Munduk:
We took a three-hour private car service north from Ubud up to Munduk, which only set us back $30 bucks.
Munduk is a remote town tucked away in the mountains of northern Bali, surrounded by endless rice fields and spice plantations. Because of the elevation, it’s slightly cooler and a hell of a lot less humid than the other parts of Bali we’ve visited so far. It’s a beautifully relaxed, scenic place, and the waterfall hikes here are world-class. Just north of town, you’ve got the Tanah Barak and Melanting waterfalls. Hiking out to them takes you right through local villages and vibrant green rice fields—it’s incredibly scenic.
Grandma Can Cook Her Ass Off
We stayed at the low budget Aditya Guesthouse with a local Balinese family. It was a great experience. We ended up eating most of our meals right there at the guesthouse. The grandmother runs the kitchen and cooks up a full range of traditional, home-cooked meals. Man, can she cook her ass off! Everything she made was absolutely delicious.
The best thing about the food here—and really all of Bali—is that everything is prepared with naturally and locally grown vegetables, with absolutely none of the nasty preservatives. I can actually feel myself shedding weight and getting leaner just from eating high-quality food with all-natural ingredients. The wild thing is, I think I’m eating the exact same amount of food as usual, if not more. Every single bite is just bursting with flavor.
To beat the heat, every single warung and restaurant out here serves a full lineup of ice-blended fruit drinks. Barbie and I have been guzzling these things all day long to cool off.
Again, all the fruit is grown locally and tastes incredible. The stuff I buy back home in Vegas is a complete joke by comparison—it tastes like absolutely nothing, probably because of all the hormones and chemical fertilizers they pump into the produce back home. Out here, you’re tasting real fruit.
Aside from eating Grandma’s cooking at our guesthouse, we also found some excellent home-cooked meals paired with fantastic mountain views at Don Biyu and Karang Sari Guesthouse.
The Munduk Verdict
Munduk was a good stop. Whatever little stress or nonsense you might have on your mind completely evaporates the second you start hanging out in this remote, hyper-mellow town. It is the ultimate place to just sit back, slow down, and watch the world go by.
- Top Restaurants: Aditya Homestay, Don Biyu, Karang Sari Guesthouse
- Loose Stools Index: 6.
A bit of a dip, but that’s the price of admission for real-deal home cooking!
Big Doug & Barbie Drop Out of Society 