“NO MAN EVER STEPS INTO THE SAME RIVER TWICE, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” What Heraclitis said 2500 years ago is true today, especially for us and Ubud. When we first visited in 2009 I wrote Ubud is the other part of Bali and some say it is where the real Bali begins. Like Luang Prabang it’s a wonderful place to do very little. It is touristy, for certain, but it still feels exotic.
A winding road to Ubud
As Ubud has changed, so have we. No longer the budget-minded, recently-retired, wide-eyed globetrotters, we are older, experienced, financially independent and somewhat jaded. First-timers will find Ubud as charming as we did but after 20 years and 170 countries we’ve earned the curmudgeon’s right to say, “Yeah, but you should have seen it back then!”
It must be down here somewhere
Ubud Sunrise
Villa Batu Agung has zero kerb appeal. It is about 5km south of the action down a narrow alley a block off the main drag, exactly what we wanted! The villas are further downhill clustered around the pool. Our room is spacious, air-conditioned with satellite TV, wifi and a large en-suite bathroom—$75 per night with breakfast. It is surprisingly quiet and peaceful even with the Hindu temple a few doors away.
Rice Terraces: Sapa, Vietnam Longi, China Banaue, Philippines
Today appears to be a Balinese Hindu day of blessing for valuable things—especially cars and scooters. Cars were festooned with palms and offerings and nearly every scooter had some sort of token. Even Pak Karma’s Toyota had garlands and palms tied to the mirrors when he picked us up this morning—the blessings and good Karma should keep us safe.
Tellalang Rice Terrace
A Ray of Sunshine
We haven’t had very good luck with terraced rice paddies and—it was pouring rain when we visited the terraced rice paddies in Sapa, Vietnam; the Dragon’s Backbone terraced paddies in Longi, China fell short of our expectations; only the rice terraces of Banaue, Philippines were worth the effort—so we decided to give the Tegallalang Rice Terraces, a go. Can you say, “Tourist trap?”
Japanese Girl having and Instagram Moment
Another Roadside Tourist Trap
A real rice paddy
Tegallalang Rice Terraces are just another Disneyesque experience. I guess we should have known—if the huge restaurant, “I Love Bali” sign and the giant swing weren’t hints enough, anyplace that’s part of an “Instagram Tour” has to be suspect.
Look what the Civet Cat Shat
We declined the free cup of Kopi Luwak, that coffee made famous by Jack in “The Bucket List.” If you missed the flick, it is brewed from partially digested coffee “cherries” which have been eaten and shat by Asian Palm Civets. Probably not your morning brew from Starbucks.
Lotus pads and Taman Saraswati
Temple Offerings, Taman Saraswati
Carrying offerings to the Hindu gods
Back in Ubud, Pak Karma dropped us at Taman Saraswati, the Ubud Water Palace, promising to pick us up when we “whatsapped” him from nearby Pura Dalem. We paid the 50,000 IDR and donned the mandatory sarong and tunic . . . as if we weren’t hot enough already. We long ago gave up trying to understand Hinduism—we just go with the flow and enjoy the scenery. And while Taman Saraswati looks like it’s from Golden Age of Hinduism it was built in 1952!
Pura Dalem, Death Temple
Pura Dalem is Closed today—due to a death in the family??
We felt pretty stupid asking directions at Tourist Information for Pura Dalem—it was just next door. And it was closed! Perhaps it’s just as well, Pura Dalem means Death Temple! Even Pak Karma was surprised when we called for our ride home.
