Ubud
From World travel guide
Ubud is a town in central Bali, Indonesia.
Contents |
Understand
Ubud is above all famous as a center of arts and crafts. Half (if not more) of the town seems to consist of artists' workshops and galleries, mostly retailing cheap reproductions for tourists, but there are some gems to be found.
Ubud has been growing rapidly in recent years and the central parts are starting to resemble Kuta a bit too much to some people's liking, but there are still terraced rice fields and quiet village life just a stone's throw away. Due to its location 600 meters above sea level it also enjoys somewhat cooler temperatures than the coast, although the midday sun can still be scorching.
Get in
Ubud is 33 km from Kuta and 10 km from Denpasar.
By bemo
There are regular bemos from Denpasar's Batubulan terminal to Ubud.
By taxi
If you want to take a taxi from southern Bali, it's best to charter the vehicle for a return trip, as otherwise you'll be hit with a 30% fee for going out-of-town. Metered fares one-way not including surcharge are around Rp 50,000 from Denpasar and Rp 100,000 from Kuta.
Get around
Central Ubud can be covered on foot, but you'll need wheels to explore the vicinity.
By bemo
By taxi
While many drivers would be happy to do so, metered taxis from down south are officially not allowed to pick up passengers in Ubud and the local taxi "mafia" will do their best to prevent you from getting in. Local Ubud 'taxis' come in the form of black Kijang cars that can be chartered, look for the circular yellow "E" logo on the windshield certifying them as Ubud Transport Association members. Haggle the price but don't except to pay less than with metered taxi.
See
Do
- Museum Puri Lukisan (Museum of Fine Arts), Jl. Raya Ubud (spot the sign and cross the bridge to enter), [1]. Three buildings showcasing traditional and modern Balinese art. The displays are musty and English labeling is a little spotty, but some of the works, particularly the carvings, are quite amazing. Entrance Rp 20,000.
- Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave), 3 km from Ubud. A popular little excursion from Ubud, the centerpiece here is a cave, whose entrance is an ornately carved demon's mouth. Inside are some fragmentary lingam and yoni (phallus and vagina) statues. Statues stand guard around pools near the entrance and a little path leads to a waterfall, rice fields and some Buddhist stupa fragments.
Buy
- Ubud Market, corner of Monkey Forest Rd and Jl. Raya Ubud. A two-story warren of stalls bursting at the seams with wood carvings, batik shirts, sarongs and anything else a tourist could possibly want as souvenirs. The merchants here haggle with tourists for a living and think nothing of asking for ten times the going price, so try to establish a baseline before you go in and buy.
Eat
- Gayatri Cafe, Monkey Forest Rd. Notionally Indian restaurant serving up both vegetarian and meaty versions of standard Indonesian fare, plus a few oddballs like pizza, from Rp 20,000 up.
- The Soy Bean, Jl. Raya Ubud (next to Casa Luna), tel. +62-361-972294. Synergize your chakras and meditate on your meridians with all sorts of shakes and juices prepared from soy milk and a wacky assortment of ingredients; try the unlikely but tasty banana-vanilla-date-palm sugar "Potassium Kick". Also serves vegetarian "healing food". Drinks Rp 10,000-20,000, pseudoscientific quackery free.
Drink
Sleep
Get out
External links
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