Is Ubud really all “Eat, Pray, Love?”

The most westernised part of Bali has much more to offer

I feel like we all know of someone who moved to Ubud, Bali to become a Yoga teacher. That’s at least the most I heard of it before the popular novel then turned movie “Eat, Pray, Love”.

Personally, I believe a place like Ubud can give you what you need. My experience there was different every day and it does have a lot to offer from calm sunsets to party nights.
Getting around is not as easy as getting a taxi, or at least not a car, since almost all ride offering services insist of getting on the back of a scooter, so that’s just what I did to get myself to a beautiful little café in the hillside to watch the sunset. Being alone for most of my trip was very calming and made me appreciate myself as company.

My second day was a little more adventurous as I met with one of my friends from the boat trip and we went to the Monkey Temple, a sanctuary in the middle of Ubud for long tailed Macaques. I would have very safe pockets/purses and nothing you don’t need since the monkeys are very clever and can easily take your belongings. They are very well protected there and do not fear humans at all so you can even get them to come to you if you want for a picture.
Just remember to always stay calm and remember these are still wild animals.

That night we met up with some of her friends and had some drinks which somehow turned into a big night partying. It was very interesting to see how the downtown area wasn’t like the rest of Bali at all.

The day after I had found a friend in the same homestay I was in and we decided to rent a driver for the day together that could take us more outside the city. Many and beautiful waterfalls are all around Ubud and not to mention the famous rice fields that decorate the landscape all over the hills.
Most fun though was going to the small villages where they practice the wonderous and magical woodcarving and jewellery and seeing how detailed everything was with their handcrafted products. I couldn’t resist buying a little wooden elephant to take home with me and I still keep it on my shelf today.

After I rented my own scooter for two days I decided to ride around to the “insta-famous” swings over the jungle. It was amazing to be in the jungle. I love green in my life. Sure, it was a very touristy place and some queues were quite long but just sitting there amongst the trees and having lunch felt very nice.
I would recommend that you get a photographer there, they are very good at what they do and I really like the photos I got for only about $20 and I just love photos of my times abroad so why not get someone that knows what looks good since they do this professionally.

I do love green in my life but I can’t live without the blue and that’s about the only thing that Ubud is missing. So after a four day stay in this vibrant part of Bali I went back to the ocean to Sanur where I was to start my three day yoga pass.