The clouds have blocked the sun from shining through my window, and my eyes flutter awake at 8am.
Good morning Uluwatu!
Our plans for today are simple. Eat breakfast (we went to Nyoman Local Food and ate on their boat table). Catch some surf (for Ian), and pack up again – because today we are…
On our way to Ubud!
Our AirBnB host helps us get a driver named Putu to take us to Ubud, with a couple of stops along the way.
I was still in dire need of an American power adapter to charge up my camera and laptop. We got one at a stall outside of Bagus Supermarket while we were picking up some groceries. We also purchased a prepaid SIM card from Telkom Cell which had 12GB data for 30 days, and it was only 150,000 IDR (about $11.25 USD). I highly recommend this plan for anybody passing through Bali and whose life is recorded on social media. So worth it!
The drive took about 2 hours during the afternoon traffic. I was getting carsick so I *forced* myself to take a nap (only kind of lying, because I’m also known for falling asleep on car rides).
We arrived at a small unmarked road looking for our next AirBnB home, and after a quick phone call made by Putu to our host, a friendly face pops out from a family compound right next to us, introducing herself as Chantik (she is our host’s relative) and she leads us through a smaller road beside it. There, we found our secret private villa – and it is amazing!
If you’re ever in Ubud and you’re looking for a beautiful place to stay that’s close to town, but gives you a sense of privacy – check out Wayan Budiana’s AirBnB! If you’re new to AirBnB, click here to get $25 off on your accommodations.
As tempted as I was to stay in and enjoy the pool, we got up to explore our area. The evening air was cool, and we wandered off the beaten track. The road was completely run down, but a man on a bridge that leads nowhere gestures to us to take a little hidden path just past the banyan tree. We walk down some sketchy steps and over a bamboo bridge and find ourselves amidst a rice field. How cool is this?! Right in someone’s backyard.
We continued our trek through Penestenan street. I felt inspired here. I wanted to paint.
I walked up to a couple of different places offering batik painting, but most were closed since it was almost 6pm. I saw a small shop with the lights off but the door was open. There were beautiful batik materials hanging and draped in all sorts of fashion. I walked in and was met by a beautiful woman named Anna sitting on the floor working away on her laptop. She tells me her boyfriend is the artist in residence and I inquire about taking a class. It’s settled, tomorrow I will be back!
On the way home, Ian stops at a moto vendor selling chicken satay and sticky rice. And we head to our AirBnB to relax in the pool, make dinner, and watch movies.
It’s all good in Ubud!
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