Holidaying in Ubud, Bali

Posted by Angel

I always go on about Phuket, so here’s something about somewhere different for a change.

Confusion over time zones meant that I had set my watch an hour too far ahead and so we woke up, my girlfriend and I, ridiculously early in the morning and left our hotel in Legian, Bali, just as the sun was rising. There were no touts out to sell us coconuts or henna tattoos or taxi rides; it was just us and the early-morning workers going about their daily business.

We made the effort to rise early with the intention of riding our rented Yamaha Mio motorbike all the way up to Ubud before the morning was through. On the map the journey was only about one inch and all indications were that it should have taken about an hour.

As we set off, the cool breezes of the morning were as refreshing as a splash of iced water. Bali’s infamous throngs of cars were yet to clog up the roads so we had a clear run into the distance. The rest of the island was still sleeping as we were beginning our journey to Ubud.

There was to be no plan; neither of us had much of a clue what we’d find in Ubud, but the journey’s purpose was to give us something to do, an adventure. The route from Legian to Denpasar was straightforward enough and signposts and hunches got us there. The signposts to Ubud were few and far between, so we got into the habit of asking every motorcycle rider we could find within earshot at junctions and traffic lights which way to go.

We drove back and forth, round and round, all over Denpasar until the early morning slipped from our grasp and was replaced by the morning rush. Mostly we just followed the traffic in the hope of coming across one prominent signpost that would lead us from our mazelike hell.

Frustration set in as the roads became unforgiving and our hopes of making it to Ubud seemed dashed. Just as we were wondering if it was even worth continuing with our journey, we took a left turn, dawdled for a moment too long and were stopped by a police officer.

All the police in Bali have moustaches and guns. We were pulled up on some ridiculous charge of having turned left when we should have turned right, but from his sharp rundown of us, the police officer found out that I had no driving license. He took the motorbike’s registration document and fiddled with a notepad and pen while a few kids gathered to watch.

We pleaded dumb and promised we would never be so reckless again, but the officer was keen to write a ticket. He got as far as writing down “Mett” before saying that we’d have to go to court or else pay an on-the-spot fine of 200,000 rupiah. We stood our ground and made up a story about having to leave the next day and that we were students, both very poor, and so had very little money.

Although he wanted to help us, the officer said he couldn’t, taking the registration document and walking back to his position directing traffic. We were left at the side of the road unsure what had just happened. The registration document belonged to a friend who had leant us the motorbike, so we couldn’t leave it there. As we were pondering what to do next, the officer strolled back and said that, just this once, he was going to let us off, but only if we paid 50,000 rupiah. “Of course!” we yelped. The officer awkwardly took our money, shook our hands and wished us well; before we knew it, we were back on the road.

From then on, the journey flowed together effortlessly. We found our way out of Denpasar and the signs pointing to Ubud became more and more frequent until all that was left was one long road, through rice paddies and tiny villages, to Ubud. The air was cool, even though the heat of the rising sun was beating down.

We were only in Bali for a week – a break from our manic lives in Thailand – but our time on the island made a lasting impression punctuated by this trip to Ubud. We were at a crossroads in many ways: after Bali I would be flying to Dili for a new start while my girlfriend was to return to Phuket. We wanted a trip to remember before we parted ways at Denpasar International Airport.

Ubud was the defining point of our vacation. As far as beaches go, Bali has some beautiful spots that make Phuket’s beaches look tame in comparison, but we wanted something more than sun, sea and sand.

We arrived in Ubud, ate lunch and cruised around until we came to the foot of a road leading up a hill that could have gone anywhere. Ever the ill-prepared, we set off on our motorbike to see where the road ended.

It didn’t end. The road carried on and on, snaking and winding and twisting and wrapping itself around shops selling all types of arts and crafts. Further up we reached a spot where there was a valley of rice paddies. The rich, dazzling greens of the paddies gave them a neon appearance with splashes of light as the rays from the sun bounced off the water and shattered into a million pieces.

We stopped to take in the sight of the rice paddies for about half an hour. We carried on up the hill and at some point decided to take a right turn. This part of the journey was the highlight of the trip to Bali. We passed through tiny, grassy villages lined with beautiful houses and temples, untouched by the modern world and reliant on the rice paddies to support themselves.

Every time we came across a group of children they screamed “Hello!” with delirious excitement. We saw no tourists or foreigners and came across no modern conveniences or gift shops or restaurants; we were among the farming community, where life breezes by. We stopped to buy some water and the people there were just amazed to see us.

I could have stayed forever and the sharp contrast between the peaceful village life and the backbreaking days I had spent in Thailand surrounded by clutter and chaos put a lot of things in perspective for me. I hope to return to Ubud some day in the future.

By MC for Education Living