Linda Garland’s house in Nyuhkuning Bali

Cafe Lotus and an arak madu set me off in a wonderful mood. Checking my guide book I wanted to see what was going on in a quiet corner of Ubud called Nyuhkuning. This village is located at the bottom end of the Monkey Forest and can also be accessed by heading down Jl. Hanuman, continuing straight and taking a right turn. Nyuhkuning is known for its woodcarving and one of the places I wanted to see was the Widya Kusuma Woodcarving Museum.

Wasting no time at all and with arak madu flowing through my veins I shot down lanes looking for this place. Unable to find it, I reached a main road and doubled back. Locals told me I was close, but I saw no signs. Right before I headed back into Ubud I got a wild hair and decided to gun it down a narrow lane. With no idea what I could find at the end I accelerated and the lane became 2 cement tracks, which in turn became a dirt track. Locals were scattering as I flew by and after 100 meters this track ended at gateway. ‘So this is the end of the road’ I thought, ‘but that looks like a wonderful house’. Strolling in I saw a bamboo house extending laterally, with workers adding a patio. On the back side an unspoilt valley sat, steaming in the tropical heat. Wandering inside the house, which was open plan, I saw giant furniture and carved ornaments.

Snapping away my camera led me to the office, were an older western lady sat wrapped in a sarong. “Can I help you?” she said. I explained how I got there and commented that she has an awesome place. She handed me a card that said ‘Experimental Bamboo Foundation – Linda Garland, President’. The place was a hotel and had 5 private villas down in the valley. The part I was looking at was only the lounge! Asking the price of a villa rental, she told me to check the website, which I did when I got home. The website quoted no prices, but said ‘rates available upon request’. I think we’re going round in circles a bit, but the place is great from what I saw. I’d love to to rent it for a weekend and have a wild party!

One of the features I noticed was the giant bamboo growing in front of the house. Linda Garland is very well known in Bali and it was pure chance that I met her. Once again, I was amazed what I found down the end of a road, just because I wanted to explore. Getting your own transport gives you the freedom to seek out places like this all over Bali.