Ubud Bali

You will not find some beaches just like you will find it in Seminyak, Sanur or Kuta area, but you will find a peaceful life, a great collection of handicraft art shop, famous silver handmade to export overseas. Furthermore it is the best place for you to retreat.

Around the city, you can visit Pura, Museum, or Art and Handicraft center. It will easy for you to find budget inn with nice service here. The best restaurant serves the best cuisine you can find here also. The last few years, Ubud grow up fast as tourism city. Last time, Ubud was a small city then it grows and wider after Campuan, Penestanan, Padangtegal, Peliatan and Pengosekan joined as Ubud area. As the other city in Indonesia, Ubud also has some urban affairs, like traffic jam and unarranged city. However, you will relax and enjoy the silent city here. At night, you can hear frog sound from the wet rice field in civil resident.

Ubud Paint Art
Ubud is the center of paint art in Bali. Many of local artist painting is hunted by painting collector from overseas. They will buy in a very expensive price if they like the painting much. If you want to buy the best painting of Bali, you must visit here. The growing of painting here was influenced by western painters who come to Bali and stay at Ubud in 1930s invite by Cokorda Gede Sukawati, like Walter Spies, Colin McPhee and Rudolf Bonnet.

Before they are coming, Bali traditional paintings are mostly show in Pura. It is a limited idea and style. Most the painting pictures Hindu and literature legends. The painting use Wayang style, it imitates Wayang Kulit performance, two dimensions with limited colors.

The coming of western artist here had been made a change. The Ubud artists begin to paint singular view and decrease narration painting. The other change is about the theme and idea, they begin to paint a daily activities in community.

The important thing is they not only show the painting in Pura, but also in Museum and the others. The museums that you can visit for enjoying the painting are Puri Lukisan Museum and Neka Museum.

Ubud Tourism Information
To find complete information about Ubud, you can visit Yayasan Bina Wisata, Raya ubud Street, and Ubud Palace which open at 08.00-18.00. The officer is friendly and will answer all your question about art events in Ubud, included the dancing performance schedule, traditional ceremony schedule, etc. You can buy the ticket here, if you interest for enjoying the dancing performance.

Ubud and Gianyar Round Up

Ubud and Gianyar area in Bali is close each other. Both of them can be say as the heart of Bali culture. In these place we can find the finest handicraft, mask and statue produced by the local. Also in Ubud, it is the finest retreat place in Bali. Travelling around these area by Bali car rental would be very recommended as you can go anywhere anytime and everywhere you like.

Below are the places that you can visit while you are entering Ubud from Sanur or Gianyar Bali:

Batuan
Batuan is the center of the paint art, you will meet some of Gallery here. The traditional painters here usually use black ink for painting. Today, the new style exploited. They produce painting on many kind of idea on one canvas. Not only for the new style, but they also painting modern idea like paint a surfer taking the action, tourist make a photograph, etc. Here, you also will see the center of wood carved handicrafts. In every full moon, the old Bali traditional dance performs in Pura Puseh.

Mas
Mas is the center of wood carved handicraft, especially wood mask. Not only wood mask, Mas also the center of carved furniture like table and chair. They use hardwood tree as the raw. You will meet some of art stores along your trip to Mas. Mostly, the customers are a tourist group by bus. Beside the one at the main street, the stores are also situated at the housing where it is far enough from the main street. The big and popular stores here, mostly shows several of the finest Bali handicraft.

Blahbatuh
There are two places that you can visit in Blahbatuh. First is the Pura Gadung. It has the head statue from stone and 1 meter height which is known as the picture of Kebo Iwa On the legend he is a strong man and occupy as the minister of Bedulu Kingdom. It is proofed when Gajah Mada, Mahapatih of Majapahit Kingdom, aware that he cannot overpower the Bedulu Kingdom. It was a powerful kingdom when Kebo Iwa still alive. Because of that, Gajah Mada asked Kebo Iwa to go to Java and asked somebody to kill him.

The head statue is very old, but the Pura is the imitation of the original of Pura Gadung which shattered by the earthquake at 1917.

The second is Tegenungan Water Fall or Srog Srogan Water fall, at Petanu River, it is located about 2 kilometers at southwest of Blahbatuh. You can find the best water fall view by following the clue at Kemenuh.

Kutri
Kutri is located at the north of Blahbatuh. The interesting Pura names Pura Kadarman or known as Pura Bukit Dharma is situated here. If you climb the hill back the Pura and reach the top of the hill. Not only the beautiful panorama you will find but also a place of sacrifice and stone statue pictures Dewi Durga kill a buffalo which is out of it mind.

Bona
Bona is located between Gianyar and Blahbatuh. It is known as the beginning of Kecak dance. It is usually performed together with the other dances in Bona, but it is rarely perform again for tourist today. Mostly the tourists come from Ubud by travel agent. Bona also known as the center of plait basket and the others leaf of Palmyra palm plait.
Belega, near Bona, is the center of bamboo furniture. The workshops full by bamboo chair, table, bed, and wardrobe which usually use by Hotel in Bali.

Ubud Places of Interest

In Ubud Bali, Jl Raya Ubud lies along the east to the west, which then down to Campuran, a gorge where there is an old hanging bridge which is side by side with a new bridge crossing upon the Wos river. Next to this place, there is Desa Penestanan which is famous for having many painter artists. In the Eastern and Western of Ubud region there are some villages, such as Peliatan, Pengosekan, and Nyahkuning, which are famous for their paintings, traditional dances, and carved wood.

In the northern of Ubud is a rarely inhabited region but having beautiful panorama as a painting of a large rice field alternated by villages.

In the western of Ubud, there is Sungai Ayung with its beautiful panorama especially at Desa Sayan and Kedewan which are crossed by river. This river is a gorge where the water stream swiftly beneath. There are some expensive hotels which can be found around this river.

There are also many interesting places in Ubud area. Some of them are as follows:

Mandala Wisata Wanara
Jl. Monkey Forest aiming to the south will meet Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana or usually called with Monkey Forest Sanctuary. In this city forest region which lies in the edge of a hill, there are three holy Hindu temples; one of them is Pura Dalem Agung.

This complex temple is inhabited by amount of monkeys which always wait for foods given by visitors. Be careful with those animals because they can get angry if the visitors do not give things that they want.

Temple
Ubud has amount of temples which you can visit, such as Pura Palace and Puri Saren Agung which are next to each other in the heart of Ubud city. Its location is in the corner, which is between Jl Raya Ubud and Jl Suweta. Both of the temples are built in 1917 and they have many ornaments in each part of their buildings.

In the northern part of the temples, there is another temple named Pura Marajan Agung (Jl. Suweta). This temple having beautiful gate is a private temple for the King Ubud family. The other temple is Pura Desa ubud which is located at jl. Raya Ubud. This temple is a temple used by Ubud community.

Pura Taman Saraswati
Pura Taman Saraswati which is located at Jl Raya Ubud has an interesting atmosphere. The water stream from a location behind the temple to a pond before adored by various kind of blossom lotus. In this location, there is a carving of Dewi Saraswati statue; the art and wise goddess, who gives blessing to this temple. Here, there is dance performance every week.