Elisabeth Gilbert did more than transform her life in her book.....she transformed Ubud, Bali. Maybe even tourism for single women as well. Her wildly acclaimed book drew women from all over the world to the three places she visited in her book (Italy, India, and Bali) but from what I could see- they seemed to linger here.
I was instantly drawn to this place. Lush green moss covered the hundreds of temples we passed. Every door was exquisitely carved and so ornate I couldn't help but to say "oh my god I love that door" every five minutes. Quiet streets were lined with boutiques selling organic soaps, crystals and yoga get up. Coffee shops were bustling with people who were either grabbing their soy lattes to go or sitting for hours on plush cushions using their Mac computers. Andy was a little disgusted, but I was in love. There was a Starbucks.
The drive was about an hour from Kuta to Ubud. We took a "bus" but by bus they shoved 6 of us with all of our luggage into a 5 seater van. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Once we arrived a really nice Balinese man helped us with our luggage and escorted us to his guesthouse. Bellow is the view from our room:
Isn't this a beautiful rooster? Yes it is, until 2am rolls around and THEY ARE STILL CROWING!??? Ubud was filled with roosters and ALL of them insist on crowing ALL night long. It was difficult to get a good nights sleep- once one rooster would go they all would start to pitch in, then the dogs would howl and it was just a bunch of pathetic sounding commotion outside our window at all hours.
Funerals are a huge thing here. They involve a parade and a public cremation of the body! We saw a few different parades but were never around at the right moment to see the cremation. The traditional wear for men is a long white button up shirt and white cap with a checkered sarong. The women wear the most beautiful outfits- they do a lot of hand made lace here and their outfits feature the fabric on top with a long skirt on the bottom.
More Ubud Posts to come!
Love
Lauren
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