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Welcome to Ubud, home of commercialised healthy living and spiritualism. Bali's cultural heart of galleries, spas and artistic creavity is a buzzing business catering to visitors and expats seeking a 'better' way of life. Walk the adjoined gauntlets of Jl Wenara Wena (Monkey Road), Dewi Sita and Jl Hanoman to pick from a plethora of variable quality spas and nail bars, browse silver jewellery and silk clothing shops, sample organic or vegan icecream and select your cafe of choice to enjoy fresh salads, extracted juices and beetroot and cacao pie. On the way you can recite 'no thank you' to every man you pass who sits waiting to ask if you'd like a 'motorbike', maybe 'tomorrow?' for 'cheap, cheap'. Smile and shake your head at the laminated signs that are presented in your path in the unlikely hope of attracting your custom. oh, and watch out for the haphazard pavement with a sewer beneath ready and waiting to claim unsuspecting tourists.
If you feel inclined you can explore Mandala Wisata Wenara Wena (Monkey forest) and attempt to retain your sunglasses as greedy monkeys await opportunity to pickpocket or mug you. Or you can sink into cushions in a cafe to
My favourite meal
Tuna, sweet potato & rucula salad rest your weary feet, observing those donning baggy silk trousers and yoga wear, dreadlocks or long grey pony tails with beards, piercings, tattoos, and expressions of a relaxed way of life. Befriend those around you who gather and settle here for the alternative lifestyle that has become mass production in this hotspot town.
A visit to Ubud would not be complete without a trip to Yoga Barn, the monopoly holder of yoga classes, meditation and spin off cafes. Select from a multitude of classes to om, stretch and sweat with others all exercising body and mind. It is a ode to the body beautiful; tanned, athletic and scantily clad figures gather together in an exhibition of what the body could and arguably should be. You can spot the newcomers long before the class reaches headstands and other poses I cannot pronouce. As one lady, a yoga teacher, I met put it; Yoga Barn is like a trip to the mall. It is mainstream, its product and customer experience defined and arguable tainted by its success in the mass market. Though for a solo travelling yoga novice like myself it was a happy dose of experience and more than sufficient
challenge. 15 minutes into an hour and a half level 2 vinyasa flow class in heat and humidity I was questioning what I'd got myself into. The irony of the teacher's frequent invitation to kindly 'allow yourself a vinyasa' was not lost of me as my aching arms struggled to yet again lower my body down and then up to hold myself in an over repeated, blood running to the head 'I can't take any more' downward facing dog pose.
If this sounds wholly negative, be assured that it is not. Commericialism is but skin deep and you would be a fool to think this is all hollow. Scratch down just a little to find the thriving spiritualism that embodies Bali. A way of life embracing wholesome living and being in deference and thanks to the gods runs beneath this burgeoning business which attracts the hourdes. I arrived to find a Hindu ceremony in full flow within the courtyard of my guesthouse. Men and women in ceremonial dress sat separately around offerings of fruit and flowers piled high with the temple. Drums, chanting and incense adorned the air.
Ubud is awash with spas. Consulting the ever reliable TripAdvisor
And relax...
Blue Lagoon Bay, Padang Bai I selected Nur's Salon Traditional. Let me walk you through the serene experience. You enter into a courtyard garden lush with green plants and you are led to one of the outside walled treatment rooms. A tiny Balinese lady invites you to undress (no room for British prudity here) before annointing you will scented oil and skillfully massaging away your tensions. As you drift off to gentle music intermingled with birdsong she kindly asks you to turn over, where you return to your sleepy daze as she works her magic on your body. The bathwater fills as you receive your seaweed scrub, which is ladelled off you with warm water before you are smothered in fresh yoghurt. After a rinsing and soaping you are invited to soak in a hot bath filled with flower petals in hues of dark and light pink and purple. As you admire the sunlit banana trees above, your eyelids become heavy and you start to drift before...oh sorry time's up...and you emerge back onto the street revived, infitely mere relaxed and prepared to reface the urban onslaught.
I would like to tell you about Ubud's many attractions, walking the Camphuan Ridge past sunlit paddy fields, the array of jewellery making, cookery, dance and art classes, nearby whitewater rafting to name a few, but I cannot. Ubud was a period of enforced rest for me. In keeping with the mantra of the city, my body chose this time to remind me that I need greater self compassion and must respect my limits that I so disregarded on Nusa Lembognan when feeding my spirit. Consequently, drained of all physical energy and a bit nauseous I spent my days in Ubud doing very little. I managed to drag myself up and down the same few streets and so cannot speak of the maze of lanes to get lost in Ubud is renowned for. On my second day I spent a sizable amount of time alternating between napping on my porch to flumped in a nearby cafe struggling to hold myself upright long enough to read a book or write my blog. Sitting still is not a strong point of mine so I found this imposed rest frustrating but had no choice but to acknowledge my need and listen to my body.
Luckily I was privileged to spend my evenings with a truly lovely and hospitable couple, Dave and Carmen, who I met on Nusa Lembognan, and their friends Kristin, Clive and Alan. Dave and Carmen belong to the growing 'digital nomad' community, as writers by trade they travel the world laptop in hand and day job in backpack. Food for thought for those tired of London.
Beyond my evening socialising I was utterly lazy and enjoyed 'me time', making no effort to meet other travellers. Instead I reacquainted myself with healthy food. Don't get me wrong, I love Indonesian food, the flavours, the spices, the discovery of new tastes; but I am missing my wholegrain breakfasts and salad lunches. Bali knows how to cater to the tastes of its less adventurous visitors, and Ruccola, sweet potato and tofu are to Ubud what steak, burgers and pizza are to Kuta and Seminyak. Overpriced by local standards but full of nutrious goodness, I indulged in the food I love to eat. There's only so much fried rice a girl can take before she needs some lettuce.
Convalesence retained me in Ubud a day too long. The traffic, touts, heat and pollution reminded me of what I already knew; I need countryside and coast to breathe, unwind and revive. Thankfully after an initial disturbed night due to cockerels, building works and some unglazed windows, I found myself a little oasis within the bustle. Down a little alleyway and with a paddyfield on two sides, Ganesh Guesthouse offers comfortable chalets within a beautiful garden. Each morning I arose to find a thermos with tea and coffee waiting on my porch, inviting me to sit and admire the stillness and beauty of my surrounds.
Excellent evening company aside, I was happy to bid Ubud goodbye. Underneath Ubud's thriving brand is an essence that I respect but the town and it's capitalistic layers drained me. Ubud, you cannot quenc the thirst I hold, I've had my fill.
My next stop was Padang Bai, a little harbour town that by day bustles with tourists migrating between islands and by night scrapes by on the meagre custom that remains. It is a welcome break; back beside the sea I can breathe again, it welcomed me. From my harbour view room I sat admiring the scene as boats came and went, the wind whipping my hair and threatening to set sail to my airing beach towel. By night the darkness soothes and the quietness sings softly as the dock lights sparkle the waves.
Tomorrow I return to the islands, this time Gili Trawangan, host of snorkeling, diving and partying. I shall see who I meet and then perhaps retire to quieter Gili Air, before travelling to Lombok to reunite with Carmen, Dave and co.
For tonight though, I shall enjoy the breezy peace of Padang Bai. Goodnight
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Sharon
non-member comment
Indonesia let the healing commence.
Great to read your blog and that you are embracing life, will follow your journey as Anna sent me the link.Will get Eric to read this it might inspire him to take the next step in his journey.