On the road to ... Ubud

A few posts back I mentioned that my plans to post my favourite photos from 2012 had gone awry. The reason for this was that when I started to review my photos, I realised there were quite a few I still hadn't posted.

One of the images that was foremost in my mind was this Balinese lady picking flowers (marigold and gomphrena). I don't know that they are the greatest of photos, but the subject and the colour palette appealed to me. I think if Monet had ever visited Bali, he would have loved it too.

I spotted the flower gatherer while I was hurtling at breakneck speed between the main tourist drag in Bali and my favourite place, Ubud, up in the hills.  On my two short visits last year, I was based near the beach (Kuta for a work conference, then Sanur for a long weekend), but, on both occasions, my friends and I hired a driver for a day trip and left it in their hands as to what points of interest we stopped at along the way.

When one of the drivers suggested a waterfall,  the one we visited exceeded my expectations. Just lovely!

Many of the villages along the way specialise in a particular craft, and one of the most spectacular is the stone carving. The sculptures are exquisite and made me plot mad schemes involving shipping containers that I didn't go ahead with, but what a fabulous feature any of these would be in the garden.

We called in at a village temple.

This lovely lady was making temple offerings, and I couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

Further along there were shops selling beautiful kites. I'll definitely investigate how these fold up on my next visit. I love the butterfly one!

We saw demonstrations of how batik and ikat fabric is made. The building below is a jeweller/silversmith's shop. The decoration on the building featured ceramic plates.

Another favourite stop was this artists' compound with beautiful orchids in bloom throughout. I didn't actually buy a painting there on the day, but I have bought one nearby each visit and just love them.

A few mad hours of shopping in Ubud, followed by lunch, and the return drive.



A beautifully decorated shrine in the restaurant.



Another tiny shrine with marigolds adorning the deity and a tiny water feature.

Koi at the restaurant 'The Three Monkeys'

A flawless waterlily spotted on our walk.

If you are interested, you can see more of Ubud and the surrounding area by clicking here and a number of other posts (check the labels under 'Bali').

The island of the gods

There are nearly 18,000 island in the Indonesian archipelago. Of all of them, it is Bali that is designated as the island of the gods, and it is not hard to see why. While many are drawn to the beaches and nightlife of Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak, I foolishly resisted the call of Bali for many years thinking that was the extent of the island's charm. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Bali is a place where natural beauty, art, religion, and culture converge, and nowhere is this more so than in its interior and around Ubud, its cultural heart.  I stayed in Ubud when I visited Bali for the first time in 2008 and explored Bali from there. I thought I would share some of the images I brought back with me at the same time as I share some very exciting news. (You will have to scroll down to the end to find out what this is!)

Here are some of my memories of Bali.

The band waiting for their cue, Ubud



Why didn't I find room in my suitcase for one of these?



Holy Spring Temple, Tirta Empul near Ubud

Holy Spring temple Terta Empul

Tirta Empul

An incredible variety of epiphytes at Tirta Empul

Bukit Jambal near Semarapura

More rice paddies in East Bali

Ulan Danu temple on Lake Beratan - Bedugal



Tenganan - a village of the original Balinese people, the Bali Aga

Tenganan

Fighting cocks Tenganan



A river runs through it...East Bali

Ubud markets

Ubud



Making offerings near the Ubud market

Ubud

Honeymoon Guesthouse, Ubud

Carved panel at Honeymoon Guesthouse 

Casa Luna cooking class at Honeymoon Guesthouse where we whipped up local delicacies like lawar, a salad made from ferns and coconut;  gado-gado, vegetables in peanut sauce;  nasi goreng; Balinese satay and eggplant sambal.

Ubud

 

Ubud

Even the streams are filled with antiquities - Goa Gajah not far from Ubud

My hotel room at Hotel Tjampuhan

Restaurant at Hotel Tjampuhan - look at the beautiful carved tree trunk on the left.

Goa Gajah, the Elephant Cave

The bathing pool at Goa Gajah

Candidasa



Nusa Lembongan

Nusa Lembongan

And my news?  I applied for a short term job in Indonesia last year, and after a long silence, I was very excited to discover that I was successful and I am heading not to Bali, but to Jakarta on the neighbouring island of Java next week. That's why I have been so busy doing my chores, mulching the garden, and cleaning out the water feature. It is also why I have been a little remiss in commenting on your blogs and responding to your comments, so apologies for that. 

I can't wait to explore this exciting city and to share it with you.  Stay tuned!!