After the wedding in Nusa Penida, several of us headed up in to the hills to Ubud in Bali.
Now, I was really excited about Ubud. It's meant to be full of crafts and artists and beautiful rice paddies and scenery. One guidebook described it as "The Real Bali."
Um, NO. The Real Bali is Nusa
Penida, where people are friendly and going about their lives with the occasional sideways glance at all the Westerners descending on their tiny village and there are no tourists. Ubud was a tourist center.
Ubud does have it's gorgeous bits, that's true. My hotel was in Tjampuhan, a 10 - 15 minute walk from the town center at the convergence of two rivers in a steep valley. Places where water meet are considered holy in Bali, and with the lush surroundings, it felt both mystical and magical. The hotel was situated on one slope of the river valley - the opposite slope was only dense jungle. The sounds of birds, monkeys, frogs, and mosquitos (it was July in Bali after all) lulled me to sleep each night different birds woke me each morning which was really lovely.
Hotel Tjampuhan
The town of Ubud, however, was jam packed with tourists from all over the world (and monkeys) - so packed that at certain times of the day it was difficult to navigate the sidewalks. Prices for handicrafts were a bit high - in some places costing the same as they would in retail shops in the U.S. There were jems to be found, however. For example a little restaurant that fronted on a hot, busy street but, in the back, opened up to just 8 or so tables facing verdant rice fields and a cool breeze. There I tried "Balinese Sangria" - Fanta and Balinese Rice Wine with cut-up melon. It was really tasty and refreshing, believe it or not!
Balinese Monkey
There was also Marni's Warung across from my hotel, where I had two fantastic meals. From the street, it doesn't look like much, but the restaurant has three open floors of restaurant that cascade down the steep valley of the river. One floor had a swank little lounge that played some of my favorites from the Cole Porter era while my friend and I drank Balinese Rose (not bad wine, really!) and took advantage of the free wi-fi. With wine and three courses, dinner for two cost about $40 and the view was amazing. (there is a whole blog post coming on food...)
Above Ubud is an artist's town called Penestanan where I watched women hand painting silk and where, clutching a map from a popular guidebook, I got lost. So did some French tourists holding the same map...and some Spaniards and Germans. Still though, beautiful rice fields,
friendly people, low grey clouds that wanted to let loose a torrent of rain but (thankfully) held back, and a taxi ride home that got 'stuck' in a ceremonial procession that was incredible.
Silk Painting
Procession
Blessing At Low Tide
After Ubud (where I got excellent medical care for the
bronchitis and sinus infection I was
suffering from by this part of the trip), the wedding party reconvened in Jimbaran for the sunset beach blessing of A + D - which was a beautiful evening on the beach, reconnecting with some old colleagues that did not make it to Nusa Penida, eating fantastic fresh seafood, and making new friends.
The evening before the blessing, a group of us went to see the Kecak fire dance at Ulu Watu temple near Kuta at sunset. The Kecak dance has no music, instead a beat is provided by nearly 100 men sitting in a circle, each of whom has a different part. I cannot do the description justice, so I recommend watching the Bali No Reservations episode for the best effect. Ulu Watu is beautiful, situated on a high cliffside above the ocean...with more monkeys. It was too smokey to get very good pictures of the temple when I was there, so I again refer you to No Reservations.
Finally, my trip in Bali coming to a close, my friend and I booked a villa with an infinity pool and dining pavilion (read: SWANK) in a tiny village near Canggu. For the last two days in Bali, I relaxed by the pool and made one last excursion - to Tanah Lot, a temple on the West Coast that is surrounded by water at high-tide.
View from the Dining Pavilion
One of the "you must do" things in Bali is to watch the sunset at Tanah Lot. I visited just before sunset and the location and light were beautiful, but the area was so packed with tourists (I should mention here that it was high season), the idea of staying until the sun went down and trekking back to the parking lot in the dark with the masses was not alluring.
Despite the crowds, though, I did manage to take a few pictures with no tourists in them (a major feat, I'll have you know).
Time in Bali was over, but I was ready to move on to the next adventure: Thailand!
