We rolled into Ubud at about 1 am after flying into Denpasar. These traveling troopers made it through a long immigration line after a late flight and then a long drive to the the Amori Villas. This cozy, little spot was tucked away from the center of town in a little valley. It was gorgeous. There were only a few other people staying there so we had some good bonding time with the Australian owners.
In the morning we explored the town of Ubud, the cultural capital of Bali. It’s a busy village with a fun vibe and induced some major 90s nostalgia; incense, mala beads, men in sarongs…it’s 1995 and I’m at my first Phish show… there’s also a million motorbikes, shops, people, money exchanges, & “RL Polo” stores (that was odd) but it still feels small and charming. Once we got a feel for the place and I discovered what is now my favorite street we found a creperie for lunch. The kiddos were psyched because we sat on hassocks and ate at low tables, a very random culture mixing theme.
THEN we ventured into the forbidden monkey forest (actually Sacred Monkey Forest). This is a must do or a must don’t depending on your views on monkeys, especially clever thieving ones. It’s actually very beautiful in Monkey Forest with 3 temples and 115 species of trees but one is so consumed with watching the monkeys that one really cannot concentrate on anything else. We had all our possessions zipped into our bag – no food, no sunglasses or hats or any other monkey temptation. Nevertheless one bold monkey decided he wanted to see the bag’s contents for himself so after he jumped on the bag Harry then carefully placed it on the ground (instructions are given to surrender one’s items to the monkey so as not to anger the more aggressive ones). This crafty fellow proceeded to investigate and decided that Luke’s camera was very promising for a potential snack. He grabbed it and immediately ran up a tree. At this point we drew a crowd of about 30 people. It was hilarious, so hilarious that we watched the whole thing unfold without really doing anything productive to stop it. Then it dawned us we should get help so a guard came over with a little slingshot. Thankfully by then the disappointed monkey dropped the case and miraculously the camera survived, and Luke is delighted to have a good story for circle time when he returns.
When we returned to Amori the neighborhood was buzzing with excitement because of a wedding. The staff told us we should check it out and so I wandered over with a couple of the kids. The family invited us in and offered us food. It reminded me of a wedding in Agra Harry and I went to years ago; super colorful, marigolds everywhere and family members casually chatting during the ceremony. Everyone was incredibly welcoming. The kids had some juice boxes, we gave our best wishes and headed back home but I thought wow – what would i have done if some random people crashed our wedding. i hope i would have been gracious and offered them juice boxes.
The following day we had a tour around the Ubud region. We visited rice terraces, a coffee plantation and the Tirta Empul. Rice terraces in Bali are an incredible site. Subak, the system of irrigation, is recognized as World Heritage (we’ve been collecting these on our trip). It’s a 1000 year old practice that distributes water equitably through a network of channels. It’s beyond just an irrigation system and has a strong spiritual component, a connection to community, and an ancestral legacy.
Bali’s population is 90% Hindu. The people are very spiritual and many even have temples in their homes. Twice a day they leave offerings, called canang saris, outside of their homes, temples, shops, etc… We visited one of the more well-known temples, Pura Tirta Empul, meaning Holy Water Temple. It was built in 960 CE and dedicated to Vishnu. It’s a large complex built around a spring that feeds sacred purification baths. Out of respect sarongs are worn inside the temple. As a bonus I think everyone looks adorbs. We capped off the tour day with a traditional Balinese meal at a rice paddy.
A couple of days later (with pooling and shopping in between) we did a bike tour outside of Ubud – past rice paddies and fields growing chilli, patchouli, tea, bananas, amongst many other cool tropical things. After a 2 hour ride and another tea/coffee tasting we enjoyed lunch at our guide’s house. I had been curious to see the interior of these walled compounds so this was exciting for me. Inside each wall is a complex of smaller buildings surrounding a courtyard with a temple. Often many generations and family members dwell together. Lunch was absolutely delicious.
The rest of our time here was spent exploring Ubud village some more, staying cool in the pool, relaxing, reading, listening to rain and chatty monkeys. And lots of Yoga.
