Bali II (Ubud)
Jan 28-Feb 1
After Kuta’s craziness, we decided to soak up some arts and culture in Ubud, the cultural centre of Bali. Rather than risk the lunacy of driving ourselves, we hired a driver who showed us the beautiful countryside along the way and pointed out the various art villages on the outskirts of Ubud. Each village specializes in a different type of art – woodcarving, painting and weaving to name a few. The techniques are perfected and passed down through generations, creating very talented craftspeople that produce high quality products for very low prices (by Western standards). Our driver waited patiently while we checked out the various accommodation options in Ubud, which is home to some of the priciest hotels on the island. Our intention was to stay in a losmen, which is a very cheap option where you sleep in a room in a family compound for under $10 Cdn per night. However, Claude found Gayatri II Bungalows with its beautiful gardens, infinity pool and rooms overlooking the rice paddies and we couldn’t resist. It was splurge at 350,000 rupiah ($45Cdn)/night (incl breakfast), but we definitely got our money’s worth – the place was like a bloody palace! Just check out the photos!
The best part was that it was located two minutes walk from the main street and we didn’t need to pay for any taxis to get around.
Our first outing took us to the Monkey Forest where we were surrounded by hundreds of friendly but aggressive monkeys who would steal anything that wasn’t physically attached to you.
The kids couldn’t believe their eyes and couldn’t get enough of them; we spent a fortune on bananas because they felt like they had to feed every monkey they saw. When we finally got them out of there we explored the quaint streets of Ubud with its many shops and art galleries. I felt like I could spend our entire life savings on all the beautiful arts and crafts that we saw. In the end, we restrained ourselves and managed to keep our spending within reasonable limits. We spent four nights in Ubud and hired a driver, Wayan, to take us around to see the various tourist attractions in the area like the Elephant Cave (Goa Gajah), Gunung Kawi and the many ancient temples in the area.
In the evenings, we sampled the delicious Balinese cuisine in Ubud’s many fine restaurants and, one night, attended a traditional Kecak Fire Dance which was fascinating – even the kids loved it, although it was a little nerve-wracking when the dancers started kicking hot coals in all directions and some ended up under our chairs.
After a few days in Ubud, Wayan picked us up at 3:30AM for the one hour drive to Gunung Batur (“gunung” means mountain), an active volcano, where we would trek one and a half hours to the top to see the sunrise. Our guide, Mujik, and a young Balinese fellow who sold Coca-Cola and water at the summit held hands with Alexa and Simon and practically hauled them to the top of the steep mountain in the dark. After we enjoyed the beautiful sunrise,
Mujik took us on a hike around the top of the mountain and told us stories of the various eruptions that had taken place over the years, the most recent of which occurred in 1999. We saw the steam coming out of the vents in the rocks and Mujik demonstrated how hot the ground was by digging a hole and cooking an egg in it.
Then he took us on an exciting walk right down to the top of the still smoking craters from the 1994 and 1999 eruptions and we ended our trek by hiking out across the lava fields and back to where we started.
Alexa and Simon were excited and a bit scared to be on an active volcano and Alexa kept asking if it could erupt while we were on it, but Mujik reassured her that scientists were studying the mountain closely and would not allow anyone on it if there was any danger of an eruption.
After our adventure on Gunug Batur, we returned to Ubud and Claude took nap for a few hours while the kids played in the pool. That night, Wayan picked him up at 10PM to take him to Gunung Agung, a dormant volcano and Bali’s highest mountain at over 3100 metres, where he would attempt the grueling 7 hour hike to the summit to see the sunrise for the second day in a row. He and his guide, Made (pronounced Mawday), set out at 11PM from the base of the mountain and hiked in the rain until about 3:30AM. At this point, Made told him they would sleep for a few hours before heading to the summit and proceeded to crawl into a tiny cave dug out of the hillside. Since Made was only about 5 feet tall, he was able to lie comfortably across a ledge at the back of the cave while Claude had to try to curl his soggy 6 foot frame up on the floor. After two miserable hours of shivering and very little sleep, they finally made the final push to the summit for a spectacular sunrise that made it all worthwhile.
On the descent, they encountered a barefoot lady dressed all in white ceremonial robes and carrying a basket. After a lengthy conversation with her, Claude’s guide informed him that, after receiving a “calling” while meditating, she had come from 20km away on a religious pilgrimage to bring offerings to the gods on the mountain. Talk about devotion! Claude finally returned, wet and exhausted, around noon and, after a well-deserved massage, crashed for the afternoon while I spent lots of money at the arts and crafts market.
Tags: Bali, South East Asia, Travel, Ubud
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