Bali - Ubud

Hello friends of the sun,

Since I'm currently stuck in the hostel because it's supposed to rain for another hour (not European rain but rainy season rain!) there is also another update from the next district of Ubud.

I arrived here around midday and took a Grab taxi to get there. With this app, transport works very well for relatively cheap money, even with a huge backpack and additional luggage.

The hostel is super cute and the owner is just a real treasure. The sleeping bunks all have air conditioning in the room and are well and, above all, darkly shielded. There is also a great outdoor area that is super green and also has a small pond.

After my arrival, I quickly settled in and did some planning and then set off into the main streets of Ubud. I would describe the district as a hip artist/yogi and food district and there are all sorts of shops where you can buy all sorts of things. There are also a variety of coffee shops, restaurants and temple complexes here, creating a special atmosphere in the streets.

In the evening I arranged to meet a Korean woman on the app NomadHer and we then went out to eat together. My bunk neighbor also spontaneously came along. We then took inspiration from my travel guide and went to a local vegan buffet.

The next morning there was a delicious breakfast in the outdoor area and then we went on a booked tour and water purification with a local who also explained the background.

These gifts are made daily by each family and presented to the gods either in the water temples or in their own temples. That's around 100 pieces per family per day. That's a large amount and also explains why there are so many remains lying around on the streets and being plundered by monkeys/dogs and rats, as there is always something small to eat hidden in the gifts.

Cleansing is a really exciting process and through our local guide we were able to go to a temple a little further away where there weren't really any tourists and we were able to experience the tradition here openly.

A prayer is said under each of the fountains and then one is purified in the respective water. Let's see which of my prayers were heard too.

Afterwards we went to a local warung with the local driver and the driver's family (daughter and wife). These are the local “restaurants” where you can get incredibly delicious food. The entire trip felt more like a family trip than a booked tour. It was a wonderful experience. We were also able to enjoy a rare beautiful view from the warung:

Afterwards we went on a final detour for a free tea and coffee tasting. Some of the varieties were quite tasty and with others we didn't even bother to hide our faces. And with the most expensive coffee in the world already eaten, digested and then roasted, I didn't even order a cup. But the sign was cool:

Afterwards I packed my things for the next day and the next special adventure, booked a ferry for the diving trip and tried to go to bed early. Unfortunately with only moderate success, as I fell asleep at 10 and the alarm went off at 2:30 in the night for the sunrise hike.

But more on that in my next post.

Your Britta