Art, Rice Fields, Monkeys, and Friends in Ubud

We were both really excited about Ubud. People rave about it. It’s full of art galleries, museums, cafes, restaurants, and rice fields. We walked all over checking out the galleries and shops. We did an 8km walking tour (via Lonely Planet) through the town, which took us through the Monkey Forest (again scary monkeys…one started following Darsh after he put my shiny necklace in his pocket), the local town of Penestanan, where the artists live, and some rice fields.

The walk was actually pretty cool and we were some of the only tourists in some areas and the people were so welcoming and warm. I have to admit though that while the rice fields were nice to see they aren’t anywhere near as cool as they look in pictures. I think they are one of those “beautiful from afar” kind of things....at least the ones we saw anyway....or maybe we're missing something. Also, I think I’m done with monkeys. What a bummer because I thought I loved monkeys! But seriously as I was walking through the Monkey Forest I was praying that one of them wouldn’t jump on me or even get near me….I really didn’t want to be “that girl” that freaked out in a Monkey Forest! But there were monkeys everywhere unattended and they are so fast and smart….I did everything I could not to make eye contact with them. Thankfully we got out ok. Yikes!

We also got a chance to see some friends from San Francisco – Dawn and Roneeta. We met them at Laughing Buddha Bar for drinks and then had dinner at Nomad. Darsh had the best Miso marinated butter fish ever! We were both feeling a little homesick so it was really nice being able to hang out with people from home. Roneeta and Dawn had been in Bali for almost two weeks and were traveling with two other girls Namritha and Amy who were really cute! It was good to hear their experiences in Bali so far….especially since we were going to many of the same places soon.

Ubud is definitely not a late night town but there are a lot of good eating and drinking options. We liked Casa Luna (good coffee and desserts), Three Monkeys (good juices), Cinta Grill (good mojitos - buy one get one free Happy Hour!), and Café Des Artistes (nice romantic setting). I love Indonesian food – the spices make everything taste so yummy! We also checked out the Four Seasons, which is unreal. It is set in the middle of this lush, tropical jungle in the middle of Sayan Valley. Simply amazing! If we weren’t traveling for 4 months this is where I’d want to stay! :)

We were only in Ubud for two days but that was enough time for us. There is more you can do there like hike, bike, white water rafting….or even just shop, eat, or read a book, but we still had more of the island to see. Plus I really wasn’t loving the roosters keeping me up starting at 5am every morning! If I could have done one thing differently, I would have upgraded our accommodations – our room (at Honeymoon Guesthouses) was not great, pretty basic (although had a great breakfast). But most importantly it had no soundproofing so you could hear everything (roosters, dogs, etc.)….oh and the room always felt wet and smelled musty….the bed was actually wet - yuck! No worries though, because we’re heading to Nusa Dua next where people say it isn’t really Bali because it’s perfectly manicured with postcard quality beaches….but I don’t think roosters will be a problem and I am so ready for a nice beach, pool, and room! :)