It was an easy 1.5 hr. drive from Bingin Beach on the Bukit Peninsula to get to Ubud. The last time I visited Ubud was about 10 years ago and it was a real popular destination and it currently is so much more built up. It is really green and the cultural heart of Bali and popular for a good reason. The pace of life in Ubud is a sharp contrast to the chaos in the south of the island. Many people spend their days here taking yoga classes, relaxing in the town’s really funky and cool cafes, taking the occasional stroll through the surrounding ricefields and getting pampered in the many spas. It appeared that every other storefront is some sort of spa where you can get full range of super cheap massage treatments. (A 1 hr. Balinese massage is about $8 US). We are taking full advantage of this sweet deal.
The most popular thing to do is visit The Monkey Forest Sanctuary. This is not a zoo. It is a place where hundreds of monkeys just roam completely free thru the forest and temples. It’s so much fun to watch them play, fight and just interact with humans….a real trip. You can buy bananas to feed them. You look in these guys eyes and they are like human beings. Barbie loves animals and told me this was the best day of her life. She was like a kid in a candy store. When it was time to leave she was kicking and screaming. Looks like we are going back to play with the monkeys today.
Restaurants: Murni’s Warung, Cafe Wayan, Bebek Bengil, Nomad’s, Clear Cafe, Kafe, Sari Organik, Semesta Warung, Tropical View Cafe, Seniman Coffee.
(Did not make it to the highly rated Locavore as they were all booked)
BEACHES VISITED –
None in Ubud as it is in the center of Bali with no beaches. Just rivers running thru the forests.
LOOSE STOOLS INDEX – 3 (but progressively getting more solid and has moved to a 5)
THRU THE BINOCS –
They have ‘bun guns’ in most bathrooms in Bali. They are basically short hoses attached to the toilet that you can use to spray your butt post crap. It is basically their version of a bidet but much more efficient and user friendly. It’s a very ‘green’ initiative as you really do not need toilet paper. Cannot understand why these ‘bun guns’ are not more prevalent in the U.S.
Big Doug & Barbie Drop Out of Society 