Ubud

The hotel owner picked me up from the airport in his car and drove me an hour and a half north to Ubud which is in the center of Bali for $40 US dollars. An hour of this drive was on a main, very busy road, with hundreds of scooters/mopeds, people sitting in the back of trucks coming home from work, busses, and other vehicles. Also in the busy streets were what looked like stray dogs but as my driver explained, the dogs reside at the houses they are sitting in front of. It was very devastating to see mangy-looking dogs as well as dogs that are very very thin. Many of the places we went by were storefronts that were very unkempt looking as well. It was very sad to see. But as soon as we got to the outskirts of Ubud the scenery started changing from city-like to a foresty-jungle feel.

What to Do

Tegallalang Rice Terrace

Here I fulfilled a dream of going on a Bali swing! Yes, these became Instagram-famous recently, but wow that was for sure a thrill! While walking around the rice terraces it was really interesting to learn from my driver that it is important for the rice to be on terraces to make the irrigation system much easier.

Monkey Forest

More dreams came true today - a monkey sat on my lap! This jungle of a forest housed about a hundred monkeys, old and young, calm and terrifying (sometimes). I adored searching for the baby monkeys the most! One of the best parts of the forest was the feeding area. All of the monkeys gathered around to eat potatoes chopped up by the staff.

Pura Tirta Empul

This Balinese Hindu temple built in 926 A.D. has holy water said to have been created by the God Indra. We didn’t end up partaking in the bathing purification ritual but next visit I definitely will! You are supposed to put on the Balinese clothes and pray first. Then, go in the water starting on the left and soak in water coming from each spout until you get all the way to the right side of the pool.

Satria Luwak Coffee

Nearby the holy water temple is a coffee and tea farm called Satria Luwak Coffee. My tour guide and I walked around the plantation which showed the different coffee and tea plants with labels on them so we knew what we were looking at. Then, we sat down, and tried the most precious coffee in the world, luwak coffee, made famous by the movie “The Bucket List” with Morgan Freeman and Jack Nickolson. This coffee can be upwards up $1000 per pound (U.S. dollars) but is fairly cheap in comparison in Bali (as is everything). Luwak coffee is made from coffee beans that were eaten and defecated by luwaks, an animal similar to a cat. The defecation process is supposed to smooth out the acidic flavor (in short terms) to make the most sought after coffee beans. I have to say, it sure was delicious and is worth a tasting! But, the entire time, I couldn’t help but think I was drinking poop (haha!).

Walk the Streets of Ubud and Get a Massage

Various vendors are in the side streets and alleyways. These are fun to stop in and look at all of their paraphernalia. Don’t forget to bargain for lower prices! Also on all of the streets of Ubud there are many spas offering very cheap massages, ranging in price depending on what you want but they are typically $5 US dollars each for an hour massage. My favorite place was Inggrith Spa & Salon due to its affordable price, they allow walk-ins (since we can never be sure when we will be back from a long day of explorations), and the massages and pedicures/manicures were phenomenal. Bali massages are infrequently relaxing since the ladies here are very strong, but I still managed to relax enough to fall asleep a little bit!

Where to Eat

Tina’s Warang

Our hotel driver/owner recommended Tina’s which was near our hotel. I got the tempeh satay since I wasn’t feeling all that hungry after sitting for almost 22 hours on the plane. While here, I ran into 2 New Zealanders Steve and Kath who are taking an entire year off of work to travel the world. So not only are the people of Bali amazing, but the vacationers also have very interesting life stories as well.

Have Lunch in a Rice Field

On the day trip in Ubud, I had lunch in a rice field! I wish I had taken a picture of the name of this restaurant but it was serene! I am sure any restaurant on a rice field would be just as great as the one I experienced.

Where to stay

Aya Homestay

The start of my Bali journey began with encountering Waran and Putu, and their daughter Irin. Amazing humans who graciously went out of their way on many occasions to make sure my stay was complete. They even moved their child’s 1st birthday celebration to accommodate driving me to another town 2 hours away for my next destination. Not only were they astounding, but the room I stayed in was so calming in a jungle-like atmosphere. I was awakened (at a decent hour) by birds chirping and roosters which further added to the Tarzan-feel.