As the sun shone down green steps of the rice paddies, I could smell the freshness of the green grass mixed with burnt incense, I could feel the draft of fresh air on my skin and I could hear them all in all its stillness and serenity. Then I was warped back to reality and welcomed with a diversity of cultures. Foreign languages enveloped the scene, but some were definitely familiar to my ears.
This is Bali. A tropical paradise in Indonesia and a hot spot for all tourists. Wonderful beaches and great weather are just a few things that makes this island a dream for visitors. However, I am not here just to talk about the beaches because Bali has much more sights to behold.
Ubud is a town two hours drive north from Kuta, and it is a cultural village with traditions like rattan weaving and carpentry. Over the past years, there has been a growing number of shops owned by non-Indonesians introducing their culture, making Ubud the rural melting pot of Indonesia. As a result, Ubud is a unique marriage between traditional Balinese heritage and modern sustainable living. I would highly recommend to stay at least two nights here to experience what the town has to offer.
Some of the sights which you can find here are:
- The infamous Monkey Forest which is filled with monkeys which steal your belongings. Make sure you hold on to them tightly.
- The Campuhan Ridge Walk an hour of trek up a hill to get a great view of the forests of Ubud.
- Tegalalang Rice Terrace – a UNESCO World Heritage site which demonstrates Tri Hita Karana, the 3 philosophical aspects of Bali life:
- Harmony with nature
- Harmony with god
- Harmony with other humans
- There are many waterfalls to visit and one of the more famous ones due to its size and location is the Tegenungan Waterfall
- Arma Museum or Agung Rai Museum which houses masterpieces from Raden Saleh and other famous Indonesian painters. It is not only a museum, it is also a recreational center where one can learn how to dance, cook or even paint. Psst, Barack Obama visited it too.
If you decide to drive another two hours North of Ubud, you will find yourself in between two great mountains, Mt. Batur and Mt. Agung. The latter actually erupted early in 2018 and was closed for recreational hiking, which leaves the former for me to conquer.
Before the break of dawn, at around 3AM, we trudged our sleepy bodies to board an SUV which had five other passengers who were all crazy and ambitious enough to chase the sunrise on top of Mt. Batur. The itinerary was simple:
- Arrive at the foot of the mountain to recharge ourselves with banana pancakes and a hot cup of coffee.
- Hike up the mountain.
- Watch the sunrise while enjoying another cup of Joe.
- Hike down the mountain.
Well, all I can say was that we did not expect that the three-hour hike to be that tiring, but we did end up at the top to get an amazing few. Worth it!
Mt. Batur was indeed a spectacle and if you are energized after the hike (unlike us), you can drive another two hours to get to the Temple of Lempuyang Luhur which is well known due to its increasing popularity on Instagram. This is where all those #Bali pictures were taken! The temple itself is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Bali and lies 1,175m above the sea level. Visitors will have to climb over 1,700 steps to see the complete temple but as we were late, we could only reach the first temple gate which I recommend most people should do.
So there you have it. If you are the more adventurous type of traveler who wants to see a different side of Bali, visit Ubud and North Bali where locations are more raw and cultures and traditions are still maintained. I would say that one week in Ubud is enough to travel around the area, but feel free to spend more time to enjoy the beauty of nature.
