Ubud, Bali: goodbye Asia!

In the center of the lush, tropical paradise of Bali lies the culturally rich town of Ubud. It is a charming art center, with little jewelry shops-recycled glass beads, handmade silver rings, etc… and leather makers, and little old ladies working these grand old-fashioned looms, making tapestries and such. There is music and good food and lots of yoga and meditation. It’s a rather touristy spot, but not in an annoying or overwhelming way, which can sometimes be the case. 

Our place was cheap and clean, situated in a pretty garden with a large and luxurious pool, which was essential for beating the afternoon heat. Not to mention I just feel best when I’m in water… Our spot was at the end of “monkey forest road” and well, at the end of the road was the monkey forest! The monkeys didn’t quite understand their boundaries, however, and continually waltzed up to our patio or hung out around the pool. What a sight, especially if they started getting really friendly with each other, which was a common occurrence.

We ate some great local and foreign foods, happy to have a little variety, a treat from the slim selections on the quiet gili islands. We stayed longer than we though we’d stay, happy to relax and bum around our stretch of the town.

The people in Ubud are quite religious, they pray all day long, while preparing and giving offerings to many statues and even placing them in most doorways and corners. The offerings are usually flowers, food, perhaps a coin, and LOTS of incense. The whole town had a special smell to it! The monkeys took advantage of the sacred act- only seconds after the prayer and placement of the offering they would generally make haste to grab whatever was edible. One monkey even jumped on Josh’s shoulder, hung out for a bit then jumped off, but I missed it!

We leave Asia now, after over a year in this land. We’ve seen a lot and learned a lot, and now it is a good time to head west! I look forward to the wine and cheese in France, improving my language skills in Spain, and learning all that we can from our volunteer experiences.