March 12th – 16th Ubud
Originally uploaded by roupiesontour
We hired a driver for the day to see a bit more of the countryside. In the morning we were treated to a Barong (Balinese story dance) featuring costumes galore and Balinese dancing accompanied by music. The dancers are tiny and the movement is in the hands and with small movements. It was quite a sight. If it weren’t for the leaflet given to you at the entrance I would not have had the slightest idea what was going on. Our photo was taken at the entrance and by the time we left our image had been superimposed on a lovely souvenir plate. Needless to say we politely declined.
The driver does the route most days so it was nice to talk to him about his experiences of living in Bali and we threw him loads of questions during the day. Our trip took us to a Batik shop where tourists could take pictures of the girls drawing pictures with wax and feel guilty enough to buy something. Towns have been designated as a specialist in a certain area so for eg Celuk is where you go to see silver and gold and there are other towns for carvings in wood and stone. When you say village you expect a quaint little town with lots of space and green before the next one. The reality is a bit starker. Shops and stalls line all the roads and the boundary lines between one town and another merge and are lost in these endless rows of shops and open stalls. There is so much competition it is frightening.
The volcano near Kitimani was a beautiful spot to rest for lunch. We were exhausted from stopping off at pre-arranged shops that the driver knew. Each time you stop you get met by the staff and given a tour of the respective workplace and followed closely around the shop. This is only to see if you require any help but of you are not used to it it does feel a bit intrusive. I didn’t really mind but the kids found it really offputting.
The green of the volcano was a nice reminder that there are still some rural areas left. A perfect conical shape you could also see the black of the lava which was a souvenir from the last major eruption.
The afternoon saw a visit to a temple. We donned the orange sarongs (including Josh – a La Beckham) and were stunned by the beauty. The temple is a series of buildings, fountains and animals set in a very tranquil place. There was even a volleyball net! We snoozed on the way back to Ubud and arrived late afternoon. We had to look for somewhere to stay in Ubud as we hadn’t booked. The second place – The Ubud Inn gave us a good discount and was set in beautiful grounds. A quick unpack and off up the road to the market.
Ubud is famous as the craft capital of Bali. I came here to do some classes and see the monkeys. There are again lots of shops and the centre is full of hotels and restaurants. It is a lot busier than I thought it would be. We walked past the football field and watched the locals kick a ball around. I tried to think in which country we have not seen football played and I can’t think of one!
Tags: SE Asia, Travel
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