Ubud is in Bali, which is a province in Indonesia. A little more background….Indonesia is about 17,000 islands with many varied cultures, traditions, and histories. Indonesia became a sovereign nation in 1945 after about 300 years of occupation by the Dutch. With all its diversity, the country’s sense of unity is a source of national pride. Still, it’s difficult to manage across 17,000 islands and, probably as a result, the capital of Jakarta and its province, Java, have a disproportionate share of the goodies. This sometimes rattles some of the people on the 17,000 other islands.
But Bali is probably not rattled. It is doing quite well thanks to the 5 million tourists who annually visit its beaches and the charming city of Ubud. I’m in Ubud this week. It’s off-season but it’s busy! I can only imagine what it must be like when 20,000 more twenty-somethings roll into town.
Ubud has a long history as a center of spirituality and the arts, and it became a major tourist destination about 50 years ago. A lot has happened since then. In addition to the city’s many temples and art venues, Ubud is full of gorgeous small hotels, boutiques, museums, craft shops, and every kind of restaurant, coffee house and bar. The city has become famous for its yoga courses, meditation centers, spa treatments, “wellness” programs, and everything else you can imagine for your spiritual growth.
Would I come here to pursue spiritual growth? Probably not. There are too many distractions.
Still, Ubud is a place to indulge in religious traditions and the country’s rich cultural history. The temples are beautiful, very connected to the community, and they are on almost every street corner. Most are Hindu but, like Java, Bali blends its Hinduism with some Buddhism. Unlike most of Indonesia, Bali is not mostly Muslim, although there is a significant Muslim community here.
Today was the celebration of the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, so I went to a ceremony at a local school where hundreds of children were dressed in traditional sarongs and headdress (and sat for three hours in the heat without rioting). A group of them performed a traditional dance before the priest led a prayer.
The museums here reveal a lot about Indonesian culture (remember the “love” in not-my-favorite-book Eat Pray Love was a reference to Bali). The two major art museums, the Agung Rai and the Puri Lukisan, display works that span hundreds of years. Almost every painting and sculpture depicts everyday people and nature, sometimes with gods. Unlike a lot of traditional European and US art, almost none of the art in these museums depicts war or displays of wealth or portraits of the elite.
In addition to having an extensive art collection, the Agung Rai museum is a cultural center and resort. It hosts traditional dances and plays in the evenings and provides space for local artists. In the museum’s gardens, a gamelan player taught me how to play a duet with him. Gamelan, which sounds like soft gongs, is Bali’s signature sound. You can hear it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y2EspwT45g.
All this in three days even though I’m pacing myself because of the heat and humidity. And there is a lot more to explore.
I didn’t expect to be crazy about Ubud because it is so touristed. But, as some one said, “there’s a reason there are so many tourists.”
Camino Milagro 
Thanks Kim, such a nice reminder of the beauty and simplicity that also inhabit this world we live!
It’s true! Traveling puts a lot in perspective!
A dear friend of ours lives in Ubud… I know you would like her. She worked in the UN for years and was our neighbor in South Africa. Let me know if you would like a local connection or just someone interesting to have coffee with!
A dear friend of ours lives in Ubud… I know you would like her. She worked in the UN for years and was our neighbor in South Africa. Let me know if you would like a local connection or just someone interesting to have coffee with!
A dear friend of ours lives in Ubud… I know you would like her. She worked in the UN for years and was our neighbor in South Africa. Let me know if you would like a local connection or just someone interesting to have coffee with!
Yes please! Send to signal! Thank you, I would love to have the connection.
One of the many reasons I enjoy your blog is that I almost always learn something new from them. This one I found particularly informative and interesting… so thanks for putting the effort out to write, assemble and submit these posts.
And the pictures are simply marvelous! You have so much “skillage” in photography Kim!!!
Thank you Vic! I actually wondered whether it was too much Wikipedia-style information, so I’m glad to know you like the background.
I’m so glad to ‘hang around’ with you, experiencing these different cultures without hassle, heat, rain, or…
Cheers,
C
And yes, there is plenty of all of that here, but worth it!
What a rich culture! Their blend of religions shows what is possible. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos, especially the one of the girl dressed in a traditional sarong and headdress 🙂
The little girls at that ceremony were so interested in me. At least a dozen of them approached me and spoke English. This is unusual in my experience. Children in some cultures seem a little leery of someone they know isn’t exactly part of the tribe.
Ha, ha!! Of course, being there is unbeatable! These memories, smells, joys, hassles and whatevers will remain in your mind forever.
🙂
Oh, Kim how wonderful it is to read about your impressions of beautiful Bali! Gary and I won a free flight there in 1990–we fell in love with the beauty of the Balinese people and culture —and the sounds of the gamelon every day. Gary studied woodcarving (specifically masks) in the village known for its woodworkers and I painted; we did a side trip to a tiny island (Lambocken— something like that) and Gary celebrated his 52nd birthday there. The people were so kind and presented him with the traditional birthday cake: a rice pyramid). There were not the number of tourists there then that you are describing. We were lucky.
Hi Sher! What a wonderful bunch of memories you have. This seems to be one of those magic places like San Miguel (but nothing compares to San Miguel exactly of course!)
Oh, Kim how wonderful it is to read about your impressions of beautiful Bali! Gary and I won a free flight there in 1990–we fell in love with the beauty of the Balinese people and culture —and the sounds of the gamelon every day. Gary studied woodcarving (specifically masks) in the village known for its woodworkers and I painted; we did a side trip to a tiny island (Lambocken— something like that) and Gary celebrated his 52nd birthday there. The people were so kind and presented him with the traditional birthday cake: a rice pyramid). There were not the number of tourists there then that you are describing. We were lucky.
Oh, Kim how wonderful it is to read about your impressions of beautiful Bali! Gary and I won a free flight there in 1990–we fell in love with the beauty of the Balinese people and culture —and the sounds of the gamelon every day. Gary studied woodcarving (specifically masks) in the village known for its woodworkers and I painted; we did a side trip to a tiny island (Lambocken— something like that) and Gary celebrated his 52nd birthday there. The people were so kind and presented him with the traditional birthday cake: a rice pyramid). There were not the number of tourists there then that you are describing. We were lucky.
S
Somehow, I wasn’t able to leave a comment, but hoping this works. I’m enjoying your postings, Kim. What a trip you’re having!
Yes it published! WordPress is very glitchy at times. Missing my Chorlitos dinners with yall
I miss all of your Aurora Books posts so have looked up your blog again. I also miss YOU. Glad you are back to your travels. Weighing our options….Malta?
Not sure whether I told you I gave the bookstore to the Writers Conference organization. It was a pleasure but responsibility! Never been to Malta but I’d love to know more about it.