bali bliss

stealth ninja

temple in ubud

laurel says:

eat, pray, l-o-v-e bali.  prior to our trip here, my conception of bali was a techno party scene full of drunken australians.  the austral-asia version of cancun.  on the contrary, ubud is a zen paradise.  many an expat has come for a week and stayed for a lifetime.  and it is easy to see why.  gorgeous resorts set amid working rice terraces.  organic restaurants where one can be vegan, gluten free, raw or a host of other yet to be named diet fads (we felt like amateurs being “only” pescetarians).  and spas by the dozen where a heavenly hour long balinese massage will set you back all of $10.  we had to extend our stay. we went trekking thru the rice paddies, learning about the process of growing rice along the way.  we attended yoga classes at the infamous yoga barn.  i even managed to drag emil to a cultural balinese dance performance and a textile class on the traditional fabrics of indonesia.   and he managed to drag me to a cooking school (touché!).  one of the highlights of the trip was motoring thru town on a pink scooter stalking down all the various sets from the eat, pray, love movie (both the book and movie are set in ubud and feature real people).   eat prey love, or ”epl” as the locals call it, has brought a steady stream of tourists to ubud looking for 'self-fulfillment’.  but despite the growing surge in popularity, ubud and its people have maintained their original culture.  men in sarongs sit and sip tea, oblivious to the changing world around them.  women walk around carrying giant baskets of goods on their heads. daily handmade hindu offerings dot the sidewalks despite all the foot traffic.  and everyone you meet has a genuine smile on their face, just happy to be healthy and surrounded by family.    

even buddha needs protection

emil survived 2 hours of balinese dancing

walking thru the rice paddies

ducks gardening the rice paddies

aloha from ubud

iron chef wolmut at work

emil says:

if anyone out there has a desire to just ‘escape’ for a few months this might be the place: yoga all over, mediation guides, super cheap and fantastic food, a small walkable town dotted with zen-cafes in which one knows true enlightenment is being discovered over every buddha bliss lemongrass honey and ginger elixir.  and continuous 2hr flights to Singapore if one needed to return to civilization in a hurry.  i know we will make our way back here one day. the food alone is worth the trip, but the kindness of the balinese and the serene topography (rice paddies, 7k ft mountains, jungles, and just looking out your bedroom window) are enlightening in and of themselves.   but on the other hand there is a ridiculously laughable side to the ‘enlightenment seekers’ that abound (and that draw me even closer to this place). pop-culture, via the ‘eat, pray, love’ book/movie, has surely added a “bali-wood” spin to this place.  julia roberts finds enlightenment via javier bardem’s gentle touch, and alas there are droves of divorcees at the numerous cafes seeking a bit of the same good fortune.  the local yoga spot is overwhelmed by expats with refillable aluminum bottles paying san francisco type prices for the same classes they could have at home with lesser crowds. this video that my buddy rob pointed me too (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-8IPDR4Khc) probably best describes the scene at yoga barn. i am not mocking those that are trying to find themselves in ubud i’m just mocking the fact that pop-culture somehow drove those seekers to seemingly this one place.  and the characters it attracts make for some great people watching. anyone could go find a tree by the river in some remote village outside of tibet to get away and seek the truth but for me it’s a lot more fun being surrounded by the same goal seekers teaching me their new version of ‘dog over barking moon’ poses. if one wants to really get off the grid there are far more off the run spots than ubud, but i challenge you to find a place where you can ‘escape’, with gourmet food, in a stunning setting, surrounded by kind people, and just a great hippie/yogi ex-pat community. 

streets of ubud

one man's take on "eat, pray, love"

christmas in bali

blogging bali style

ketut's compound from epl

rice terraces

our fave restaurant in the middle of a rice paddy

emil riding his pink hog