Today was one of the days we were most excited for. We had heard so many good things about Ubud from the locals, so we wanted to maximize our day there. For us, that meant waking up at 4:00am, and leaving the hotel at 4:30am. The night before, we had decided to get ourselves a driver for the day, because after talking to Kate's family, we found out it would be way more convenient, and cheaper than just taking Gojeks (basically Uber). For the day, it cost 25 USD to have a driver. So incredibly cheap. That's when it finally started to make sense as to why so many people had drivers and helpers around the house in the places we were visiting. Labor is so cheap that it makes sense to have help, just to save time so that you yourself can work. Anyway, our driver came and picked us up at 4:30, marking the beginning of our rural journey to Ubud.
In the car ride there, we immediately passed out, and slept until we arrived at our first stop, a rice field view point in rural Ubud. Honestly, the rice fields are nice, but I would recommend just going about your day in Ubud, as they are EVERYWHERE and you don't need a specific spot to see them. I did get some nice photos though!
Also, please note the dude in the tree. Wild.
After we had decided we did everything there was to do, we headed to our next destination, a beautiful hike heading up to a mountain village. This was the main reason we decided to leave on this adventure so early, we wanted the hike and the scenery to ourselves.
The road there was around 30 minutes long, but we were able to see some scenery on the way there! Honestly, all of Ubud is gorgeous. even just driving through is a real treat.
Upon arrival, we thanked our previous selves for leaving early, as there was absolutely no one to be seen. The beginning of the trailhead was stunning, with trees and temples on either side. It felt as though we had been transported to Bali 100 years ago. As we climbed higher and higher, the views only became more awe-inspiring.
As we seemed to be nearing the top of the peak, we were sure that the beauty would end there. little did we know that this was far from the truth. Once we reached the top of the mountain, the forested hill gradually changed into a quaint little hilltop town. We were starving, so this was a welcome surprise.
Here's what the village looked like!
We walked through the village, and eventually decided to stop at a hillside restaurant for a quick meal.
The food was great! The coconut was cold and refreshing after the long hike, and not to mention, absolutely huge. Definitely the biggest one of the trip so far. The chicken was sweet, spicy, and had a nice charred flavor. With the sambal and the rice, it became an incredibly satisfying meal. It was so cheap as well! Around 3 USD. After eating, and admiring the precarious bathroom set up, we hiked back down, passing by the mobs of tourists that had woken up later than us.
Our next destination was the monkey park! It was around a thirty minute drive, and once again, we took that time to regain a bit of our lost sleep. The Monkey park was beautiful, the only sad part being the temple was under construction while we were there. Also, please remember that these monkeys are menaces. They will steal your things, and throw things at you for entertainment.
I think the last video is my favorite thing I captured, because it was like Monkey WWE. Watching the monkeys play was honestly the most fun bit of the park. There are also four main monkey "factions" that live in the park, and they each control a different section of the park. While we were in the park, Bryan and I witnessed (and were accidentally part of) two different border skirmishes. There are some very intense monkey turf wars, and what looks a lot like monkey gang violence. Humans and monkeys are quite similar in that way.
After leaving the forest, we were in desperate need of a pick me up. We asked our driver if he knew a coffee place nearby, and it turns out he did. He took us to a farm that grew their own coffee and also made luwak coffee, a drink brewed from the digested and fermented coffee beans excreted by a luwak, a small cat like animal. Luwak coffee is incredibly expensive, but when we arrived, the woman there gave us coffee and a tour for free, explaining the myriad different fruits they grew on the farm, and walking us through the process of getting the coffee ready to drink (which in the traditional balinese way is made into a powder much like instant coffee).
Honestly, the luwak coffee wasn't my favorite, as it was incredibly earthy, but surprisingly not bitter at all. My favorite was actually a Ginseng Coffee and a Ginger Lemongrass Tea. Both are made with ingredients from the farm, and the Ginseng gave the coffee an extra energy boost, and a slightly bitter, earthy and flowery taste, while the spicy tea cleansed the palate and woke you up through sheer shock to your tastebuds.
After refueling, we were headed to another beach club called Oma, which overlooks a waterfall instead of the beach. Our first impression came from the interior design. It was something new, that we hadn't seen anywhere else. Our immediate second realization was that the music was amazing. The perfect music continued through the whole time we were there, and we always kept a phone on hand to shazam the songs. Here's what it looked like!
The cow says hello (Moooo). Oma was immaculate. The food was amazing (That was the best fried duck I had in Bali, and I ate it A LOT). The music was amazing, it was affordable, and there was a huge infinity pool if you didn't want to get in the waterfall. 10/10.
Sadly, this was our last destination in Ubud, and as 4pm hit, we decided it was time to head home. We reluctantly walked back to our driver, and begun the long ride back to Nusa Dua.
Around 30 minutes away from home, we got. Text from Kate: "are you guys almost ready?" "ready for what?" we asked. "Dinner". we had completely forgotten we were meant to get dinner with Kate's family that night. Right there, our relaxing night went out the window, only to be replaced by a delicious, fancy Japanese dinner. The food was amazing. To detail every dish here would take another two pages, but There are some special shout outs. The eel was fatty and full of umami, the noodle salad was refreshing and crisp, and Oysters seemed to contain the ocean within one small bite. Here are some pics!
After a long day of travel and a delicious meal, we were ready to head home. On the way back, we cumulatively decided that Ubud has so far been our favorite destination in Bali, and we couldn't wait to go back.