:: Travel Indonesia :: Saturday, January 28, 2006

Bali: Ubud

Ubud is arguably the best place to use as a base if you're visiting Bali; if you're looking for culture, comfort, nature and inspiration. Ubud is surrounded by most of the things that bring people to Bali -- scenic rice fields, small villages, art
museums and galleries, notably the Neka Museum, containing a huge collection of traditional and modern Balinese paintings and craft communities, ancient temples like ‘Mother Temple’ of Besakih, palaces, rivers, cheap accommodation, majestically situated high on the slopes of the Agung Volcano, and hiking in the scenic Batur region with its volcano and lake are popular excursions, and unique luxury hotels. And it's central location makes it easy to get from Ubud to the mountains, beaches, and major towns

The real Ubud is under the surface. There are plenty of interesting things on the main streets, but most of the magic of Ubud is hidden away. In the backstreets, backwaters, courtyards and cafes. In people's hearts, minds, and dreams. This part of the Bali web site was built to show you how to go behind the facade and find the real Ubud, and the real Bali, without having to spend all your time searching for it. There's no point in repeating what's in the guidebooks, so we've tried not to. If you're interested in Ubud, there are at least a dozen guidebooks on Bali available and they all provide information on Ubud. Use this web site before you go to guidebooks, to find out what makes Ubud so special. Then use it after the guidebooks for up-to-date information, news and features about our extra ordinary town.
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:: Travel Indonesia :: Friday, January 27, 2006

Kuta - Bali

Kuta in addition to being the Sunset Site Number One, with its daily spectacular sunsets, it is also the centre of night life activities in Southern Bali and a shopping mecca, with its lines of shops, boutiques, and galleries. Restaurants line up the streets as well as the Bachfront,Hotels, ranging from a small, inexpensive homestay to a luxurious resort, will ready accomodate you.


The beach of Kuta is one of the first favorite beaches discovered by tourist. On the south, the beach is fenced by the airport’s runway, which gives you a breathtaking landing experience. The beach stretches as far north as the eyes can see. As short walk away north, waves will invite you to test your surfing. Kuta is very short drive away from the airport, and transportation is readily available to take you from and to Kuta to and from anywhere else in Bali.

Kuta Travel Guide

Overview: Kuta, just a short drive from the airport in southern Bali, has become the island's most popular and most crowded resort, blessed as it is with a lovely sweep of golden sand, crashing surf and spectacular sunsets. The natural attractions have now been complemented by the tourist trappings, and Kuta is bursting with hotels, shops, restaurants and energetic nightlife, teeming with touts and vendors offering everything from sarongs and "Rolex" watches to hair-braiding and tattoos. The atmosphere is relaxed, cheerful and friendly, where visitors find it easy to wear a smile and enjoy excellent accommodation with good food. A must for every visitor is a visit to the nearby Temple of Tanah Lot, Bali's most holy place and a magical experience when viewed at sunset, perched on a wave-lashed rocky islet.

Shopping: Kuta is swarming with shops and shoppers, usually clusters of stores and stalls all selling much the same goods, waiting for customers to barter on the prices. Accessed either from the beach or Kuta Square is the vast, fun market area where you can buy anything from CDs to kites, sarongs to shoes, and fake brand name clothing. Local handcrafts, jewellery and custom-made leather goods are good buys. Visitors are usually assailed by pushy street hawkers selling goods like fake watches, and are expected to haggle on prices, which are often quoted in US Dollars. The general rule is not to pay more than one-third to a quarter of the asking price. Kuta is also well-supplied with department stores and shopping centres where prices are fixed, like the new Discovery Mall on Jalan Kartika Plaza. Around Kuta Square you can have a spending spree at dozens of brand name stores where goods (the real thing) are sold at amazingly low prices. Those who are keen to buy local crafts, hand-made jewellery or traditional wood and stone carvings will do well by taking excursions into surrounding villages where these arts are practised.

Restaurants: Until fairly recently the only reliable restaurants for Western palates in Bali were those operated as part of luxury hotels. Today, however, restaurants of all persuasions have proliferated, although standards and prices vary just as much as type of cuisine. In Kuta you can find anything from Japanese sushi to Wiener Schnitzel, pizza to paella, and enchiladas to espedata. Sometimes the taste is not quite original because these international favourites have been adapted to suit local tastes and ingredients. If you want to play it safe stick to McDonald's or Pizza Hut! Some visitors like to brave the rather primitive little roadside foodstalls, "Warungs", to sample local cuisine, or pick a "padang", which is a 24-hour diner displaying a dozen or so different dishes in a glass box at the door where you can sample them all for just a few US dollars. Be warned that wherever you dine wine (and beer) is very expensive; try locally produced versions which are better value than the familiar imports and often enjoyed by tourists.

Nightlife: Whatever your choice for after-dark entertainment, you will find it in Kuta. Evenings start with witnessing spectacular sunsets over cocktails, progress through a leisurely dinner and then around midnight the partying starts, either with a pub crawl, club rave, a rhythmic Balinese dance show or a "Wayang Kulit" shadow puppet performance. Cafes, pubs and discos line the streets of Kuta, but nothing gets going very early. One of the most popular night spots with the young crowd, particularly surfers, is the All Star Surf Café where the live entertainment runs to limbo dancing and "pseudo sumo" wrestling. The Bounty on Legian Road is a mock galleon where dancing is the order of the night. Peanuts at Legian rocks with its huge open-air disco and two dance floors. There are also often special events, like beach full moon parties, or body-painting parties, which are announced by way of flyers handed out around town.

Activities: Most visitors to Kuta come for pure leisure and pleasure, drawn by Bali's laid-back atmosphere and the stretch of sandy beach, which at Kuta is somewhat dangerous for swimming because of an extremely strong undertow. However the area is renowned for it's surfing, the several mile long beach break between Kuta and Petitenget offering a range of waves. Scuba diving and game fishing excursions are also sought after and freely available. Kuta also offers bungy jumping on the beach, and boasts a beautifully landscaped waterpark full of thrilling rides and slides. Horse-riding along the beach at sunset is a popular pastime. Most hotels and resorts in and around Kuta encompass spas which offer massages and beauty treatments. The larger hotels usually also offer a variety of sports facilities which can be used by non-residents. Day cruises to off-coast islands are also available. Some other activities offered by private operators include paragliding, submarine tours, white-water rafting, paintball war games and guided bird-watching expeditions.

Negatives: Currents and a strong undertow make Kuta's beach dangerous for swimming. The beach can also be over-crowded, and flooded with vendors hawking all manner of goods.
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Bali Map

Map of Bali Showing the Major Cities of Bali and Places of Interest



The island of Bali has an area of only 5,632 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) and measures just 55 miles (90 kilometers) along the north-south axis and less than about 90 miles (140 kilometers) from East to West. Because of this it's no problem to explore the island on day tours. You can go wherever you want on the island and return to your hotel or villa in the evening.

You can expect pleasant day temperatures between 20 to 33 degrees Celsius or 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. From December to March, the West monsoon can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but usually days are sunny and the rains start during the night and pass quickly. From June to September the humidity is low, and it can be quite cool in the evenings. During this time of the year, you'll have hardly any rain in the coastal areas.

Even when it rains in most parts of Bali you can often enjoy sunny days on the "Bukit", the hill south of Jimbaran Beach. On the other hand, in Ubud and the mountains you must expect cloudy skies and showers throughout the year (this is why the international weather reports for "Denpasar" or "Bali" mention showers and rain storms during all times of the year). In higher regions such as in Bedugul or Kintamani you'll also need either a sweater or jacket after the sun sets.
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Bali: Island of The God

Even today, there is a certain magic about Bali. The longer one stays on the island, the more one is impressed by the many exquisite sights and the scores of talented and charming people one encounters. All the tourist hype aside, Bali truly is exceptional.

Bali has long been equated with an exotic paradise, a picturesque vision of green rice fields and plantations, soaring volcanoes, cool lakes and rushing rivers, lush forests and palm fringed beaches. It is Indonesia's number one tourist destination and as a result suffers from commercialisation and overcrowding, but this is confined to a few main areas. The original charm of the 'Island of the Gods' and its smiling people is still very much in evidence, especially in the many small rural villages and fascinating places of the fertile interior.

The island of Bali indeed presents a modern paradox - an ancient, traditional society that is still incredibly alive and vital. While the basic conservatism of the Balinese has enabled them to preserve many of their past achievements, it has never hindered the acceptance of new and innovative elements, whether home-grown or foreign.

Another distinctive unique of Bali from the rest of Indonesia is the belief in a predominantly Hindu faith, incorporating the ancient Indonesian animist conviction that natural objects are inhabited by good or bad spirits into every aspect of local life on the island. It is evident in their ceremonies, daily rituals and attitudes, visible in the offerings of flowers and food that adorn the roadsides, the charms hung inside taxis, and the numerous vibrant festivals that occur throughout the year. It is perceptible in their reverence for the Holy Mountain, the soaring volcanic cone of Gunung Agung, which is the spiritual centre of the Balinese universe. Scattered around the island are thousands of Hindu temples and places of worship. Art is also an integral part of daily life and every village has its artists, from the internationally acclaimed painter to the aspirational young cow herder. Ubud, the cultural centre, with its streets lined with art and crafts shops, also has performances of traditional Balinese dance and music. Art, together with tourism, is an important source of revenue for the island.

First and foremost, Bali is extraordinarily blessed by Nature. Lying within a narrow band of the tropics where wet and dry seasons fall roughly into balance - providing both adequate rainfall and long periods of sunshine - the island's soils, topography and water resources are all remarkably well suited to human habitation. As a result, Bali has been civilized since very early times.

This is also the only island in "inner Indonesia" that has enjoyed centuries of more or less uninterrupted cultural continuity. While other traditional states in the region suffered major disruptions due to Islamization and Dutch colonization, Bali was isolated, left to go her own way.

Balinese society remains strong and vital, moreover, because it promotes family and communal values. This is indeed the key - a self-strengthening system in which religion, custom and art combine with age-old childrearing techniques and deeply-entrenched village institutions to produce an exceptionally well-integrated society. Feelings of alienation from parents and peers, so common now in the West are rare in Bali.

Children are carried everywhere until they are at least three months old, held at all times in the warm, protective embrace of family, friends and neighbors. Elaborate rituals are performed at frequent intervals to ensure their well-being. Every aspect of village life is organized to the nth degree - the individual's rights and responsibilities within the community being carefully defined by tradition.

Despite all this, it should be noted that traditional Bali was far from perfect. For the majority of Balinese peasants, it was in fact a world wracked by warfare, disease, pestilence and famine. In this century, moreover, Bali was continuously plagued by political violence, over-population and poverty.

Bali's unique culture should in fact be viewed as a response to difficult, uncertain conditions. Its strong village institutions served as bulwarks against the ever-present threat of disaster; their inherent flexibility was a guarantee of survival in the face of often overwhelming odds.

The rapid changes now occurring on the island must be seen from this historical perspective. Certainly there are problems, some perhaps as serious as those faced in earlier times. But the Balinese are eternal optimists, fervently believing that their "Island of the Gods" enjoys a very special place indeed in the grander scheme of things.
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