Blogs from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 5

We took the Kura Kura bus ($5) to Ubud from Sanur, about an hour drive north into the interior of Bali. Ubud is know as the spiritual center of Bali and was made famous by the book/movie Eat, Pray, Love which somehow I missed throughout the years but will have to read now. We stayed 3 nights at Jiwa's Guest House ($22 w/bkfst), which was our favorite accommodation so far this trip. We were located centrally in the busy tourist area but Jiwa has managed to operate a luxurious and tranquil jungle oasis filled with ponds, altars, fountains and a pool and includes an incredible breakfast served to you on your balcony. Ubud goes down as one of my favorite towns and on the list for a must return one day. There are allegedly more vegan ... read more

Być w Azji 6 raz i nie mieć na rozkładzie słynnego, cuchnącego duriana. Nie mogliśmy tego tak pozostawić i na 1 dzień po przylocie, spontanicznie spróbowaliśmy tego specjału. Okoliczności były także bardzo spontaniczne. Ranek po pierwszej nocy rozpoczął się nadspodziewanie raźnym dźwignięciem się do pozycji pionowej, po równie niespodziewanie dobrze przespanej nocy. Do tego dla całej trójki. Czyżbyśmy uodpornili się na jetlaga? Przecież w Azji , leżacej w strefie 6 h na wschód od Polski występuje on w formie szczególnie zjadliwej. W tym roku przybrał on u nas postać poronną. Po bardzo smacznym śniadaniu w hotelowej restauracji wypożyczyliśmy w hotelowej wypożyczalni skutery i... nieświadomi niebezpieczeństwa wyruszyliśmy naszymi ''chopperami'' na podbój dróg Ubud. Jazda motocyklem po Indonezji to wyższy stopień ryzyka i wtajemniczenia. Nie dość, że jeździ się lewą stroną i zakręc... read more

Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better. Every day, in every way, you're getting better and better. So chanted the yoga instructor during shivasana (the time when you lie down at the end of a yoga session) as she clanged on her Tibetan healing bowls. My thought bubble pops: "Oh my god. I'm turning into an Eat, Pray, Love cliche. And I don't even like EPL. Jeff is going to have a field day when I tell him about this. Oh, what the heck. Ommmmmm....." The decision to go to Bali wasn't as quite easy as I made it out to be in the closing paragraphs of my last entry from Flores. I had to ask myself a few questions. Am I retreating to the familiar? Was Bali too easy, and ... read more

We arrived at Ubud and when you saw the amount of people you wanted to live in a country like Norway. The heat made it even worse but at least we found our hotel and we all fell asleep. Then we went to eat curry and Indonesian food. We didn't do much in Ubud apart from the best bike tour with a guide I ever had! It wasn't only for us but it didn't ruin anything. Our guide was a good joker and he explained everything clearly. First the minibus drove us to a terrace which had a view on a volcano SEE IMAGES! The guide explained us about Bali family life. He told us the four names of the four kids. Normally the parents had four kids ( and the four kids will have to ... read more

My husband and I are often asked by friends at home "What is the favorite place that we have travelled to?" It is a question for which we have only one response: "There is no one special place; every place we have travelled to, particularly in Southeast Asia, has offered something unique, something interesting, something memorable." We frequently return to this question in conversation, and have yet to find an answer, always responding instead with our own question "How do you explain this to someone who has never been here?" This has, in fact, become somewhat of a daily meditation that presents itself every time we are gazing upon, or experiencing, another small miracle or more evidence of the beauty that surrounds us. So, even though it is inexplicable, I will attempt to offer a few ... read more