sizes). We arrived in Mengwi around midday to explore the Taman Ayun Temple. This was a beautiful place, which I touch on in my
highlights section below.
We left Mengwi in the early afternoon and headed east. The road was narrow, with small villages and rice fields dotting the rural landscape. After about an hour we stopped at Bebek Tebasari Resto, a sprawling touristic restaurant on the outskirts of Ubud. This was an incredibly picturesque location for lunch, which I touch on in my
cuisine section below.
We had left the northwestern coast of Bali in the morning, and arrived in the mountainous centre of the island in the mid-afternoon. It had been a fantastic day of travel, with exceptional food along the way. I love days like these.
Accommodation We arrived in Puri Padi, our accommodation in Ubud, in the mid-afternoon. We were greeted with a freshly cut coconut, which was very welcome. We walked to our large but basic room
and organised our packs, as we were here for three nights. I liked the room, and I especially liked our small private terrace. There was a solitary artwork adorning one of the walls of the terrace, which initially puzzled me. Why have a painting on an outer wall? But I warmed to it over the coming days, and I loved the terrace. It was a great place to sit with a Bintang beer and relax.
Cuisine …Breakfast (Kubuku Ecolodge, Pemuteran)…
The upper floor of Kubuku Ecolodge’s openair dining area had a very calm and relaxed atmosphere. When my pre-ordered breakfast arrived, I knew it was going to be good, because I’d enjoyed the very same order the day before – banana pancake with maple syrup, tea and juice. I’m a creature of habit!
…Lunch (Bebek Tebasari Resto, Ubud)…
This popular restaurant on the outskirts of Ubud is known for its duck, so that’s what we ordered. We were so glad we did. We shared the following dishes:
>
bebek tebasari (breaded crispy fried duck, jukutureb, snake-skin fruit pickle, steamed rice and sambals)
>
bebek kare (local fragrant Indonesian duck curry served with steamed rice and crackers).
The
duck was unbelievable in both dishes. The duck curry (in particular) was superb. We were genuinely surprised the food was so good, given the throngs of tourists occupying nearly every table in this exquisitely located eatery. Local cuisine is often anglicised for western palates, but there had been no attempt to temper these dishes. We were very happy.
Bebek Tebasari Resto is set just above a picturesque rice field, and the tables are all outside (under cover). I enjoyed a large Bintang beer with my meal, which was very refreshing. I needed to recover from a mountain crossing in an underpowered minibus, and a temple tour in the stifling midday sun.
…Dinner (Casa Luna, Ubud)…
On our first night in Ubud we headed to Casa Luna for dinner, a popular restaurant in the centre of the bustling town. We settled at a long table in a downstairs dining area, and we only just made the Happy Hour. The ‘buy one, get one free’ deal finished at 7pm, and we placed our orders at 6:55pm. Ren opted for a Rum Jungle, which comprised dark rum, coconut liqueur, coconut syrup, mango and coconut milk. I opted for a Bintang beer.
We shared the following dishes:
> chicken satay with coconut beans, peanut sauce and rice
>
casa luna nasi campur (Balinese chicken satay, chicken curry, corn fritters, coconut beans and rice).
The meals were delicious. Really delicious. We loved this place. The service was friendly and the food was amazingly tasty. While expensive (in comparison to the meals we shared in Java), our Casa Luna dining experience was very enjoyable. I even finished my meal with a caffe latte, something I hadn’t done since arriving in Indonesia.
Highlights …Exploring tranquil Balinese temples…
We stopped in Mengwi (en route to Ubud) to explore the Taman Ayun Temple. It was midday when we arrived, and it was hot. A guide met us outside the temple grounds, and within minutes I became acutely aware of my dwindling capacity to take in voluminous detail about Balinese architecture and Hinduism. He so desperately wanted to share his knowledge, and I so desperately wanted to wander the temple grounds in silence. We were at an impasse. I followed him, and I listened to his eager and well-intentioned commentary, but I didn’t take much in. In his defence, this was my failing, and mine
alone. I wasn’t ready to ‘hear’ about architecture and religion. I just wanted to experience it.
I loved the open, calm and tranquil atmosphere of the temple grounds. It was such a serene setting, and we virtually had the place to ourselves. There was only a handful of other visitors at the time we were there, which simply added to the tranquillity of this centuries-old temple complex in lush green surrounds. I was very drawn to the architecture, especially the moss-covered masonry and timeworn stonework.
In fairness to our overly-enthusiastic guide, I did manage to follow a few things he shared. During our visit to the ancient Borobudur Temple on the outskirts of Yogyakarta a week earlier, we were introduced to the notion of
moksha, the state achieved when your spirit eventually meets the spirit world. Similar to
nirvana (the goal of Buddhism), moksha is the ultimate release from desire, craving, suffering and ignorance. When our guide introduced
moksha as the highest form of Hinduism, I listened intently. I wanted to ask about his own personal journey towards moksha, but I held my breath. His tendency to over-explain would have left us wilting in the early afternoon sun.
Despite the heat and our effusive guide, I really enjoyed this short visit to the Taman Ayun Temple. I would have loved a little longer to wander its tranquil grounds, but we were en route to Ubud.
…Completing tenders while holidaying…
We’d received a tender request a few days earlier. This is not uncommon on our travels, so we have become somewhat adept at preparing tender submissions in hotel rooms. A reference I’d requested had arrived overnight (via email), so we were finally able to complete all of the documentation and submit our tender electronically… within a day or so of the due date. It was such a huge relief.
Lowlights …The touristic takeover of Balinese towns…
I was mesmerised by the number of tourists streaming through the narrow streets of Ubud. We hadn’t witnessed anything like this during our Java travels, and nor had we experienced anything like it on the northern coast of Bali. Australian tourists seemed to outnumber the local population in this bustling mountain township. When I closed my eyes and listened to the conversations of bystanders, I could have been in any Australian city or town. The shops were touristic, the bars
were touristic, the atmosphere was touristic. It was confronting.
I was aware of Bali’s popularity with Australian tourists before embarking on this trip, but when you find yourself surrounded by Australian accents on a narrow sidewalk in Ubud, it really sinks in. To be brutally honest, I wanted to leave. I wanted to go back to Java where we were the only foreigners in small exotic villages. Where we were the minority, and not the majority.
SHE SAID... Even though Bali is a majority Hindu island, our hotel in Pemuteran was close to a mosque and we woke to the call to prayer at 5am-ish. Having only one imam’s voice made the call more tuneful and hypnotic as opposed to the many many competing calls we’d experienced recently. It also helped that it was just the short call to prayer that was broadcast, as opposed to the entire prayer service (like in East Java). However, the cacophony of dogs and roosters from the neighbouring houses made more than enough noise in compensation!
We had an early-ish start for our trip to
Ubud, so we trotted off to the breakfast room as soon as we could.
As previously mentioned, we’d been asked to order our breakfast the night before; and again, we chose the banana pancakes with a delicious palm sugar syrup. On hearing our mutterings about the breakfast ordering system, Susi (our group leader) basically told us to get used to it, as it was a common occurrence in the smaller local hotels in Bali.
Our stay at the Kubuku Ecolodge, and in Pemuteran itself, had been a pleasant one. It hadn’t been a ‘Wow!’ location, but it hadn’t been bad by any means either. We left with an appreciation of a typical slightly touristy, but mostly local and small-ish Balinese fishing village. It sat very comfortably as a middle-of-the-road, low-key experience.
Our long journey to Ubud was going to be broken up with a couple of stops at the Twin Lakes and the iconic Taman Ayun Temple, which was two and half hours away. At 8:30am we piled into a minibus and waved goodbye to the staff at Kubuku Ecolodge who’d come to see us off. The road out of Pemuteran initially followed the coastline, but then turned inland. Susi used the downtime in the minibus to give us some background information
on Bali and Hinduism, and then patiently answered the many questions we always had for her after these briefings. 😊
Bali 101 as explained by Susi:
> When introducing our driver Wayan, she explained how traditional Balinese families name their children according to birth order. Wayan was the first-born, and other first-born names are Putu, Gede and Ni Luh; the second-born is named Made, Kadek or Nengah; the third-born is named Nyoman or Komang; and the fourth-born / youngest child is named Ketut. Bali has a caste system (which I assume they inherited with Hinduism), and the names can reflect their caste too.
> We’d noticed what looked like little shrines in the front yards of people’s houses. The bigger houses had many shrines and were very notable. These are the spirit houses in the family’s ancestral home. They honour the three Hindu gods of Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, as well as their ancestors. The oldest son inherits the family home and has the duty of maintaining this family temple.
> The small offerings we’d seen at the entrances to homes and businesses the previous morning are called
canang sari. It’s a daily morning ritual that everyone partakes in
– families make or buy little palm leaf baskets and fill them with a variety of specific offerings. The offerings are placed on the ground at the home’s entrance and in the family temple, and are offered to all the spirits – both good and bad.
By now we were driving through very rural areas, but the chain of houses, temples and shops (and traffic!) along the road hardly broke at all. It wasn’t long before we started winding our way upwards. The flat rice fields turned into terraced green blotches along the road. Eventually there were deep gorges filled with coconut, bamboo and mahogany trees, and the rice fields were now all the way at the bottom of the valley. The mountains around us were stunning, and everything was lush and deep green. Even the roadsides were planted with a constant row of vibrantly coloured flowering plants.
At 10am we stopped at an Indomaret supermarket for cold drinks and to use the toilet. We were approaching the Central Mountains region of Bali, and the minibus started struggling on the steep bends. This minibus was the most uncomfortable vehicle we’d had on this trip, but thankfully it wasn’t
a full day of travel (and we were using a different minibus for the rest of the trip). It had creaked and groaned up the hills so far, and eventually stalled on a particularly sharp bend on a hill! It just wouldn’t get going again. We got a bit alarmed at the possibility that we could slide backwards into oncoming traffic. But then we saw smoke coming out of the engine, and sliding backwards was a lesser concern than the whole thing bursting into flames! Just when we thought we were going to have to exit the minibus in a hurry, the driver managed to sort it out. After that incident, all the hills were taken at a super slow crawling pace, which prolonged our trip quite a bit. 😞
Not long afterwards we stopped at the Twin Lakes Viewpoint in the hills of Munduk, which overlooks Lake Tamblingan and Lake Buyan. It apparently used to be one large lake (in a collapsed volcanic caldera) at some point, but land movement had spilt them into two adjacent bodies. The view wasn’t anything special, and it was more a break in the trip to get out and stretch our legs.
However, it was still quite touristy, and it was very sad to see guys with captive iguanas charging tourists to pose with them.
As we continued on to Pura Taman Ayun Temple, we eventually drove downhill and past a picturesque third lake (which we would be visiting at a later date) in Bedugul. Sometime later the minibus dropped us off on a very noisy main road in front of Pura Taman Ayun Temple in Mengwi, and I was eager to get into the shady looking complex. We were met by a local guide Wayan (I suspected we were going to meet many Wayans on this trip!), and for a brief moment it looked like he was going to begin his talk right out there on the hot main road. We were only saved from this fate by the fact that a few of us needed to use the toilet inside the complex.
We crossed a picturesque moat and walked through the outer temple gates. We now faced beautiful lawns alongside an avenue that led to the main temple area. We were diverted to the outer traditional buildings, and at one these, those in the group showing knees were
given sarongs. I had trousers on, but opted to wear the bright green traditional sarong anyway. 😊
The 17th century Pura Taman Ayun Temple used to be the Royal Temple of the Mengwi Empire, and I took an immediate liking to it. Knowing that we were very new to Bali, Wayan began his explanations with a crash course in Balinese Hinduism. He then touched on both the traditional and modern aspects of Balinese culture.
Bali 101 as explained by local guide Wayan:
> Balinese Hinduism is practiced in a slightly different manner to Indian Hinduism.
> There are many cultural, philosophical and religious concepts that bring tranquillity, harmony, and balance to all things Balinese.
> One such concept for living is
Tri Hita Karana (philosophy of harmony) that advocates that people must foster harmonious relationships with
atma (fellow human beings),
angga (nature) and
khaya (the gods).
> Another important concept is
Rwa Bhineda (philosophy of balance). This is the idea that two opposite things depend on each other to exist – day can’t exist without light, black without white, good without bad, etc.
> The black and white fabric that covers the lower half of Balinese Hindu statues is
called
saput poleng. The fabric is a visual representation of
Rwa Bhineda, with an equal number of alternating black and white squares that symbolise the coexistence of opposites, and the ultimate goal of harmony. There are two different
saput poleng fabrics – one with grey squares to show transition between white and black, and the other with added red squares that represent energy and passion.
> Balinese architecture is a mix of ancient traditional Balinese and Hindu architectural elements, and it is ruled by strict concepts of spatial organisation and balance. The building materials are all natural, and there is balance between nature (water and gardens) and the man-made structures.
>
Pura (Balinese temples) are designed as a series of open-air compounds enclosed by exterior walls and connected with intricately decorated gates. The compounds contain several shrines,
meru (multi-tiered towers) and
bale (open pavilions), each having a specific purpose. There are usually three zones – the outer, middle and the holiest inner sanctum.
> Gates are an iconic aspect of Balinese architecture, and are either split gates (
candi bentar) or roofed gates (
kori). The gates (and walls) are integral to keeping out evil, and are often adorned with guardian statues.
The split gates also show
Rwa Bhineda – the balance of ying and yang.
This briefing, which as interesting as it was, went on for far far too long. However, I thanked our lucky stars that we were in the shade of the large
wantilan bale (public meeting pavilion) and not still standing out on the hot road! We walked back to and along the beautiful main temple avenue near the entrance gate, and through an ornate
candi bentar (split gate) into a courtyard. This was the middle zone of the temple, and in front of us stood a high
bengong bale (garden contemplating pavilion). Behind this stood the
kori (roofed main gate) of Taman Ayun Temple that led to the main temples. This large eye-catching orange gate with an intricately carved frame displayed exquisite craftmanship, and was very beautiful.
The innermost sanctum beyond the gate is reserved solely for praying purposes, and was protected by a lotus-filled moat. However, we could observe the main temples by entering a small side gate and walking along a path that hugged the perimeter of the moat. The iconic Balinese
meru (multi-tiered tower) shrines looked like something out of a fairy
tale. Standing against a low stone outer wall with frangipani trees literally dropping fragrant flowers on our heads… the atmosphere of peace and tranquillity was palpable. I really loved this temple, and I couldn’t believe that we had it virtually to ourselves. How lucky were we! 😊
We walked around the whole inner temple area, and then exited through outer buildings which housed a gallery with paintings of the temple and as well as old photos. I really liked the watercolour depictions of the
meru shrines. There were also a collection of relatively newer Hindu statues, and some of them were draped in the black and white
saput poleng fabric. Now that I understood what the fabric symbolised, I started seeing the fabric everywhere – on shrines, on guardian statues at doorways, on either ends of bridges, and even around trees. It designates the object as being holy, and also preserves the spirit of whatever it covers. I adored this idea – it gave the statues and trees a sense of being loved and cared for.
We bid our local guide farewell, and thanked our lucky stars (for the third time that visit!) when we realised we had
narrowly avoided a large contingent of soldiers who were arriving for some sort of celebration ceremony.
We had one more stop before we got to Ubud – lunch! It felt like a very long time since our pancake breakfast in Pemuteran, and I was starving. We were very happy to hear that our lunch stop specialised in duck, and I pictured a small family run warung (local food stall) with glazed ducks hanging in the window. So, on pulling into the massive carpark of Bebek TebaSari Restaurant, I was truly shocked at the number of tourist cars and small buses packed into the parking spaces! We had been spoiled with low tourist numbers in Java, and this was a wakeup call. We were heading into heavy tourism areas…
The restaurant was a sprawling space – the large main building was packed full of tables on different levels, and at the back there were small traditional
bales along a path that overhung rice fields. We were led to a building at the end of the path that had a fabulous view over the surrounding land and rice fields. While we were ordering, the waiter served us a complimentary concoction
of ginger, lime and lemongrass in a shot glass. It was accompanied with complimentary purple sweet potato and cassava chips with a hot sambal (chilli dip). It was all delicious and my expectations rose.
Given the restaurant specialised in duck, we ordered a
bebek kare (duck curry) and their signature
bebek tebasari (breaded crispy fried duck). The crispy duck was served with steamed rice,
jukuturab (a vegetable salad with coconut milk dressing), various sambals (tomato and chilli, raw onion and chilli) and pickled snakeskin fruit. We hadn’t liked our tasting of snakeskin fruit (at the Seloliman Ecolodge), but this pickled version of the fruit was very tasty. Both our duck dishes were outstanding, and the duck curry was the best dish I’d had on the trip so far! I think this was very much a lesson about not judging a book by its cover when it comes to touristy restaurants in Bali! 😊
After we finished our fabulous lunch, we amused ourselves by trying to capture the electric green colour of the rice fields around the restaurant. Sadly, neither of our cameras could do justice to the almost fake looking hue of green. It had been a long
hot day in a less-than-ideal minibus, and I was happy to hear that it was only another 30 or 40 minutes from the restaurant to our hotel. However, that joy was short lived when we hit a massive traffic jam on entering Ubud. It was the first one since we’d left Jakarta, and it was just as bad as the capital’s notorious jams. It took us 10 minutes to move one block!
The traditional open-sided reception building of our Puri Padi Hotel had a nice welcoming feel, and we were greeted with a fresh coconut. I think welcome drinks can say a lot about a hotel and the region it’s in, and I wondered if this meant Ubud-ians loved coconut? I do too… so it boded well. 😊
Our basic but large rooms were in what looked like small apartment buildings of four rooms each. The blocks were located in a row along a long narrow garden. I loved that they all had shady terraces, and I was very much looking forward to using our terrace over our three-night stay!
We had a few hours of downtime before our last group dinner of this leg of the
trip. The hotel was about a 15-minute walk from central Ubud, so we decided to stay in our local neighbourhood that afternoon. We used the time to explore the massive Coco Supermarket and shopping complex next door to look for a watch for Andrew (as his watch had died while swimming in the Green Canyon in Pangandaran). We had no luck on the watch front, but had great success stocking up on drinks and snacks for the next few days in Ubud.
Early that evening the group gathered for the last time at reception. We caught taxis to the main strip of Ubud to have dinner at Casa Luna, and like all the restaurants and hotels so far in Bali, Casa Luna was set in a very large traditional open-sided Balinese building. We were seated downstairs in the bar area, and even though I loved the feel of the open-walled building, the flying and biting insect brigade were out in full force, and we needed multiple applications of insect repellent. 😞
Casa Luna had some very western elements to it, and it gave everyone the opportunity to try fusion Indonesian food. However, we stuck to the local dishes
of
sate ayam (chicken satay) that came with a seriously delicious satay sauce, and a
nasi campur (rice with various side dishes). Unlike the last time I’d ordered this dish (a few nights previously in Pemuteran), I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The side dishes were: chicken curry,
ayam sate lilit (the Balinese satay of minced meat cooked on a stick),
pepes ikan (a parcel of fish grilled in banana leaf),
urab sayur (warm green beans and toasted coconut salad), corn fritters, some pickled vegetables and a very hot sambal.
I loved this
nasi campur not only for being so utterly delicious, but because the side dishes were a good way to try many things. It also gave a good sense of the regional and in-season produce. I can see that it’s going to be challenging to stop myself from ordering this dish at every meal from now on!
We had arrived during two-for-one happy hour, so I ordered a Jungle Rum cocktail (dark rum, coconut liqueur, coconut syrup, mango and coconut milk). It was delicious, but sorely lacking in the rum department. Andrew hydrated with a Bintang beer, and it seemed to hit the spot on that warm
night. The restaurant was very busy, and they’d mixed up a few of the happy hour cocktail orders… so I wasn’t really surprised when I didn’t get my dessert. I’d ordered a coconut gelato, as had others on the table, but when everyone said the gelato tasted a bit rancid and strange, I was very glad that they’d forgotten mine!
This was the end of the Intrepid Travel
Jakarta to Ubud trip. Our excellent group leader Susi was going to be managing our next trip (around Bali) as well, but seeing as no one else was continuing on with us, we said our goodbyes at this point. Even though we had been an eclectic group, we’d all got along quite well. No one had been overly unreasonable, everyone had mostly respected each other’s space, and we’d certainly had our share of laughs and travel hilarities – which makes a big difference to group dynamics. But best of all, given we all had a bit of travel experience under our belts, the trip had run very smoothly.
A few of us shared a taxi back to the hotel, and after a few more goodbyes at reception, we showered and crashed for the night. I was getting very behind in my travel writing, and I had intended to catch up that night… but thankfully we had two more relatively relaxed days in Ubud before our travel days started in earnest again. I fell asleep visualising myself writing notes on our lovely terrace the next day… with a tall cold adult drink in my other hand! 😄
See you around Ubud!
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Chris L
non-member comment
Tiered temples
I have previously only associated these temples with Japanese pagodas and never with Indonesian ones. Another educational lesson through your writings. As always, looking forward to sharing in your next adventure.