Blogs from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 54

The saga that is Bali continues........ On arrival in Ubud what struck us most was its size. Having started out as a small village many moons ago it has grown into a small town now swallowing up many villages around it with its many draws. There is much to see and do in and around Ubud especially for those partial to a bit of art, wood carving, jewellery, kite making, clothes shopping or dancing. We had a week to soak up as much of this as we could manage. We started by booking a couple of things as at this time of year there are many European and Australian visitors so things get a little busy. We made arrangements to go on a cycling trip, white water rafting (again!), a visit to an Elephant park ... read more

so, the bali life.. i am currently in ubud, what some would call the shopping capital of bali,, and man am i shopping. it is most probably not advisable, considering the fact that everything i buy i must lug around with me to europe, but things are so beautiful i am finding it impossible to resist temptaion. the batik ( a personal fetish of mine) is stunning, and my only thought is of all the beautiful things i can have made for next to no money. the weather here is odd, everyone is confused, as at this time of year ordinarily it is incredibly hot and the sun is shining with no remorse. despite this, it is currently overcast - as it has been almost constanty since i arrived last week. the weather is mild, warmer ... read more

Bonjour a tous! Nous voici donc sur Bali! Les derniers jours se sont passes a scooter, a decouvrir tranquilement l'ile. La pauvre bete a mange pas mal de km... Des le premier jour, destination un volcan, le Gunung Batur. C'est vraiment tres joli, mais qu'est ce qui peut faire froid la haut...! Avant d'arriver au sommet, nous avons traverse des paysages de rizieres en terrasse, des champs d'oranger et de petits villages tout mignons. En haut, la vue est plus que panoramique, et digne des Alpes, avec un lac d'altitude, des coules de lave et un cone qui se perd dans les nuages. On en redescend frigorifies! On ne nous y reprendra plus!! Le soir on se fait plaisir avec un bon resto bien classe avec petite lanterne, vue sur la riziere, mezze Libanais (ca fait ... read more

One morning in Ubud we visited the Botanical gardens which is celebrating its first anniversary in June of this year. There we met German born Stefan Reisner, botanist and co-owner of the Ubud Botanic Gardens who acquired the land from the Indonesian Government. He stated they didn't think the land was worth much and I guess the locals thought bad spirits dwelled on the 5 hectares. In two short years Stefan and his partner, Faizah, a business woman from Java, have created this most wonderful space. A meditation grotto, Islam garden, pitcher plant area with over 200 pitcher plants of the tropical variety. Most originating from Borneo (Kalimantan), Sumatra and Papua, New Guinea. A stone path winds among different varieties of bamboo and you'll see hundreds of butterflies of every color! The gardens are just ... read more

Our driver picked us up at the Keraton after we said our goodbyes to the ladies that owned the little shops by the Jimbaran bay seafood beach restaurants. Warta drove us up to Ubud, in the center of island. It is a haven for artists. Located over an hour drive from Jimbaran but it took us longer because we wanted to stop in the many villages along the way. There is batik making, wood carving, stone carving, painters, you name it. Artist, Walter Spies, a German born in Moscow in 1895, visited Bali in 1927 & stayed. He was very influential on the Balinese art scene. He encouraged them to go beyond the religious & traditional boundaries of their art and inspired them to paint everyday Balinese life and themes rooted in their Hindu mythology. ... read more