As I mentioned in my previous post, what enticed me to Bali was the apparent tranquility of the rice fields in Ubud, and I was not mistaken. However, the town itself was an absolute marvel as well.
There is no pretence, it is what it is… and you have to adapt if you want to enjoy yourself.
The people of Ubud (and Bali in general) have a knack for carrying things. Everything but the kitchen sink, right?
I love the dominance of nature in and around the built environment, it’s. just. so. lush.
In hindsight, three days would have been more than sufficient mostly because I was travelling alone and staying at a retreat which inevitably made me mute for the entirety of my stay, except for the odd discussion with the hotel staff. In saying that, there is nothing more satisfying whilst travelling than getting to know your destination quite well after 4-5 days… or better yet, getting mistaken for a local. I think my goal each time I travel to a new place isn’t necessarily to experience their culture or see their sites, rather it’s to make the unfamiliar, familiar … in my own time and by my own accord.
I had read someone’s post about a track just off the main strip of Ubud that lead to some rice fields. At the time I felt cheated by the directions given to access the track (as quite honestly I don’t think urban planning is one of Ubud’s strongpoints), but decided to follow it anyway as I had nothing to lose. If I hadn’t, I would have lost out on this… literally what has been pinned up on my vision boards for the last few years. It was all too surreal.
At so many points I felt like Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love (hence the title), just more on the quest to relaxation rather than trying to find myself, and the silence was not by choice… it just happened.
I definitely found (reaffirmed) my appetite.
The lady who owned this small restaurant (about 30 mins out of Ubud) smiled and offered to cook for me as I walked past her doing her laundry. This was me patiently waiting for my Gado Gado.
I replaced the praying with making very good use of the spa facilities…
and found my new love… Ubud.
It just happened to be a complete coincidence that I was staying at the place in which the movie was based off.
As I didn’t speak all that much, I did a lot of listening, particularly to music. My playlist consisted of Rubel, Sade, Bebel Gilberto, Fatoumata Diawara, Josh Rouse, Neil Young, Flight Facilities, some Norah, Sting, early Fleetwood, and a bit of Jack Johnson. These artists mixed with these views… a profound experience.
Once again, terima kasih Ubud 🦋💫
Marcelle Bucher 