Ubud: a culture village in the face of the city

Okay, the title feels a bit over the top.

But to me, it's what describes Bali right now.

Ever since I first set foot in Bali (read: 2012), I've always heard the phrase "Bali is heavy in the south".

For those who don't know, it describes how Bali's tourism is too focused on the south, or more precisely, just on Badung regency.

Badung? You know, Canggu, Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Nusa Dua and so on.

To this day, people still mutter "Bali is heavy in the south".

At least, there doesn't seem to be any progress yet towards developing tourist spots in other areas. Even the Buleleng airport is still just talk. (Correct me.)

South Bali used to look a lot like Ubud, green everywhere.

Take Canggu, which has now become a metropolitan village.

It already seems hard to find any green land in Canggu.

Just look at the picture below, taken only 5 years apart (correct me again).

Ubud

I've lived in Bali for 9 years, and I've driven back and forth through Gianyar and Ubud plenty of times.

But it was only on 16 May 2021 that I actually stayed there, for 2 nights.

The most memorable part was waking up in the morning.

This time I didn't wake up to my phone alarm, but to a natural one.

Yep, I happened to get a villa in Ubud with a view of the rice fields.

So in the morning I woke up to the sound of the animals in the fields.

Sure, you can get those sounds on a phone alarm app, but waking up to the real thing is so refreshing.

Especially when you get up, step out of your room, and you're greeted by all that green.

And that's what makes Ubud Ubud (its selling point as a destination).

Even though over the last few days and weeks there's been some odd news, like orgasm classes, yoga classes during COVID and so on.

Nights in Ubud feel like being in a village, not like being in "Bali".

There's an Indomaret and an Alfamart left and right, but the streets are still broken up by trees and locals' homes in the traditional Balinese style, so Ubud doesn't lose its village identity.

That village feel is what draws people to Ubud. It's been famous since the film Eat Pray Love, and it's held on until now.

You could say: if you want a quiet Bali holiday, go to Ubud. If you want hype, go to Canggu. If you want mainstream, go to Seminyak and Kuta. If you like surfing, go to Uluwatu!

Speaking of Uluwatu, the vibe is a bit like Ubud. The difference is that Ubud is green, and Uluwatu is yellow.

I'm not great at writing, so I guess this post doesn't really have a main topic.

But let the photos below speak for how beautiful Ubud is.