Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud
Slide Nr 1A magnet for wellness and spiritual seekers, vegetarians, shoppers, nature lovers and expatriates from all over the world, this small city in central Bali is also the island’s cultural heart, where art, craft, traditions and Hindu ceremonies are woven into the fabric of everyday life. From ornately costumed dancers to the small daily offerings of flowers, fruit and incense you’ll forever be tripping over on the streets of Ubud, the cultural riches are staggering. Let’s explore.
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 28am, Get A Healthy Start – One of Ubud’s most renowned vegan, raw food, juice and coffee bars, Alchemy is beloved for its do-it-yourself smoothie bowls (pick three fruits, a liquid and toppings), cold-pressed juices like Kiss Kiss (pineapple, beet, watermelon and lime), build-your-own salads, raw cacao truffles and desserts like banoffee pie (toffee, sliced banana and whipped coconut milk cream). The serene café, furnished in reclaimed wood, even has a holistic clinic on-site. [Photo courtesy Alchemy]
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 39am, Take A Rice Field Walk – Those emerald-green rice paddies just yearn to be explored, and morning is the best time, before the tropical heat overwhelms. For a delightful walk: on the western end of Ubud’s main street, Jalan Raya Ubud, take the trail right before the aqueduct uphill to Abangan Bungalows, then past Gusti’s Garden 2 Bungalows, through terraced rice fields and coconut palm trees. Sari Organik, an organic farm and restaurant with lovely rice field views, appears just 800m north of the aqueduct. Majestic panoramas of Mount Agung, Bali’s highest peak, are found on a trail that begins just past the Campuhan bridge, east of the river. Alternatively, Bali Nature Walks offers guided treks with a focus on local life and traditions.
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 49:30am, Learn To Cook – If you prefer taking home local recipes as your souvenirs of Bali, join a class at Casa Luna Cooking School, where a different Balinese cooking course takes place every day, from smoked duck (bebek betutu, a famous Bali specialty) to fish and vegan dishes – ending with the feast you’ve helped prepare. (Classes that include a market tour start earlier.) [Photos via Facebook]
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 71:30pm, Admire Traditional Textiles – In the gallery and shop of Threads of Life, near Museum Puri Lukisan and the Ubud Water Palace, admire museum-quality textiles handmade by 1,000 weavers all over Indonesia, who use natural plant dyes and traditional methods to create vibrant colours and intricate patterns; the shop’s foundation helps preserve these ancient arts. Take a class to learn about textile styles like batik (wax-resistant dye) and ikat (mostly geometric and abstract patterns), including their important role in traditions and societal ceremonies. One- and two-week workshops are also available. [Photo courtesy Threads of Life]
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 82:30pm, Get Your Modern Art Fix – Exhibiting works by contemporary Indonesian artists – mostly abstract and very different from the ornate, traditional-style art you see all over Bali – Komaneka Fine Art Gallery is housed in a simple, modern space big enough for large-scale installations on Monkey Forest Road, halfway between Jalan Raya and the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. It was opened by the son of the founder of the Neka Museum, where you can get a comprehensive overview of Balinese art. [Photo via Facebook]
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 93:30pm, Take A Yoga Class – Ubud has a long legacy of wellness and native healers (ubad means ‘medicine’ in ancient Balinese). Yoga Barn offers over 15 classes a day in yoga, meditation and other mind-body disciplines in bamboo pavilions, plus a centre for ancient healing traditions from Ayurveda to Chinese medicine, all amid a lush jungle setting. Their café serves healthy snacks, while Monday movie nights feature a dinner buffet. The owners organise an annual yoga, music and dance festival called Bali Spirit. [Photo: Wari Om]
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 105pm, Shop Indonesian Crafts – Head to Tegun Galeri for a wonderful treasure trove of folk art from all over Indonesia: jewellery, dolls, puppets, textiles and even carved statues of deities like Buddha or the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh – with information provided on where and how they were crafted. Some are antiques, most are reproductions at this museum-like store on shop-lined Jalan Hanoman. Its owners also own Yoga Barn.
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 116:30pm, Dine Local – At Locavore, one of Ubud’s most in-demand restaurants, local ingredients are given a modernist, European-style twist in tasting menus of six or nine courses – vegetarian or not – exquisitely presented with plates and silverware made by local craftspeople. Expect dishes like grilled octopus in coconut curry, banana blossoms in white curry with spice-roasted coconut and crispy leeks, and ‘Into the Sawah’, featuring snails, duck egg, fern tips and wildflowers that grow in the rice fields (sawah). Reservations are required for dinner or lunch (the latter is much easier). If Locavore is full, don’t despair: its siblings Nusantara (regional Indonesian, dinner-only), Locavore to Go (sandwiches and burgers) and Night Rooster, a cocktail and wine bar, are all on the same street, Jalan Dewi Sita. [Photos courtesy Locavore]
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 139:30pm, Raise A Glass – An elegant wine bar offering a European wine list, velvety sofas and jungle views from its open-air counter, DIVINE is part of multi-story Bridges Restaurant, next to the Campuhan Bridge over the river. Wednesdays mean four themed cocktails and live music; Fridays, a wine master class. [Photo courtesy DIVINE]
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Travel
24 Hours in… Ubud.
Slide Nr 15Read Before You Go: A memoir of life, culture and food in Bali, Fragrant Rice was written by Janet DeNeefe, an Australian resident for the past 30 years who owns Casa Luna Cooking School and founded the Ubud Food Festival as well as the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. Colin McPhee, a Canadian composer, ethnomusicology college professor and the first Westerner to study Balinese music, penned A House in Bali about his enchantment with Balinese culture when he lived there during the 1930s.
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