Don’t you love how that sounds?! OOOOBOOOOD!
I arrived last night at midnight and didn’t get to the hotel until about 1 AM. The place I’m staying at provides transfer service from Denpasar into Ubud (which takes about an hour), and from the minute I landed, I knew I was going to love this place. My driver, Koming, is a short smiley man, originally a chef and teacher and native of Ubud. Besides the fact that he speaks perfect English and was clearly eager to help me with whatever I might need during my stay here, the coolest part about him is that he is Ketut Liyer’s grandson! Who is Ketut Liyer?! Well, if you’ve read Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, you’d know that he was the medicine man and healer she met while she spent time in Bali (If you have not read the book, do so! It’s one of my favourites!). Koming is going to help me meet Ketut one of these days. Maybe he’ll give me some insightful life-changing advice on how to live my life?! 😉 Ha.
Besides my proxy brush with celebrity, I would have to say that Ubud is everything I expected: quiet, spiritual and super laid back. The bungalow I’m staying in is large, clean and opens to a beautiful garden and looks out onto some local rice paddies. For 25 USD per night (including breakfast) it’s a steal! There is incense wafting everywhere: the hotel does daily offerings to the gods. The population is mostly Hindu here and I’m excited to learn more about their traditions and handicrafts.
Today, the plan is to wander town, try my hand at bargaining Indonesian style (likely not as harsh as African bargaining but equally fun) and then maybe take a sunset bike ride into the rice paddies. It is hot and humid here and it’s 11:30 AM. Oh Asia, you stick to me like white on rice!
