Bali revisited

Ubud, Bali
17 February, 2010

As you may have gathered, we came back to Ubud, Bali, after passing through a couple of months ago and then hurriedly leaving, almost in disgust, at its commercialism and the hassle you get on the streets from touts.

Having spent a Spartan few weeks in Papua where we spent lots of money on very basic food and accommodation, I have to admit that coming back to Bali was quite a welcome change. When last time, we were seeking the feeling of 'real travel' after the modernity of Singapore, we now hankered after a nice pad to stay in and a bit of variety in our diet, perhaps even a bit of luxury.

So it's been a relief to be here this time and stay in a nice hotel by the rice fields and eat fresh bread and butter, or pizza, or pasta. I have even come to terms with the touts and say a polite "no, thanks" now. They have to make a living after all.











And Bali does have something special going on in terms of its cultural traditions. The way they place little offerings around the house or on the street every day, or the way they head off to village/family/clan temples for special celebrations every few weeks, or the way they all seem to play in a gamelan orchestra or do traditional dance or something...



















And it's not for the tourists either. This is their own strong traditions that mostly seem designed to keep demons at bay - evil forces that the Balinese still imagine exist in a very real sense, or so I'm told. If only all countries kept their culture alive like Bali. Perhaps we're not superstitious enough.

I still have reservations about the place, though. It's... it's... a bit dull.

It is a shopper's paradise, if you like shops that all sell the same stuff. It's a bit odd that: I am generalising a bit but there are loads of shops selling approximately the same batik dresses and shirts etc; there are shops selling the same carvings and masks and shadow puppets; shops selling approximately the same jewellery; shops selling the same kinds of baskets; and so on. And many of the shops seem to have no customers for most of the day. How do they survive? Beats me.



















And what to do in Ubud if you aren't into yoga, alternative therapy or cheap massages? Not much, though it's a great place if you are into those things.

We have discovered one angle that is really quite fun. There are classes to be taken here and both Maja and I have had a go at batik (you know, masking off patterns with wax and dying the cloth, then washing off the wax in boiling water) and really enjoyed it. Maja also did a morning of silver smithing and made a really impressive pendant.



















And, at our hotel, Maja made good friends with a Swedish woman, Glynn, who taught her yoga every other day and sometimes came down to our veranda to strum guitar. She was a good laugh and a pleasure to have around, along with her Balinese boyfriend, Wayan.

So, after a month of Ubud and its debatable charms,, we are upping anchor and heading to Java in a few days, after a brief foray to Amed on the east coast to dive the famous Liberty wreck.

Would I recommend Bali? Well, yes, but there are other places I'd send you first.