Ubud - Bali - Indonesia

Ubud - Bali - Indonesia

Since the distances to other interesting places in Sumatra were too far, I decided to fly over to Bali a week earlier. I have been wishing to visit the island again for about 18 years now, as I was instantly enchanted on my first visit. But things have changed here too. Of course, the traffic has increased here as well, and the bigger problem seems to be that they really like money, but logically we Western tourists are clearly visible walking ATMs… you might think.

But not with me, I made it clear to the taxi mafia at the airport (about €33 for a ride from the airport to Ubud) no thank you.

I took the local bus instead for €0.23 to Sanur and then continued my research. Oh and I was surprised to see that the price for the ride with the hated Grab service on the island was a reasonable €6.40.

Ubud was clearly one of my dream destinations in Bali. It visibly and perceptibly forms the cultural center of Bali. The music and dance performances every evening in many different places in and around Ubud are an absolute must! The sounds of the gamelan orchestras are simply fascinating and world-class. And the accompanying dances are a feast for the eyes.

On the first day of my arrival, I went for a walk around Ubud. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain at 9 o'clock, but that didn't stop me. However, since the streets were mostly under water, I continued barefoot. From the monkey forest (which I didn't visit), I followed the rather quiet Jalan Bisma towards the city center. What was a bit annoying was the constant asking for a taxi. Do I really look like I want to go somewhere all the time?

I visited the beautiful palace of Ubud and unfortunately it was still raining. After a delicious bakso, I took a small path and found myself in the middle of the rice fields after 5 minutes, and suddenly after 5 hours, it stopped raining, which was astonishing, suddenly the sun was back. That awakened the spirits and I continued my walk with a smile on my face.

Later, I passed a beautiful archway at the entrance of a property, I took a peek inside and was immediately invited to come in. I was greeted by a typical Balinese courtyard of a multi-generational household, each with their own house/room. In the middle of the property, there was a ceremonial altar and at the back, there was a small temple. The hospitality continued as I was invited for a coffee. A great experience to get a glimpse into family life.

The next day, I wanted to explore the surroundings of Ubud and rented a motorbike for that. My first stop was the "Goa Gajah" cave and when you enter it, you seem to be engulfed by a facial fresco. I continued to "Yeh Pulu" where there is a rock-carved gallery in the middle of beautiful rice fields, probably of Hindu origin.

I continued my tour and arrived at the "Gunung Kawi" complex after a good half an hour, and it is truly fascinating. You walk down steep stairs for about 10 minutes, passing several souvenir shops, and at the bottom, you stand in front of mighty, large rock-carved tombs. These are ancient royal graves from the 11th century located in Tampaksiring. When you climb the stairs back up, you will reach a beautiful waterfall after about a third of the way and a little further, you will find niches carved into the rock.

After the sweaty climb, I went to the nearby temple "Pura Tirta Empul". Funny thing is, there are two separate roads for access. One leads to a parking lot and the free entry area. I took the upper road and found myself in the middle of the temple complex after a short time, where you can take a bath in holy water from the earth's interior in large basins.

I continued my trip to "Tegalalang" where there are huge rice terraces that unfortunately are exclusively exploited by tourists. My last destination along the idyllic path was "Petulu". When you arrive there, you have to avoid the thousands of herons sitting in the trees and pooping. It is still fascinating to see so many herons in one place.

So, let's summarize, Ubud is definitely worth a visit during a trip to Bali!