For more information see the main Ubud page.
The majority of visitors to Bali simply adore going to the markets because of the great shopping bargains, the enjoyment of walking around the stalls seeing almost the same product in each stall, getting hassled by stall-owners to but their goods, and in general, the sheer delight in bargaining the price of the product you want to buy whether it be a sarung or one of those trashy ‘Fuck the Terrorists’ T-Shirts or even a bedspread. The list goes on. In Kuta, everybody heads down to the Kuta Art Market albeit smaller now after Kuta Square was built and in doing so reduced the once large market into a few alleyways of choc-a-bloc terror, a nightmare for those first timers to Bali. The crowded and dusty-dry market in Denpasar is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is all part of the joy of market mania.
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Ubud is, without a doubt, the cultural heart of Bali and it is here you will find some of the best art galleries and museums on the island. Getting from one museum to another or gallery is as easy as taking a walk, or if you prefer, hiring a taxi. For the energetic and healthy person try hiring a pushbike and take in the cool and fresh mountain air. One of the villages that make up the Ubud area is Peliatan and it is here you will find the Rudana Museum. First established in 1995, the fine arts museum’s aim is to provide an outstanding collection of paintings for the public to see and enjoy. The museum houses a beautiful collection of artwork covering the social history of the nation. There are three floors of spell-binding artwork to explore and enjoy.
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There is one thing that I encourage all visitors to Bali to do is witness a cremation. Culturally and spiritually inspirational, Balinese cremations are a colourful and, depending on the caste level, an extravaganza to rival any funeral in the world. Naturally, over the decades I have seen many but I was fortunate in the late 80’s to see preparations and then the whole funeral procession and subsequent cremation of a person of Brahma lineage. Respect for and worship of God and ancestors is the basis of the Balinese religion. The combination of Hindu elements makes the whole process a moving experience and one that is not to be missed.
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Numerous foreign artists have made Bali their home and created their own themes and styles in painting the Balinese and their culture and religion. Bali became an artist enclave for avant-garde artists such as Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet, Arie Smit and the most famous being Adrien-Jean Le Mayeur who married Ni Pollock, a renowned legong dancer. The 1920’s saw an artistic flurry on the island and the Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias noted that local paintings served primarily religious or ceremonial functions. Han Snel was another of these foreign artists to grace the shores of Bali. Han Snel was born in 1925 in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands. After his arrival in 1946 with the Dutch military forces he was immediately tasked with fighting Japanese troops and the newly born army of the Republic of Indonesia. As most visiting artists do, Snel immediately fell in love with the island. Like Mayeur, he married a local girl and subsequently applied for Indonesian citizenship and embraced Balinese Hinduism. In Ubud there is an exhibition of Han Snel’s paintings that most visitors who have a penchant for art will like to see.
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Art and orangutans don’t appear to have much in common. However, for internationally recognized artist Jason Monet, conservation of the threatened primate starts with bamboo. According to the Bali-based artist, the more the arts, architecture and just about everything else from food to furniture uses bamboo, the longer orangutans on Sumatra and Kalimantan will have a home. Jason has been working with bamboo for the past two years, using it for his sculptures and to frame his paintings.
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I have seen just about all there is to see on the island of Bali, know about a lot of the great places to eat and hotels, but I have to admit after reading an article today that I have never heard of or even seen the Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel. Apparently the hotel & resort has just won the 2008 ASEAN Energy Award for an energy efficient building in the tropical category. This makes the hotel an excellent place to stay for those visitors who are eco-conscious in their choice of hotels. The award was won by the Ubud Hanging Gardens Hotel because it an excellent example of how developers have not destroyed the environment to establish a tourist resort. So, I had a look at their website and truly, this is a magnificent place and worthy of the award. It has38 luxury private pool villas, each with a heated private infinity plunge pool set high in the rice terraces overlooking the Ayung River. This is definitely one of those places where you can relax and soak up the peace and harmony of nature without the howling madness of the heavily-touristed area that is the Kuta Strip.
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Bali’s major arts and culture centre, Ubud has developed a large tourism industry and is located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the island’s central foothills. The town sits centrally among a group of villages - Padang Tegal and Nyuhkuning are to the south, Peliatan and Kutuh are to the east, Campuhan, Penestenan and Sayan are to the west and Sanggingan and Kedewatan are to the north-west. There is an abundance of accommodation to suit any budget, but if you can afford to lash out a few extra bucks then there are some great value-for-money resort villas in the area. Slightly out of town is Penestenan, you will find the Waka Namya Resort and Spa - a luxury Balinese architecture with a beautiful spa treatment available for every guest staying there.
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The Indonesian archipelago occupies an esteemed place in the world of textiles. Peoples of this vast chain of islands use a wide variety of woven, embroidered and resist-dyed techniques to prepare fabrics of great ingenuity and beauty. – Indonesian Textiles: Michael Hitchcock .
More and more traditional textiles and their ritual use are disappearing, becoming endangered if you like, across the archipelago. Unless practices are handed down through generations then indeed their fate is cast. However, there is a couple, Jean and William Ingram, who have lived in Bali full-time since 1993, and now reside in Ubud who have forged a unique co-operation with Yayasan Pecinta Budaya Bebali in order to have these natural-dyed and handmade ritual textiles and their production survive. Threads of Life can be found in the centre of Ubud and is a place highly recommended for those lovers of Indonesian textiles. You can purchase textiles on the premises, watch the various techniques in the processing, or even get involved and sign up for one of the participation classes. The two hour class is an Introduction to Indonesian Textiles and the three hour class is an introduction to textiles and their use in Indonesian Culture.
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As most tourists who have visited Bali and travelled to Ubud will know, there are a prolific amount of galleries and one of the most famous being the Neka Gallery, amongst others. A stroll around the side streets and gangs will provide you with the opportunity to visit other fine art galleries. When we think of art it is, more often than not, associated with paintings. But, in Ubud there are galleries that sell other artistic items such as wood carvings, jewellery, stone carvings and silver products. One such gallery for silver items is Studio Perak. This magnificent place also specialises in silver-smithing courses.
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I don’t get much of a chance to get up to Ubud as I am usually bypassing it on my way to other parts of the island, but when I do it is usually to Casa Luna or my all-time favourite, Kafe Batan Waru. Ubud is one of those places where you need a week or so to explore everything – the galleries, museums, coffee shops, and of course the restaurants and warungs. I was reading a restaurant review recently about a restaurant that has achieved great notoriety, the Delicat Restaurant.
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