Our Bali - UBUD - Zen experience

You know there are places you visit once, spend some time doing all there is to do (you try the local food, visit the museums and temples, go to the plays, do the walks, sightseeing, etc, etc), have a wonderful time, check that place out of your list, and don’t even think of coming back?

Well, Bali is NOT one of those. I could come back to Bali again and again and again.

There is magic in this place.

It is a combination of spiritual richness, the most beautiful rice terraces, waterfalls and volcanos, splendorous temples, delicious food, the best massages, and good beaches for surfing and diving. Balinese people is kind and smilie, they have a very spiritual approach to life, a positive way of thinking and a very open mind to others (including tourists)

We spent 3 weeks in Ubud, end of January to early February. We arrived to Denpasar airport (flying from Perth, Australia), drove 1.5 hours north to Ubud and stayed in this little villa for the whole time. Ubud is the cultural - artsy enclave of Bali. This is where you find artist’s studios and galleries, yoga training studios, fine dining fusion restaurants, together with lush rice fields, temples and historic sites.

We were trapped. We didn’t even visit Seminyak commercial centres and all inclusive mega hotels, or Kuta party bars, or Canggu beaches (and this is why I know we might eventually have to come back for more, so many places for us to discover).

To put you a little bit into context, before arriving into Indonesia, we had spent 15 days in the west coast of Australia in a Campervan. Although this time driving along the most superb landscapes, cliffs and deserts, experiencing encounters with the most incredible wildlife in the most pristine beaches, is one of the highlights of our 9 months trip around the world trip, being in a caravan for so long, 6 people on top of each other was….lets say...tough. (There were moments when I just wanted to disappear in a kangaroo and leave everyone behind).

When we arrived to this spectacular open plan house (rented on Airbnb), with a swimming pool facing the rice fields we were dragged in and we just couldn’t move out of it. We would watch local workers harvesting the rice paddies every morning and walk by the house at sunset with full baskets on top of their heads, or local workers herding flocks of ducks. It was a stunning view, on sunny days or torrential rainy days.

We had a cook, a driver, a nanny and a massage therapist at our disposal every day. What else could we possibly need?!

Our 3 weeks summarised in photos

We loved our life in Ubud and around. It was heaven. Our days consisted on going to yoga classes every morning, visiting some temples, rice terraces, volcanos or plantations in the afternoons. We had friends coming over to our place for dinner, or we would out to one of the delicious Indonesian fusion restaurants in Ubud town.

For better or worse, Ubud was put on the map again after the movie Eat, Pray, Love, and it has propelled the opening of more yoga studios, funky cafes and boutiques and gluten free restaurantes, but the town still has that slightly old fashioned, traditional look. Despite all the past year changes, Ubud has been able to maintain its traditional life. Many people come here purely to recharge their batteries from the fast paced western life, here you just surrender to the energies and let go.

Our unmissable Ubud top 10 list

1) Temples and religion

2) Rice terraces

3) Kapi Luwak coffee

4) Chasing waterfalls

5) Volcanos and hot spring waters

6) Spas

7) Monkey Forest

8) Yoga

9) Royal Palace dance

10) Additional valuable information

1) Temples and religion

The most important thing about Balinese culture is their religion and the traditions behind it. Bali is multi-religious, consisting of Christian, Muslim and Buddhist minorities, but the predominant religion is Hinduism.

Balinese people have a very spiritual approach to life, a positive way of thinking and a very open mind to others (luckily including tourists)

Ceremonies are held to celebrate every single passage in their life.

They are very superstitious. The line between superstition, religion, culture and everyday life are often unclear in Bali.

Most Balinese believe that witches and nocturnal spirits are living people who practice black magic

Every morning and throughout the day, locals prepare little offerings for the gods, ranging from a few grains of rice on a square of banana leaf, to elaborate arrangements of fruit, flowers and meat. These offerings are prepared to please the gods, to protect them from bad spirits, to give thanks, cleanse or even exorcise. You will see them everywhere, on the floor, on the streets, on the side of the road and on temples, inside their cars, in the shops,….literally everywhere. The smell of incense is an important feature on the full sensory experience of Bali.

Puras come alive at festivals when locals believe that ancestors and spirits descend to earth to visit their worshipers

Balinese call their sacred temples "Pura". They are literally everywhere, there are over 20,000 across the island. It’s imposible to visit them all. All of them are beautiful in their own way. Balinese live a full spiritual life. Much of village life revolves around the village temples. On most days temples are deserted. They come alive at temple festivals when it is believed that ancestors and spirits descend to earth to visit their worshipers. When visiting a temple is important to dress and act modesty (use a long sarong to cover your legs), don’t step over their offerings, don’t enter the temple when women have their period, and always remember that you are a guest .

Here a list of the temples we liked most and the video below is a mix of images of all of them

-Gunung Kiwi Sebatu

-Besakih Temple

-Goa Gajah

-Lempuyang Luhur

-Saraswati Temple

-Tirta Gangga

-Sarawasti Temple

Tirta Empul

This was a total different visit to a temple ad deserves its own chapter. So far, we had been to every temple with no one there, empty holy places all to ourselves. We arrived to Tirta Empul on a Sunday with full moon (a very big occasion in Bali), not expecting this at all. This Pura is famous for its holy spring water where Balinese Hindus go for ritual purification. The amount of people praying was surreal. It was a very unique experience to observe. The way they connect to their spirituality is very special.

2) Tegallalang Rice terraces

One of the most famous tourist attractions in Bali are the Tegalalang rice terraces, north of Ubud, located 600 meters above sea level. Bali’s traditional irrigational system known as ‘Subak’ has created the most beautiful terraced landscapes in Southeast Asia. The terraces have been carved by hand, and has been in use for at least 1000 years and are being maintained generation after generation.

Rice is at the heart of Balinese culture and many of its religious believes. Growing rice is a combination of hard work, spiritual connection, communal effort and celebration.

The high roadside location is cool and breezy and it is a well-known spot for tourists to stop and take photos.

There are several restaurants here where you can seat outside and admire the view having a Nasi Goreng, a Babi guling ibu oka (sucking pig) or a Bebek tepi sabah (crispy duck)

3) Kopi Luwak coffee

The most expensive coffee in the world.

On the other side of the road on the same area, you can find a few farms that produce

the famous Kopi Luwak coffee. The main factor of it’s high price is the uncommon method of producing such a coffee.

It is produced from the coffee beans which have been digested by a certain Indonesian cat-like animal called the civet. This is the reason why kopi luwak is also called cat poop coffee. Or Shit coffee as my son Clemente would call it.

Trust me, this is true. And and it actually tastes really good.

“We are going to try some shit coffee. There’s and animal that looks like a weasel, he eats the beans and then he shits them out, and then we have to make the coffee out of the shit, and it makes really nice coffee”

The feces of this cat are collected from local farmers in Indonesia or the Philippines. They separate the coffee beans from the feces, wash them and then dry them in the sun. Once the beans are dry enough to remove the outer skin or parchment easily, they are put into a wooden mortar and pounded with a pestle. The beans are not affected by the pounding, but the skin will break apart, making it possible to easily remove the coffee beans. In the next step, the beans are hand-sorted to remove any damaged beans. Now the remaining kopi luwak beans are ready for roasting. Raw Kopi Luwak loses much weight during the different stages of this process. 10 kilograms, or 22 lbs, of raw kopi luwak will not yield more than 2 kgs, or 4.4 lbs, of roasted kopi luwak beans.

4) Chasing waterfalls

This island is home to stunning waterfalls that are worth chasing.

You can go as far as you want in terms of adventure and adrenaline. Some of them are quite difficult to access, and not exactly a walk in the park. Hiking up and down steep hills, walking through dense jungle, clambering over rocks…but some others are easily accesible by road, and suitable for little kids.

If you are staying in central Bali, then getting to this beautiful waterfall is easy, the road from Ubud to Tibumana Waterfall and Kanto Lampo waterfall takes only about 45 minutes. The road is good and mostly paved, Tibumana Waterfall Bali is still untouched by mass tourism. Therefore, you still have the chance to enjoy its beauty without being interrupted. We went early in the morning and had the chance to swim all by ourselves (and take some photos of course)

5) Volcanos and hot springs

We spent half day day relaxing at the hot springs infinity pool sitting on the edge of Lake Batur facing the Mount Batur a still active volcano (last eruption was in 1994). The view is magnificent. The water is beautifully warm (It can reach up to 45 degrees Celcius)

The place though, it s a bit disneylandish, don’t expect super good quality facilities, but its worth visiting, just for the view, the hot water, and the refreshing mountain air.

We did not do the trekking tour up the volcano, because it's impossible to do with the little ones, but I heard is beautiful.

6) Spas

Balinese massages are famous all over the world. Getting to a spa should be one of the first things you do when hopping off the plane and reaching your accommodation in Ubud. Balinese massage is a full-body, deep-tissue, holistic treatment. Not only there are several places all over the Bali, but te prices are incredible low. (You can also have a private massage at your place for €10).

We tried these and all are highly recommended

-Jungle fish

-Karsa spa

-Maya Ubud spa

7) Monkey Forest

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is in the heart of the villa of Ubud . It is a free area, home to over 600 Balinese long-tailed monkeys, where they live there free by their own choice. Just a quick search on Google and you will find a plethora of stories about people getting bitten or robbed by monkeys. Even if these little animals look cute and innocent, you have to be careful. There are a few rules to follow and respect if you visit it. Basically, don’t feed them, bring any food or hide any food. They WILL find it and take it from you. Don’t panic if the get close to you, or jump at you. Don’t run. Don’t scream. Take care of your belongings. Don’t relax (just kidding)

Even if they look cute, monkeys are still animals and they can change their behaviour in a matter of seconds. But if you follow this rules you should be fine.

There are other plenty of things to view inside the forest, apart from the monkeys, including a beautiful waterfall and pond and hidden temples in a super dense vegetation.

8) Yoga

Ubud is yogi heaven. There are several studios, and dozens of classes to choose from every day. You’ll find styles to suit everyone from spiritual practices to fast paced vinyasa and power flows. We spent 3 weeks practising yoga almost every day. We tried different classes you wouldn’t normally have in London, like “embodied movement”, “Acro yoga” or “sound healing”.

We were regularly choosing classes between these 2 places :

Radiantly Alive, with challenging vinyasa classes, fast paced flow classes and fun teachers, it offers a more intimate aproach, smaller classes and teacher would eventually adjust your posture, and

Yoga Barn, the most popular one, its more like a yoga community with a collection of buildings offering raw and healthy food, treatments, clothing and gadgets shopping, juices bar, and even colonic cleansing. The downside of this place is it massive class sizes, up to 80 people per class with one teacher who wouldn’t normally pay attention to you individually, and also its a bit of too much people showing of.

9) Royal Palace traditional dance

The Royal palace (Puri Saren), located in central Ubud, with gorgeous structure and old statues was the home of the last king of Ubud.

There is traditional Balinese dance show every evening, with beautiful costumes and wonderful dancers and musicians.

The show lasts just over an hour and features a variety of dances. It's worth getting there early, no later than 7 pm to get a good seat.

10) Additional valuable info

Restaurantes

-Locavore (best fine dining) must book in advance. Haute cuisine with local produce in Ubud

-Bridges Bali

-Hujan Locale. We loved this one. Delicious fusion Indonisian fine dining, cooked only with sustainability grown produce.Charm design and cool ambience.

-Nusantara by locavore

-Warun murni

Local dishes you must try

-Nasi Goreng (fried rice with vegetables)

-Babi guling ibu oka (sucking pig)

-Bebek tepi sabah (crispy duck)

The best season to visit

Generally the dry season is from April through October and considered the best time. Wet season is November through March and the best waves are from July through September.

Best way to get around

Definitely a motorbike or scooter. It just adds to the whole experience. Sometimes you can witness even up to four people on a bike, even families with babies with (and no helmet or any protection!).

---

The house in Ubud

Our perfect oasis to recover from 15 days in a camper van in Australia

Ubud Town

a little village full of artsy, healthy shops, and yoga heaven.