I had been looking forward to
Ubud, though I did not know much about it, I knew this is the area of Bali that
Elizabeth Gilbert spent much of her time while in Bali. Elizabeth Gilbert is the Author of the
New York Times Best Seller book ~ Eat, Pray, Love where she recounts her journey through the 3 I's - Italy, India and Indonesia, seeking peace, balance and healing in her life.
I
read the book during one of my first solo international trips to
Europe. I absolutely loved her writing, her adventure and her honesty.
She helped me learn to 'let it go'.
Ubud is a bustling
city, with a LOT happening. I mean a LOT! Popular for writers and
Yogis alike, the city center is healthily crowded with temples &
tourists, markets, boutiques, artists, handcrafted jewelry and clothing,
cafes and more shops. It's amazing! On the outskirts of the city
center are hundreds and hundreds of shops creating all of the amazing
pieces you see in Asian import shops, Pier One, World Market and
others. The BEAUTIFUL hand crafts furniture and mirrors, headboard,
lamps, coffee tables, tapestries, dining sets, decor, colorful trinkets
and on and on and on. It's mind boggling, and quite impressive!!! On
the outskirts of town is where you'll find the farmlands, full of mainly
rice fields. Such a tremendously beautiful site they are. So perfect,
still and so lush.
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| Bird cage anyone? |
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| Market fare |
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| Hillside Rice Fields |
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| Kool shades |
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| Goofing around in the market |
After
a fair bit of island hopping, I was ready to stay put for more than a
few nights and call Ubud my home for the week. Scooter rentals were $5 a
day, and I was finally ready to master this
driving-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road business!
My days
were filled with slow rising mornings, coffee & breakfast by the
pool while catching up on work and emails. The rest of the days I spent
wandering the markets bargaining with the vendors, taking photos and
people watching. I enjoyed the artist studios and handmade jewelry,
clothing, shoes and leather works. Temples upon temples and
awe-inspiring, picturesque rice fields for days. In the afternoon I'd
find myself in or near the pool with a cold beer and a good book.
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| A beautiful temple, right beside Starbucks! |
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| Market trinkets |
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| Snakeskin fruit. It was odd, but delicious! |
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| Hotel pool |
The
scooter adventures were amazing. Each day I grew a bit braver than the
last, and ventured farther and farther away from the center of Ubud. I
eventually made it all the way up a mountain, which grew quite cold
very rapidly! The rice fields had me in awe, amazing that for so much
work growing, tending and harvesting; that rice is still so cheap.
Think about that...
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| When you gotta pray, you gotta pray |
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| Proof that helmets are sexy! |
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| My new friend Sheree. She chased me down on my scooter, hopped on the back, and took me on a tour of her father's rice field. Then she invited me to her house to teach me traditional Balinese dance and have dinner with her family. |
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| My cute lil scoot scoot |
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| Rice fields |
One afternoon I spent my day at the home of a local silversmith named Wayan. He owns
Chez Monique Jewelry.
He
holds classes in his home where you have the opportunity to design and
create your own jewelry. I LOVE jewelry, so this was a no brainer for
me. I just had no idea what I wanted to make, and as usual, a very
indecisive mind. It took my a long time before I decided on a necklace
pendant in the shape of an anchor, with a twist. I drew the bottom of
the anchor to look like ocean waves, which inadvertently turned out to
be a heart as well. It took 3 or 4 hours to design and implement the
piece. It was worth every minute though, I am so in love with my
special piece of hand made art!
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| Cutting out my design |
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| Polishing |
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| The finished product |
Another
day I embarked upon an amazing day of river tubing. The scenery was
magnificent, I could have stayed on that river for days. Each person
had their own river tube or a board that resembled something much like a
boogie board, with handles. The boogie boarders were required to gear
up in MUCH more protective gear than the tubers. I had the opportunity
to try the board, and I completely understand why! It's just you
against the rapids. I was perfectly content in my double walled hearty
tube, complete with plenty of handles as well. At one point, we
sailed through an Indonesian family bathing in the river, all of them
stark ass naked, right there in the middle of the tour. They were just
as surprised as we were!!! The guides were amazing and knew every rock,
boulder and current in the river, so they were prepared for everything
and took very good care of us! Afterward, the part they didn't mention,
was getting back to the car... about 500 steps uphill later... we
arrived. Lunch was waiting for us, as were the pictures the
photographer snapped on the river's edge.
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| River Rafting! |
Ubud was certainly another lifelong memory in the making. The beauty is insurmountable from top to bottom and all around you. I can't wait to go back someday and explore some more!
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| Sculpture in the City Center |
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| A shrine to leave offerings and prayer |
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| Local boys spending time at the beach, on a special religious holiday |
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| The breathtaking black sand coastline |
