Arriving in Paradise.

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When we decided that we wanted to travel the globe for the next coming years, the island of Bali wasn't on our bucket list - but it grew on us when we heard of the life being led on what the islanders believed is the paradise on earth.

A visit to paradise sounded nice, we planned for a stay of a couple of months (not to overstay our welcome or bid into too many forbidden fruits), booked our flight tickets, and found a lodge for the first couple of weeks.

Now, we've arrived safely and we find ourselves neatly settled into our new surroundings. We live on the outskirts of Ubud, which is traditionally regarded as Bali's cultural center.

 

our local rice field

 

The main street Jalan Rayan
 
Ubud has many ex-pats who want to immerse themselves in yoga and meditation  but the main street - Jalan Rayan -  is also a myriad of bars and restaurants, and the street is filled with young American, Australian and European backpackers zigzagging in and out of the wild throngs of hissing motorbikes

 
 

On the way to the ceremony


Just a ten-minute walk from the bustling center, along narrow alleyways, we come to our part of the village, which is a whole different world.
 

Puri Bebengan Bungalows


Here the only man-made sounds are the faint klik-klik-klik from rindiks - bamboo xylophones - which are played upon in one of the nearby temples.

We've rented a small bungalow at the Puri Bebengan. The property is surrounded by a muddy stream and behind the stream is a patch of dense, lush jungle. Heavy foliage of dark green. Grunting frogs. Screaming birds. And just a moment ago the muffled sound of a coconut which fell heavily down from one of the tall palms.


Gods in the temple

 
Made talking to his ancestors

In the corner of the garden stands an ancient, moss-covered, carved stone altar. Our caretaker, Made, has just visited the shrine to honor the spirits. This is done three times a day by lighting a stick of incense and placing another neat pile of flowers and fruit packed in a small coconut-leaf tray.
 
 

We've fetched some Gado-Gado from a local street kitchen. Spicy vegetables with lontong - compressed rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves.
 
And now, after a dip in the pool, we're sitting, reading, and writing.

In a few hours, we must make one of the tough decisions of the day - which of the countless small restaurants we shall chose for tonight's eating out?

The Balinese say that heaven is identical to their island, perhaps just a little bit better. It is easy to believe them. Ubud has, at least so far, proved to be exactly the place we dreamt about when we, the other day, left Copenhagen soaked in the autumn rain.

We plan to stay in Ubud for two weeks. Perhaps a month. And then we'll probably try to find a small fishing shack somewhere along the coast.


Practicalities:
  • The real market, not the touristy stuff is open from daybreak till 10 am when the tourist market takes over
  • The pavement is very uneven and not exactly well-kept. Bring a torch or best avoid the pavement when it is dark. In the rainy season, part of the concrete might be taken away to make room for the water flow
  • A lovely trek can be found at Campuan Ridge, the trip takes you to the rice paddies and past Warung Bodag Maliah. The cafe makes much-needed cool and refreshing drinks. From there you can either turn around and head back the same way or continue north, the trek is about 8.5 km long.

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