Ubud is a town in the middle of the island of Bali. The area is around two to three hundred meters above sea level and surrounded by rice fields, which makes it much cooler than then other tourist places of Bali. For more than a century, it has been the island for fine arts, music and dance. Ubud is a stunningly beautiful place.
In Ubud there are no loud night clubs, no naughty bars and most restaurants and pubs close by 11 pm. There are not any clubs or discos for partying and dancing and there are hardly any bars. You will be able to get some drinks at cafes or restaurants, and if you are staying in a big hotel there will probably be a bar in the lobby.
Ubud has incredible places to eat. Those on a budget can find the local warungs, although they are fast being replaced by more upscale restaurants.
Ubud Market is a two story warren of stalls bursting at the seams with wood carvings, sarongs, batik shirts, and anything else a tourist could possibly want. The merchants here haggle with tourists for a living. The Ubud Market is strategically located where two of the citys main roads cross. It is a multileveled market with lots of stairs with stalls and boutiques overlapping each other. It felt like a large maze.
The Elephant Cave, discovered by a farmer in 1923, is now a temple that dates back to the 11th century. Worshippers likely purified themselves in the rectangular bathing pools in front, where water spouts from jars held by six stone nymphs. Visitors enter through the mouth of a menacing demon face. Inside, you will see a statue of Ganesha, the elephant headed god, as well as three lingams and three yoni. The cave is in a valley outside Ubud and near the town of Bedulu.
Most of the Bali museums and galleries are centred in Ubud, but culture and history rich Bali is peppered with museums and galleries. These museums and galleries offer paintings, woodcarvings, textiles and all kinds of souvenirs for viewing and also purchase. Puri Lukisan Museum in centre of Ubud. Is a small town that is famous for its many cultural activities including numerous and music and dance shows and shops for traditional handicrafts and art galleries.
Throughout the area, you can pick up inexpensive small paintings. Other crafts in the surrounding towns include weaving Gianyar area, stone carving Batubulan, basket making Bona.
Sabung Ayam
Steve Lansing: Bali’s water temples
Steve Lansing, a senior fellow at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, discusses the Byzantine system for the distribution of water from a volcanic lake in Bali to over two hundred farming villages. It’s worked since the 12th century, it’s egalitarian and it’s still-sustainable. “It’s one of the few functioning, ancient democratic institutions that we know about. It’s kind of beautiful.”