From somewhere close to home and now to the other side of the world. Ubud in Bali is a place I often visit again and again in my mind.
My honeymoon in 2014 was to Hong Kong and Bali and it was fantastic, (once I had gotten over the worst jet lag I had ever had), but even then, it was a wonderful trip.
When we arrived in Bali, the queue to get in was enormous, and quite honestly I wondered if we’d ever leave the airport, but we did eventually get through customs after paying our entrance fee. I don’t think I actually believed I was finally there - I had longed to visit for years, heightened even more by seeing it on screen in Eat, Pray, Love. I could see myself as Julia Roberts, cycling around, loving it, I imagined myself there and the reality did not disappoint.
My new husband, Chris and I stayed in the most wonderful hotel, in the raised rice fields just outside of Ubud. We arrived there late in the afternoon and the sounds of the forest were all around us. The room was dimly lit and on the bed towels shaped as swans and a single red rose welcomed us in. It was, to me, paradise.
We ventured into Ubud the next day, the people we had already met were so friendly and they made us feel so welcome. The taxi driver was so pleased to discuss English football with Chris as I just absorbed all I could looking out of the window. Temples, statues, all ages on motorcycles whizzed by and before we knew it we were in the centre of Ubud.
Ubud is of course a wash with visitors, all looking for that sense of calm and enlightenment, after all its many temples install that need in you. They are highly decorative, exposed to the air, rich in colour but not polished. Their aged beauty, very beautiful and inspiring.
The market is a riot of colour, full of handmade Indonesian treasures and fruit and vegetable baskets full to overflowing. Continuing down the main street, shops showcasing high quality works of art sit in amongst cafes and salons of traditional therapies, all hum to a calm bhudist tune.
At the bottom of the road, the Ubud Monkey Temple lets you get up close and personal with its monkey inhabitants. These light fingered locals are very canny, they will take what they can, I saw one take a water bottle from a man’s backpack and unscrew the lid and take a drink. They know that we want to see them and they take you for all you’ve got, if they can. Still it was a joy to see a mother nursing her new baby and watch it climb through the trees. The elders looked down on you from their perches on the temple walls, surveying their kingdom.
Ubud was hot, humid, full of smells that weren’t familiar and people from all over the world. I felt so comfortable here, inspired by the plants, trees, buildings and all within. I didn’t want to leave but we were going to head back to our hotel and select on the day. I can say it was the most beautiful taxi rank, right outside of a large red brick temple adorned with magical carvings.
This place will be with me forever and the piece of work I created some time later is a physical reminder of all memories I have of it.
