Ubud - the Center of Bali

After braving the crowds of Kuta for some adventurous days of surfing and white-water rafting, I was ready to head up to the (geographical and cultural) center of Bali, the city of Ubud. Despite being a popular tourist stop, Ubud has managed to retain some of its character and is well regarded for its nightly performances of many different types of traditional dances and music. After the one to two hour bus ride, I once again hit the streets in search of a cheap place to stay, finding that (as in many places) the prices during the high season are much higher than what is listed in my guidebook, and, even worse, many of the places were already full by lunchtime. I met a fellow hotel-seeker along the way, comparing places that we'd already tried and trying to figure out where to go next. Fortunately the temperature in Bali is (slightly) cooler than other parts of Indonesia, but after about 30 minutes of walking in the heat, I was sweaty and ready for a resolution. I came across a local 'homestay', basically meaning that the family lives in the front of the property and has about four rooms in the back, either in separate buildings or in an attached, larger building. The price was right ($10 a night), and the friendly owners showed me to the surprisingly nice rooms. As with many of the storefronts, plazas and temples along the streets of Ubud, the entrance is marked with a temple-like open doorway, passing through a narrow walkway, leading back to a plaza or courtyard surrounded with plants and flowers which then give way to the residence or restaurants. Often lining the ground along the way are the daily offerings of incense, rice, candy and flowers, set in the square banana leaf offering plates that are constructed every single day by the women of the village.

Setting out in Ubud, I was impressed by the semblance of authentic culture that is still intact, despite the large numbers of visitors. The traditional entrances, the offerings and even the typical clothing of many of the people still has a uniquely Balinese feel, with many of the men wearing the traditional sarongs and bandanas on their heads. Walking up and down the streets, I passed temple after temple, some big, some small, some filled with worshippers, others completely empty except for the prayer offerings on the ground. In the center of town is one of the more important temples, concealed by an elaborate entranceway and walls blocking most of the view from the main road. Inside, intricate sculpted walls and shrines lead to an inner sanctuary and more impressive scenery. A neighboring temple with a similar entranceway opens up to a narrow bridge leading across a large pond filled with lily pads on both sides, opening up again to the temple walls and entrances into the actual temple hidden behind golden doorways on each corner. Just outside, I stopped for a lunch break at one of the most popular restaurants in the city, where locals and tourists gather and share long tables with floor seating or a few smaller tables with chairs (for the less flexible), all awaiting the same meal - babi guling. Babi guling is the name for suckling pig, a popular dish consisting of a huge roasted pig, where your meal consists of slices of the succulent pork and a piece of the crunchy, caramelized skin, served with rice, garlic, chili and a few other Balinese spices. This is also noteworthy for pork-lovers because Bali is one of the few places in Muslim Indonesia where you can really eat a dish like this, as pig and dog are off limits in the traditional Muslim parts of the country (yes, dog is eaten in some parts of the country). The meal itself was pretty good, though I'm not really a fan of pork, so I wasn't as impressed as some other visitors. For me, one of my best meals was next door, later that night. I found myself in a fairly nice restaurant where I had a wonderful plate of opor ayam, a chicken curry dish with a mix of coconut milk, chili and ginger, served with rice and vegetables, forming an incredible, complex taste combination that would be hard to match.

Apart from the food, the nightly performances are what enchant the visitors in this charming little city, so I decided to check out a show on my first night there. I opted for one of the most popular, the Kecak (Ke-chak) and Fire Dance. This is a performance based on a traditional Hindu story and Ramayana ballet, relating the tale of a king and his love for a woman, a competing suitor and the monkey army that helps the king to win the woman of his dreams. The monkey army is portrayed by a group of shirtless men in black and white checkered sarongs, alternately seated and standing around the center of the stage, occupied by a throne of fire, chanting and waving their arms back and forth in unison, creating a vocal orchestra with the sounds of Chek-Chek-Chek and a few other moans. With only their voices, they build up and wind down the suspense as the few main characters dance around the stage in regal costumes, especially the women who come in traditional massive golden headdresses, lots of makeup and flowing, colorful dresses, performing very precise dances where even the direction of their bright eyes is choreographed. In the end, of course, the good ruler wins over the evil one, with the monkey army engulfing the evil ruler and taking him away before coming back out to thank the crowd for the performance. Following the kecak performance, a huge fire of dried coconuts and gasoline was lit in the middle of the stage, and a single performer appeared, carrying a costume creating the appearance of riding on a horse, flashing in and out of the fire while in some sort of trance. He would shuffle through the fire, kicking the coconut shards dangerously close to the crowd and then circling back around for another run as the helpers pushed the fire back towards the middle of the stage. The 90 minute performance was quite interesting, and the setting is almost as impressive, as most of these shows take place in outdoor courtyards in the actual temples, so the elaborate Hindu shrines set the backdrop for the show with just a circle of one to two hundred chairs surrounding the cobblestone stage. Unfortunately, I had a rather obnoxious American who decided to take the open seat next to me, immediately trying to show off his knowledge of the culture and telling me, the usher and anyone that would listen about how many times he has seen these shows. Though, he fervently complained that there was no gamelan, the traditional bamboo pipe drums, flutes and other instruments popular in Bali, though the workers assured him again and again that the Kecak performance never has the orchestra, backed only by the a capella sounds of the performers themselves. Still he complained that he'd been going to this sort of show for 25-30 years now, and he'd never seen one with an orchestra. He also proceeded to try to tell me about the records he has of the traditional story, the history of the performance and kept updating me with what was going on throughout the show with his helpful comments and grunts of pleasure or disbelief. Ironically, in the end, he proclaimed this to be the best interpretation of Kecak that he'd ever seen, so I guess I choose a good one.

On the way back from the performance, I saw the lights were still on in the temple surrounded by the lotus pond, so I decided to stop in and see what was going on. On stage were a few dancers, practicing their traditional moves, presumably for a show later in the week, moving in perfect rhythm with the accompanying Gamelan orchestra of flutes, bamboo pipes and drums. Five or ten tourists had gathered to watch, so I sat for a while, enjoying the second performance of the night, though the dancers were just wearing street clothes, taking turns from one song to the next. Though it was just a practice, this free performance was a great way to see another of the many traditional dance styles in Bali, ending with the dancers asking us to join them (though we were all intimidated by their skill) and a chance to talk with them and the musicians, all very friendly and happy to share any information about their culture. I finished off the night with a cheap ice cream cone, one of my recent addictions, as the prepackaged kind are cheap and fairly easy to find, and they make a great dessert after a spicy dinner.

Ubud turned out to be a much more relaxing and culturally-interesting option than Kuta, offering a glimpse into the amazing Balinese culture while still being quite easy for travellers who don't happen to speak much Indonesian. Ready for an even more authentic Balinese experience, I wandered the streets the next day and found a place to rent a motorcycle for a few days, giving me a chance to explore some of the magnificent countryside.

(Opor ayam - a wonderful combination of chicken and coconut milk curry. This really was amazing.)

(The elaborate door revealing the entrance to one of the many temples of Ubud.)

(A lotus pond leading to a stage and hidden temple. This is the stage where I stopped later in the evening to watch a practice dance performance.)

(Even the statues wear the traditional hats and sarongs.)

(Along the main street in downtown Ubud, you can't escape the temples.)

(Babi guling - suckling pig. Pieces of this guy are served with rice and Balinese spices. This is also popular because the Balinese are Hindu and thus able to eat pig, as it is halal (forbidden) in most of Muslim Indonesia.)

(A local woman laying down plates full of offerings for the day. These trays of flowers, food and banana leaves are good for appeasing gods and ants for the entire day, and then the whole process begins again the next day.)

(Another picturesque temple entrance.)

(The evening setting for the Kecak show. With a few rows of chairs surrounding the temple's grounds, we were treated to an interesting show portraying a classic Hindu tale of good and evil. I won't give away who wins.)

(Around 50 men in sarongs worship the fire while singing haunting chants and dancing around, portraying the monkey army in the story.)

(Along with the monkey army, there were two women and two men as the main characters. Perfectly choreographed, it was quite a show.)