My annoying alarm goes off at 5:15am. Normally I would snooze the alarm for a little but today I am super excited. We are going on a road trip to Ubud. 3 hours away. Ubud is a town on the Indonesian island of Bali in Ubud District, located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills of the Gianyar regency. It is one of Bali's major arts and culture centres, which has developed into a large tourism industry. We get the day off from teaching today, as Sandra has organised for us to go to another school in Ubud to learn about the planting of crops and to also see the different methods other schools apply to teaching english. As we were driving along, we stopped by a town just one hour away from Bondalem and took some photos of the rice paddy.
After 3 hours of a very uncomfortable drive of windy and bumpy roads, we arrive in the town of Ubud. I was so excited to see supermarkets, convenient stores, shops and restaurants. Finally, back to civilisation. As we were driving, we saw a local man standing on top of a moving truck like a madman. haha I was lucky enough to capture a photo. I've never seen anything like that. A little bit of entertainment for our boring ride really spiced things up and woke us up - seeing that we had such an early morning.
We finally arrived at the agriculture foundation called Yayasan IDEP Pusat Pelatihan & Percontohan Permakultur. IDEP is a local Indonesian non governmental organisation based in Bali, Indonesia - founded in 1999; they strive to develop and deliver training, community programs and media related to sustainable development throughout Permaculture, and Community-based Disaster Management. Permaculture (permanent culture and permanent agriculture) is a system designed for environmental management within the community. It aims to fulfill needs and to remain sustainable by utilising local resources through environmentally sound methods that are energy efficient and balance local wisdom with nature and the environment. The main focuses are to produce healthy organic plantations, more efficient village layouts, healthier environments and alternative energy production methods.
So it turns out that there was some miscommunication with today's meeting. It happened to be a holiday for the students so there were no classes being held. Despite not being able to do what was intended, nonetheless it was very nice to take a tour around the foundation and watch the local Balinese market gardeners harvest and grow their crops and vegetables. Sandra bought a few games, teaching materials and textbooks for the foundation in Bondalem. We all flipped through the resources and found it very useful.
For lunch, we went to a place called Sari's Organik - a special kind of place 800m off the main road of Ubud. It was definitely worth the 800m walk through the rice paddy's to get to this place (20mins). Set in the middle of a mass of rice paddy's and organic vegetable gardens, this place is divine. Serving organic foods - all types, and freshly made organic drinks - it was lovely. The walk was a tiring and sweaty one slightly up hill but it was so nice to see all the locals harvesting the crops, transporting oversized objects on their motorbikes and carrying baskets of heavy items on their heads.
Lunch was very satisfying. I ordered the chicken schnitzel wrap served with salad and a mixed fruit juice (something like a punch). After a week of eating the same foods in Bondalem, I was ecstatic about eating something new and delicious. As mentioned, Sari Organik aims at whole and organic food. They use ingredients straight from their organic gardens that are all chemical free products.
On our way back, we stopped by to check out the beauty retreat. It would be nice to get pampered in the middle of this magical rice paddy. However, we didn’t treat ourselves, as we were more interested in exploring Ubud. It was such a wonderful experience walking through the rice paddy fields and seeing all the locals perform their daily hardwork. I’m glad that I got to experience this, as I don’t think I would ever stumble across anything like this anywhere else. The locals were all lovely, every step you take, you will be greeted. I am amazed about how friendly Balinese people are.
There is one thing I've noticed about Ubud, the footpaths are so dangerous - being the klutz that I am, the girls are always warning me before I take each step.
The girls and I are staying in Ubud for the night, so we booked a room at Eka’s Homestay just off the main road. If it weren’t for Sandra, I wouldn’t know that this was a homestay as it looked more like a temple. What makes Bali so unique is its old-age culture and spirituality. I am very impressed with the extensive detailed and creative art in Bali. The very detailed carved grand entrance of the homestay was just amazing. We checked into this homestay for just under $5 each for the night – breakfast included. I’m still laughing about the price. However, the condition of the room is very standard – but at the end of the day, all we really need is a bed to sleep on.
First stop were the the local chaotic Ubud markets. They sold everything in this place and it was partly undercover which made most of us very claustrophobic. Not to mention how hot it was without any ventilation. Things sold at the markets include fruits, spices, clothes, beaded thongs, gadgets, sarongs, souvenir gifts and carved out penises ranging from all sizes and colours. I found it very weird how there were so many of these in every corner I turned. The one that really fascinated me was the massive disco pimped out penis. Haha. Every store we walked past, we were asked to buy one. I lost count as to how many times we refused it. I am personally not a fan of markets, nothing really interest me. All I wanted was a can of cold drink, seeing that Bondalem does not serve cold drinks – I am going to make the most of it here.
The girls bought many pairs of beaded thongs (at around $1.50 each pair) and I stocked up on some postcards.
Finally, I stumbled across a shop that sold cans of cold drinks, I got Sandra and myself a can each. I was in heaven. One the way back to the homestay, we went past a convenient store where I stocked up on more cigarettes and another cold drink. :)
Throughout the Ubud area, you can pick up inexpensive small paintings that will make excellent decorative accents back home. I’ve noticed many art shops in the area. Other crafts in town include weaving, stone carving, basket making, bamboo and rattan work, jewellery, batik, furniture making, bronze casting and decorative metal work. They’re so artsy crafty here.
After the markets, we said goodbye to Sandra as she was heading back to Bondalem. The girls and I continued roaming the streets of Ubud before making our way to meet up with Isabella and Danielle (volunteer teachers in Ubud) who Julia had met the first night she arrived in Bali. Isabella is also from Germany and Danielle is from Holland. We dined in a local warung (finally a sit in restaurant) just up the road from our homestay. I ordered chicken sate served with peanut sauce, rice and vegetables accompanied with a cold glass of lemon mint drink – the food was so good. Over dinner, Christina and I got to know Isabella and Danielle – asking how long they’ve been here, when are they going back and whether they are enjoying the teaching. They were such lovely girls. After dinner, they took us to the compound of where they are staying. I was so jealous to see how luxurious their place was compared to ours back in Bondalem. Isabella and Danielle shared a room and they all have a bathroom in their room. We sat out the front of their porch just chatting. Julia was introduced to Tim Tams that Danielle had bought from the supermarket in Ubud. Being a chocolate lover, Julia loved it. I also met Henning, another co-ordinator for the teaching programs of Travel to Teach. After a lovely chat and getting to know the girls, we said good night and headed back to our homestay to get some rest. We have arranged to meet up with the girls in the morning, where they will take us for a tour around Ubud.
I am very happy to be in Ubud. I really like Ubud. Initially, when I was choosing the program for Bali – I had the choice between Ubud and Bondalem – without doing any research on the locations I automatically opted for Bondalem because of the beach photo. Little did I know that I was going to be living in such a small village, nevertheless, either way it is a great experience and it is nice to go away for the weekend for some excitement.
Good night world.
XOXO
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