Bali Travel Diary : A Day in Ubud
Finally, here's the sequel to our epic, adventure-filled (or lack thereof) tri-island North Cebu trip last year! (Intrigue? Find more about it here, and here, and here. )
We are three long-distance friends who basically met more than ten years ago when our only world was our precious little town of Ibaan, Batangas, Philippines; friends who now have a bit of luxury to travel and have expanded that little world over the time. We are friends who used to be inseparable, but then life threw us oceans across from each other. And that, made this trip more specifically special and exciting. Our yearly ganap, as I want to call it.
I arrived in Bali the night before my friends did, which gave me an ample time to relax and rest a bit. The next morning, they picked me up at my hotel, went straight to Ubud and spent a night there.
Ahhh, Ubud, that famed place from Eat, Pray, Love—where Julia Roberts found herself looking for 'happiness'. We did find happiness, not entirely because of Ubud, but also in the company of each other.
Where we Stayed
Sunrise Villa Bali
They say you cannot leave Bali without at least staying, and experiencing their villas. Perhaps one of the best accommodations I ever stayed in all of my travels. We booked Sunrise Villa via AirBnb for a night. Although it was a bit pricey, the location and charming setting of the villa was indeed worth the price. I mean, swimming in the infinity pool and eating breakfast while gawking at the breathtaking view of the Bali mountains, is really what someone can call a comforting vacation.
Here are some of the photos from their website:
In addition to that, I got to sleep outside at the balcony, woke up early and witness a beautiful sunrise. Hayyy.
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Then of course, their infinity pool that we probably have overused. Haha Although honestly, I was a bit disappointed with the pool. The website advertises it a bit bigger, and a view with no obstruction. Nevertheless, it was still relaxing and quieting.
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Where we Went
Luwak Coffee Plantation
A coffee made out of Poop. Yup, that's what exactly what Luwak coffee is. But of course, not just any kind of poop. Luwak, a small cat-look-alike animal, digests coffee beans. During the digestion, the beans are not digested which in turn becomes their feces after about 24 hours. Farmers would then collect these to be cleaned, dried, pounded, and roasted into coffee. That makes it more expensive than the normal coffee. But it's quite amazing, right?
Apart from the kopi luwak, we also tried a variety of teas which each has its own unique health values.
Honestly, the kopi luwak tasted similarly to our very own kapeng barako. Of course, these Batangueñas would actually know. Haha
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Tegenungan Waterfalls
It's quite rare to find a waterfalls within a village, which happens to be Tegenungan Waterfalls. It is conveniently located in Ubud village, near the town centre. The stairs/path going down is quite steep, especially when you are doing it when the sun is at its highest point, at 12 in the afternoon. Main reason why we didn't bother going closer to the falls. And also, the water and waves were not very tourist-friendly.
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Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave)
When someone says Elephant Cave, I would assume some ginormous cave like an elephant. I am also actually not sure why it is called as such, since you cannot find any elephants around this historical site. This is sacred temple for the Balinese, hence wearing a sarong is a must, which is freely available for the tourists.
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Tirta Empul (Holy Water Temple)
Considered as one of the largest water temple in Bali, this is the most occupied temple amongst all we have visited. Like the first one, visitors are required to wear sarong.
Lies near the entrance of the temple is what they call the 'purification pool'. They believed the waters to have some magical powers that could actually cleanse and purify people. We witnessed a queue of overflowing people, all waiting for their turn for the water spout. If a woman is on her period, then she is not allowed to enter the temple at all.
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Tegalalang Rice Terraces
It still amazes me how people discovered creating rice terraces. Tegalalang is just one of Bali's famous rice terraces. Aside from being a sight to behold, the green scenery is so refreshing to the eyes. Albeit I can proudly say, "Meron din kami sa Pinas nyan". Lol
If you you're staying a week or so in Bali, I would highly recommend staying a few nights in Ubud. It is in Ubud where we learnt a lot about Balinese people, their culture, and their way of life. How they have different types of temple; why there are a lot of offerings everywhere, even on the ground or inside the car; how they have to pray at least five times a day; their concept of reincarnation.
Ubud is definitely the part of Bali which will show a tourist what true Bali culture is.
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