Buzz
It's no coincidence that Ubud, known as the 'spiritual capital' of Bali, Indonesia, is always bustling with boho-clad Westerners, with their tousled hair and month-long stays.
Explore Bali to discover the 'town of wonders'
They find themselves enchanted by this tranquil and humble town, immersed in the simple way of life, where each day flows gracefully amidst lush green fields, mischievous monkeys swinging from the trees, and every artifact bearing the mark of handcrafted artistry. Whether you're feeling as lost and desperate as Liz from 'Eat, Pray, Love,' Bali will help you rediscover love in life.
Rent a scooter and venture away from Kuta
By the time you land at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport, it's already nearing the end of the day. There won't be a direct domestic flight from Ho Chi Minh City until January next year, so for now, you'll have to endure at least two flights, opting for layovers in Kuala Lumpur/Singapore or Bangkok, with a total flight time of nearly 7 hours, not including transit wait times.
Therefore, on the first night, Kuta beach is the most suitable place to stay: only 15 minutes drive from the airport with plenty of affordable accommodations and convenient services for tourists as well as some entertainment options with bars, nightclubs, and dazzling shopping malls open until 10:30 PM.
But don't let Kuta tempt you for more than one night, because the central Legian area is no different from any tourist hub in any major city in the region: reminiscent of Bangkok's Khaosan or Ho Chi Minh City's Bui Vien. These areas are lively, but lack authenticity.
Have a good night's sleep and wake up early the next morning, rent a scooter for around 50,000 IDR per day (about 85,000 VND), fill up the gas tank (gas is very cheap, just like bottled water), and head south - to Ubud.
The town of wonders
Find a map, we hopped on a scooter and left Kuta for Ubud. However, because Bali is so large, the paper map is not detailed enough with small turns. After an hour, we realized we had veered eastward, meaning we took the wide arc instead of the straight road. Later, we learned a trick: Open Google Maps in Directions mode to mark the destination when there is Wi-Fi, then turn on GPS to track the route along the way.
But there's nothing to regret, because the winding road took us through Gianyar. Along the way, craft villages are like living museums, with sections reminiscent of the road to Hoi An (Quang Nam), crossing Non Nuoc (Da Nang). The successive stone workshops on both sides of the road with hundreds of stone statues of various sizes, mainly Hindu deities, carvings in Balinese style. After the stone village is the wood village with giant statue gardens - in African style, bustling with Hindu mythical creatures in various poses. Never have I enjoyed my 'lost journey' so much!
I felt like I had arrived in Ubud when the wheels rolled a few meters and I had to 'wow' in admiration once again. At first, I thought I had stumbled upon a temple complex, but then I realized, these were centuries-old houses, with small shrines inside. The town felt cozy in its faded red brick. The thatched roof houses with intricately carved spires peeking through narrow door frames, rising above the surrounding walls. It immediately piqued my curiosity about the grand families living behind those door frames, in the ancestral homes built hundreds of years ago.
The central area of Ubud exudes the atmosphere of a mountain town, with narrow, sloping streets. On either side of the road, nestled between ancient houses, are small, inviting cafes that lead straight to rice fields behind; stores selling spices, essential oils, and handmade soap; boho-style clothing shops adorned with Batik patterns. There's hardly any traffic noise here, as most tourists stay in accommodations within the town.
A 10-minute drive from central Ubud on winding mountain roads, we found Angsoka Bungalow, a small guesthouse overlooking the lush mountain slopes. I booked out of curiosity about the 9.0 rating and the praise for the location, along with the warmth of Putu - the manager, despite this being a small 4-room guesthouse with an affordable price of around 350,000 VND per night.
Angsoka was built on the backyard of a traditional Balinese house owned by a renowned local healer. In the evenings, many villagers gather at his house for meditation or to practice musical instruments for an upcoming festival.
Houses in Bali are not for sale. Like other ancient houses in the region, these are the ancestral homes passed down through generations. Their spirits are worshiped in the family shrine, outside of which is a space for performing rituals. The main house is reserved for the head of the family. The eldest son stays in a smaller separate house, and another space is designated for the remaining family members. Daughters will marry and eventually only the sons will remain, continuing to build families, have children, and a new generation will inherit the house.
Putu is the grandson of the owner, entrusted with managing the guesthouse. This young man in his early twenties with his Jamaican-style braided hair has spent many years working on Costa cruise ships - Italy's oldest cruise line in the world. This is also a popular choice for Balinese men as large shipping companies often recruit sailors here with attractive incomes. This has made the appearance of young people here quite different from previous generations: fluent in English, knowledgeable about the tourism industry, and welcoming to guests from all over the world.
The endless stories of Putu
Putu became our 'Sheherazade' with a thousand and one stories about Bali. After a day of wandering the roads, we sat with him on the balcony overlooking the mountainside, with bottles of Bintang beer, a bit of traditional Balinese Arak with 'snacks' of dried bananas brought from Vietnam until 2-3 AM, when the mist soaked bodies finally rested.
Questions about the three-times-a-day ritual offerings with rice, water, flowers, and fruits led us back in time to the 16th century, when Putu's ancestors - loyal to the Majapahit royalty migrated to Bali after being displaced by Muslim immigrants from Java, ending three centuries of dominance over the Southeast Asian archipelagos covering Indonesia, Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei... That historical tragedy stemmed from a tragic love story similar to Layla and Majnun, where the Prince of the peaceful dynasty following Buddhist - Hinduism fell in love with a Muslim girl, converted, and later overthrew his own father.
These historical connections persist to this day, as Bali's population still engages in various trades, such as Putu's ancestors specializing in blacksmithing. And Bali's minority still fights to preserve their religion - beliefs, cultural heritage based on its unique nature in a country ruled by the Muslim majority. They oppose the idea of building artificial islands like Dubai because it could kill Bali's pristine nature, or firmly reject the government's request to convert hotels to Islamic models to attract wealthy Arab tourists.
The belief that nature, all creatures, and humans are formed from the same 'cosmic seed,' Balinese treat trees, grass, or monkeys with utmost reverence. Houses are not allowed to be taller than coconut trees. Rituals are performed before cutting down a tree; farmers leave their sandals before stepping onto their fields; or fruits are left on outdoor altars for monkeys to freely take.
Therefore, despite being the largest tourist destination in Southeast Asia, Bali is not overshadowed by commercialism. Ubud's art market still retains its local character with billions of handicrafts, so cheap that you can buy them at any price, as long as you are brave enough to bargain: handmade quilts for a few hundred dong, wood carvings as large as surfboards for less than a hundred dong, or unique colorful musical instruments for only tens of thousands of dong.
Finding the Balance Again
As I concluded my Bali exploration journey, I realized the reason people come to Bali to rediscover happiness is because the way of life here helps individuals find their rightful place amidst the harmony of nature and social relationships.
Modern life often makes us lose sight of our role in the world. We easily become arrogant with success, as well as quickly crumble in the face of failure or get crushed by pressures. But here, witnessing people being grateful for a grain of rice, a tree, a stream; giving each other smiles instead of hatred; discovering how humans coexist with each other, with nature and all things, suddenly, happiness seems so simple, attainable without competition or calculation.
According to Zing News
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Source: Mytour Travel Handbook
MytourJuly 1, 2016
