Ubud, Bali, Indonesia Travel Guide
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Intro to Ubud, Bali
There are times when we want everything to slow down – when we want life to move at our pace; to reign in the overwhelming; to boost the underwhelming. Ubud, Bali offers this manageability and beauty. Ubud quells the roaring river to a gentle stream.
Say “OO” as in “food” and “Bood,” which is pronounced like “boo” with a “d” at the end. That’s how you pronounce Ubud. Kind of funny because I originally pronounced Ubud with a “you” and “bud” as in Budweiser. Well, this concludes our pronunciation lesson for today.
If the beach and gorgeous, bikini-clad girls and Aussie surfers crowds don’t do it for you, then take it back a notch in Bali’s cultural mecca, Ubud, where the cooler temperature at night compels tourists to where shirts. Instead of the lightning nightlife of Kuta, Ubud offers a huge dose of respite for those who love the feeling of “getting away” and for those who love fantastic art and culture, especially Hindu culture. The blue waters of South Bali turn into the green jungles and rice fields of central Bali.
One day during my trip in Ubud, as I was wheeling back to my hotel, Ubud Inn, from the Monkey Forest Art Market, I thought to myself that it’s too bad that Ubud is not more accessible. It’s too bad because Ubud is so beautiful and I’d love to trumpet Ubud to other disabled travelers.
As I crossed the street to the Ubud Inn, I saw a driver of a van pull out a wheelchair from the back. He unfolded it and wheeled it to the passenger door. A middle-aged lady was transferred to her wheelchair and her husband and caretaker prepared to take her to her room. I introduced myself and asked the couple what they thought about Ubud, particularly, how accessible Ubud was for them. Surprisingly, this was the French couple’s umpteenth visit and they invited me to see their room. The Ubud Inn has two wheelchair accessible rooms! Come to find out, the couple truly loved Ubud and they opened a door in my mind.
Here is what you will find in Ubud as far as tourists go: couples, families and lots of female tourists. They all visit Ubud for the culture, scenery and relaxation. Artists and connoisseurs of art and culture have made Ubud into a prosperous and thriving canvas for the aesthetically inclined. For each tree and each plant in Ubud, there is a piece of art. Art shops abound, selling canvases, crafts and scultpures. Often, local Balinese sell their own creations.
Ubud is not just arts and crafts. Take a stroll down to the Monkey Forest Park and feed bananas to the lively macaques monkeying around. Check out the temples in the park as well. See scintillating Balinese performances and enjoy Balinese food and drinks at any of the restaurants/bars. Take a day to let your eyes feast on Ubud’s famed terraced rice fields and the Ayung River scene. There’s plenty of culture to experience, food to try and drinks to take in. In other words, there’s plenty to do in Ubud for the family, couples and singles. Ubud’s treasures, by the way, come at a price. Ubud’s not a cheap place to visit in comparison to, say, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The French woman in the wheelchair expressed her feelings about Ubud the best: “I love Ubud. I am buying a home here.” I loved that she said that. Even though Ubud is not very wheelchair-friendly, it has an irresistable magic, a magic which casts a spell over everyone who visits its rich land.