Whilst in Gili we got talking to other travellers and realised we hadn't really given Bali a chance. We'd formed an opinion on the entire country based on just one place, Kuta, which would be like someone writing off the whole of the UK after spending four days in Bracknell Town Centre.
With that in mind we felt we owed it to the island to give it a second go so after a few Rinjani recovery days we jumped on a boat back to Bali, this time stopping in Ubud. And we're so glad we did!
Ubud is a cultural haven, most famous for it's outstanding art, spas and yoga retreats. It's one of these wonderful places that attracts tourism because it's so beautiful but doesn't allow itself to be overcome by it.
We had just four days in Ubud but managed to cross four activities off our to-do list. The first was visiting Monkey Forest, a national park in the centre of Ubud which is home to hundreds and hundreds of grey monkeys. They're free to roam wherever they wish but choose to stay within the sanctuary grounds, presumably because they're fed so well. We'd been warned about their thieving nature but it was still surprising to see how well they've mastered the art of pick pocketing. I have to admit it was pretty amusing to see so many tourists outsmarted by our supposedly lesser developed primate cousins.
Our second morning started with a short trek through the paddy fields where rice is farmed. We found a particularly stunning terrace called Tegalalang and weaved our way in and out of the crops, getting a closer look at the way they're grown. On our way back we stopped at an organic farm where they grow all of their fruits, herbs and spices needed for cooking. The staff were particularly keen to show us how they make the Balinese special 'Luwak Coffee' from start to finish. The coffee beans are eaten by the Luwaks, ferment in their digestive system and then retrieved from the animal's faeces. They're then washed thoroughly (they promise), roasted and finally ground to make the coffee powder. The tour ended with a free coffee tasting session and although we passed on the Luwak we did try the Ginseng, Jasmine, Ginger, Vanilla and Cocoa, all of which went down surprisingly well considering neither of us are usually coffee-drinkers.
Our third snippet of culture was attending the traditional Balinese dance performance, Kecak and Fire. It began with a hundred or so men entering onto the stage and sitting around a centre piece candle. They were dressed in nothing but baggy trousers and with flowers in their hair. It soon became apparent that these men were the chorus, the only music to accompany the hour long dance. The noises they were making were quite extraordinary, a kind of remix of different sounds over a long steady beat. Before long two beautiful women dressed in intricate costumes broke into the circle and began to move in time to the men's beat. They dance only with their hands and their eyes, using subtle movements to tell the story. There's little variation in the choreography but it's fascinating nonetheless and the colourful costumes are more than enough to capture your attention.
Our fourth and final day involved a visit to Ubud palace. It was undeniably beautiful but we were a little underwhelmed simply because the entire area is so pretty that it didn't stand out as anything particularly special. Bali is known as the 'thousand temple island' because there are so many to be found and so the whole island is full of grand buildings and decorative statues. Any one of them could be described as a palace!
Ubud felt like the 'real Bali' and I'm so glad that we had the chance to visit. It had a wonderfully calming atmosphere about the place and we left feeling completely relaxed - quite the opposite to the madness of Kuta!
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