Ubud

Expensive Clothes, Cheap Art, and My Real Bali

Ubud is known as the cultural centre of Bali. What does that mean? Tourist flock here to experience the real Bali, which is apparently expensive clothes, cheap art, trendy cafe's and spas. To me the city of Ubud is just another tourist town which has exploited it's uniqueness. Don't get me wrong I am all about the shopping, eating and spaing (not sure that is a word...) but it's not cultural! The streets are crowded with tourists and locals taxi drivers are constantly harassing you - almost as bad as in Kuta. Our taxi driver last night told us it is very slow in Ubud right now. I can not imagine what it will be like in a month when the high season kicks off.

Amazingly, only meters from the main roads of Ubud are miles and miles of rice paddies. I think the rural area around Ubud must be the Indonesian equivalent to the Canadian Prairies (am I getting homesick?). But instead of endless fields of golden stocks there are green terraced hills and palm trees as far as the eye can see. Roosters, ducks and dogs wander the hills freely. The locals are legitimately friendly, every one giving you a quick smile and wave before turning back to their work. It is refreshing not to hear "transport?" every 30 seconds. This is the real Bali to me: farming, livestock, bugs, mud and smiles. The only things the locals offer you are ripe bananas and fresh coconut. Despite the gently rolling hills and cool breeze from this morning's rain we are sweaty and the coconut water is hard to pass up.

Tegan and I don't see another bulai (translates to albino) until we stop at the Sari Organic restaurant in the middle of the rice paddies. It is exactly the same as it was last year: slow service, friendly staff and tasty fresh food. Tegan is strangely at home here. Well perhaps not strangely, she has always been an old soul and had an inner hippie. The restaurant is busy with people all looking to experience the same thing: the real Bali. We might feel more authentic because we are in an organic restaurant in the rice fields but the cynic in me can not help but feel that we are in the next level of tourism - tourism that is delicately hidden from the traveler's eye. I am not naive enough to think the orange, banana, and mango smoothie I am enjoying right now was created with a local consumer in mind.

Enough ranting! I actually love the touristy side of Ubud: after a gourmet organic salad, vanilla bean or coconut latte and a relaxing massage I am in Heaven! I just hate it when people think that is the real Bali. Taking a break from the paved shopping streets in Ubud, the muddy paths through the fields are refreshing. I am worried they will disappear and become paved for future tourists. Will there still be my real Bali (animals, mud, bugs and smiles) for those who want to find it here?

I have been without my computer for over a month now! I am returning to Kupang on Saturday and have footage, photos and blogs from my private flight to Pangandaran, Singapore, Java, Bali and the Gili Islands! Lots of vlogs to come! Thank you for following :)

- Tori