Ubud
“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you've never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.”
By far my favorite place we visited when in Bali. Ubud is a palace of green decorated with rolling rice terraces and intricately designed temples.
Our first day in Ubud, after some minor detours and side street discoveries, we arrived at our home stay. As soon as I walked into the place, it seemed extremely familiar. As I glanced to my left and saw an old man sitting reading palms I realized "This is where they filmed Eat, Pray, Love!". We were then informed that this was Ketut Liyer's home.
After coming to grips with the fact that we were basically Julia Roberts, Autumn and I explored the Ubud Market, which overflowed (not an exaggeration) with handcrafted clothes, books, jewelry and more. After getting some deals and petting way to many dogs, Bali is full of them, Autumn and I relaxed by the pool in our wonderful hotel overlooking a fantastic jungle river.
Our second day, we took the ultimate tour and paid a private driver to take us all around Ubud. We visited the gold, silver, and wood carving villages, the Holy Water temple, Mount Batur, a coffee plantation, the rice terraces, and even got to see the beautiful Balinese traditional dance. Our taxi driver was also the cutest old man who insisted we call him the next time we are in Bali so that he could see us again.
Our third day, we visited the infamous Monkey Forest. The forest was absolutely beautiful and the monkey's were truly an experience. They ruled the forest and had no problem with jumping all over you to see if you had any food to offer.
We ended our trip to Bali in Ubud, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Bali is an amazing island and being here a week, I feel as if I didn't even cut the surface. Some may see that as a disappointment but I see that as an excuse to come back and experience more!
