Ubud

Ubud is an interesting place. It's a fairly large area consisting of about 18 little villages that have collectively been designated as the community of Ubud. It's the art/culture capital of Bali. Here can be found all sorts of painting shops where you can find any kind of painting you like. I talked to one gallery proprietor, and he told me that he was a member of a group of about 20 artists that all put their work into that one gallery. I assume that they took turns manning the gallery, and then the rest would be off either painting or resting and gaining new insight.

Walking through town yields all kinds of interesting sights. Temples are everywhere. There are public temples. There are also temples that are in private residences. I was told by a guide on a bike tour that many people in the area are Hindu, and part of the Hindu practice is to maintain a temple in the private residence for religious observance. Every day an offering is made. Most days this is only pieces of banana leaf with a bit of rice on them. These are left in significant places in the home. At certain times of the year, though, the offerings get more elaborate, with flowers and more elaborate presentations that consist of little boxes woven of banana leaf. And a couple of times a year, there are really big observances. During these times, the people make large offerings to be taken to the main temples of the town. (Some of this is pictured in the entry for the bike ride through the Ubud area.)

In addition to the temples, there are the rice fields that are in the town area.

Craft shops abound. So do wood-carving shops and other souvenir places.

And some of the restaurants were interesting as well. I found a good Mexican restaurant, as well as one of the famous local spots, the Dirty Duck Diner. I was told that it was a good place to eat. I went there for dinner the first night I was in town. It was indeed good. I had the house speciality, not surprisingly, duck. It was marinated and cooked in Indonesian spices and then fried to finish it off. It was quite tasty. And somewhat expensive. So I only ate there the first night. The Dirty Duck is also among a bunch of rice fields. The come right up into the middle of the restaurant area. It creates a nice ambience.

Yes, Ubud is an interesting little town.