Blogs from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 22

Well we're in Bali now and it's just as sweaty as Singapore!! I think we're slowly getting used to the heat though and I shouldn't really complain as it's still better than having winter in England!! Our first impressions of Bali weren't actually that great as we got conned into giving a huge tip to a guy at the airport who carried our bags for us but we all knew something like that would happen really - being 3 fair haired girls from England carrying massive backpacks, we may as well just have huge target signs printed on our backs!!! Once we got to our hotel we realized we only had a double room even though we had booked a triple - it took a while for the guy at reception to realize this was a ... read more

Ok, so left Legian behind me a week ago, having had good times there with good friends, some old, some new. So after many times having been asked if i wanted transport, transport? i head off on my own transport, out of the busy seaside town, heading up to Ubud, to the peace and calm. And yes, that is what i have found whilst being up here. Beautiful countryside, ricefields, serene scenery and generally a nice mix of truely balinese culture and people and some other. Have been cycling through the countryside and down through villages from Mt Batu, a small volcano and lake area in the north east. I have found a great yoga barn place that has a wide selection of different yoga sessions. Having tried several classes, i have found the perfect one, ... read more

Ubud is known as the craft and artist area of Bali. The streets are lined with art, jewelry, hotels and massages. My aunty Wendy had a magazine while she was here with the Top things to do in Bali so Tris and I are trying to tick them off the list as well. Yesterday after settling into a hotel room we decided to treat ourselves to a spa (tick it off the list). For 350,000 IDR ($40) we got 5 hours of treatment. It started with an hour and a half long oil massage, an exfoliating body scrub, a cream body mask, followed by a half hour soak in a warm aromatherapy tub filled with frangipani petals. Afterwards we were treated to a facial, pedicure and manicure, dinner (which wasn’t that good), and a cream hair ... read more

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.... read more

I was tempted to call this "Monkey Business" but figured that had been overused by now in relation to Ubud's Monkey Forest. Prior to living in SE Asia, I thought that monkeys were the cutest little animals despite all anecdotes to the contrary. They throw poop at people? Noooo. They have vicious claws and hiss if they feel threatened? Noooo. So, when a little fellow that I had been photographing started climbing up inquisitively, first onto my knee curiously pulling my camera strap, I went along with his curiosity. He took a gander at my shirt and chest – woah dude, no luck there – then curiously climbed up to my hair. My boyfriend was laughing and taking photographs as the little fellow climbed atop my head and started to groom me! My boyfriend was laughing ... read more