Ubud - The Heart of Bali (Part II)

I seem to have become a bit distracted with Kuta, so in this post I will actually explain why Ubud, is the heart of Bali.

For starters, it sits quite near the physical middle of the island, but that's not the half of it.

I could say its because it rests on the flanks of Mount Agung (Bali's largest mountain) who's slopes also host Pura Besakih - The Mother Temple of Bali, yet that just scratches the surface.

One might wax philosophical about the arts; given Ubud's history of silver and woodwork, or the seemingly omnipresent yoga studios, and the plentiful bookshops. However that really doesn't encapsulate what makes it so special.

Really its because... it just feels like Bali.

How do I explain that?

Ubud is all those things, certainly. And much more.

Sitting in the Monkey Forest

We decided to spend our last few days in Bali living in Ubud. We had visited previously and strolled through the main strip, the aptly named Monkey Forest Road which loops past the famous Ubud Monkey Forest. We hadn't however had the time to truly explore the nooks and crannies.

Walking up from our shuttle stop, we had selected a few homestays that had been well reviewed, and dropped in to look for a cheap room. It turns out, Ubud even just before the high season, is a busy place.  Having exhausted our pre-selected options, we opted to take a visit to the next homestay that was offered to us. For those of you who haven't visited Bali, should you go, there is no real worry about finding accomodation. You WILL be offered countless places to stay, at town. Walking around with a bag on your back is tantamount to carrying a large sign that says "LOOKING FOR A ROOM".

Where we ended up, was more than we had hoped for. We opted for an upstairs room at Brata 1 Homestay. This is a highly recommended option. They dont have a pool, or air-conditioning, but what they do have is a beautiful room, with a comfortable bed, a warm family feel, and delicious breakfast. Sadly all the pictures we took of this are on our "big camera" which we cannot access until we are back in the states. You will have to trust us. Our room looked out over the top of Ubud. Beautiful red-tiled rooftops, tall trees, and decorative crowns. The doors and windows were of marvellously carved dark wood, and made us feel like royalty.

Ubud, it turns out, is a culinary delight. While the menu selection doesn't differ much beyond what is found across the rest of Bali (Hello, Nasi Goreng. Hello, Pizza!) The quality of the food was truly worth the visit of its own accord. Additionally, the feel of the restaurants were undoubtedly more... complete than most any we had enjoyed in Bali.

We had a wonderful French dinner at the Kebun Bistro. We really could have been back in France for this, decorated in a rustic french style, they had delicious and well cooked french classics, and fine wines. For our evening, we even had a french family at the table behind us. Tres bien!

Drinks at Kafe

Another favorite from ubud was Kafe. We had a stunning and delicious lunch at this uber-busy street-side cafe-with-a-conscience. Stepping away from our daily "bread and butter" of nasi or mie goreng, we enjoyed some western treats. A chicken fajita burrito that was quite simply, one of the best I've had, and some cool and refreshing cocktails. All done an almost in-your-face (yet tasteful) environemental respect. Its a can't miss.

While we spent hours walking the streets, enjoying the art, carvings, and food, it wasn't any of these things that really made Ubud the heart of Bali,. Neither was it the relative quiet, relaxed salesmanship, or cleanlyness. It was a package deal. Its truly a wonderful place to spend some time. This is what we will always remember when we look back at our time living in Bali.