Ubud, Bali, Indonesia - Day 2

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Good morning from Bali. Our day started at an airbnb on the outskirts of Ubud. Even so, we woke to the sound of motorbikes zooming by outside. I can’t imagine living in a concentrated place with so many people -- constant noise.

Outside, the weather was warm and humid. The temperature hovers somewhere around 80 degrees with 80% humidity at all times of the day and night. Andi got up and made the kids breakfast. I blogged, and then got myself ready for the day.

Our rented airbnb overlooks a field of rice paddies. It’s quite beautiful. Two of the bedrooms are inside the main house, and Andi and I’s bedroom is located in a separate “guest house” near the pool. Andi worried it might make Tory and Aden nervous that we’re sleeping under a separate roof, but so far it doesn’t seem to. The two are connected through a small garden.

So many bugs in a tropical rainforest climate. Spiders the size of my hand. Geckos running up the walls and over the countertops. Last night as Andi and I lay in our bed, we watched a decent-sized spider dangle above us in its web, pitched high in the triangular ceiling. I told myself the little poops I saw on the floor of our bedroom aren’t from mice. (Dear Lord, please let them not be mice.)

When a big wasp with a really long stinger floated through the living room yesterday, Andi made a comment about it to Koman, the airbnb owner. She simply reached over and squashed it with the face of her cell phone like it was no big deal. “She just crushed it with her cell phone!” Tory whispered in pure shock and amazement.

It’s not that this house is dirty or uncared for; it’s just that the bugs and spiders and geckos are relentless. We’re all trying to be cool and pretend that finding creatures in the kitchen sink doesn’t gross us out. It’s no different than our experiences in places like Costa Rica or the Amazon Rainforest; it’s just that it’s been a while since we’ve traveled to a place like this.

Our airbnb’s refrigerator was on the fritz, so Andi called the landlord to come take a look at it. She arrived around 9:30am to assess the situation, and then called a repairman to fix it. Of course, we’d purchased quite a few groceries yesterday at the supermarket in preparation for Nyepi “Silent Day” when the whole island of Bali will be shut down. Andi was especially worried about the meat in the refrigerator. It already looked a little suspicious when we bought it (all the meat in the grocery store looked that way), so I definitely wouldn’t trust leaving it in a warm refrigerator for a few days.

The owner, Koman, stayed at the airbnb to clean today while the repairman was there. I get the impression that houses in Bali require constant care to keep the land and pests from taking over.

At 11:00am, Kadak, the driver who picked us up from the ferry port yesterday, arrived to the airbnb. Andi hired him to take us sightseeing around Ubud today. There’s quite a few touristic things to do in Bali such as seeing a temple, going to a waterfall, ziplining, viewing the rice terraces, and touring the monkey forest. We chose to visit a temple and a waterfall today.

As we pulled away from our airbnb, Andi mentioned to Kadak that he brought his drone along, and asked if there might be a good spot to pull over and fly it. “This is a good spot,” Kadak said, abruptly pulling his car over.

Right here? Kadak stopped his car in the middle of the road forcing other cars and scooters to drive around us. This is the problem with traffic in Bali, I thought to myself. There are no rules; people just drive and stop wherever they want. The funny thing is, nobody seems bothered by it. Nobody honked or got angry with him for stopping in the middle of the narrow roadway; cars simply drove around us.

Andi’s drone shots were beautiful. The lush, green rice paddies are not only stunning, but they’re culturally significant using centuries-old irrigation methods.

We drove to Tirta Empul temple in Ubud. This ancient holy water temple is over 1,000 years old and is believed to have sacred springs that purify the body, mind, and soul.

No matter your religion, there’s no denying that the temple felt like a spiritual place. The stone walls are weathered from years of rain and wind erosion, with green moss growing everywhere due to Bali’s wet, humid climate.

Although the temple is considered a sacred place for Balinese Hindus, it has also become a bit of a tourist attraction. Kadak said the temple gets quite crowded during peak tourism season (July and August), and around the full moon when locals also visit the temple. We paid an entrance fee of $50,000 Indonesian Rupiah ($3/USD) for adults; $25,000 IDR ($1.50 USD) for children, to go inside the temple.

Everyone who enters the temple must wear a sarong which is provided inside the entrance. Aden was not too keen on wearing a “dress,” but he didn’t have a choice. A local Indonesian man sitting near the sarongs laughed as Aden attempted tying the sarong around his waist, then kindly came over to show him the proper way to tie it. The man didn’t say a word; he just smiled widely as he wrapped the fabric around Aden’s waist.

This is a spiritual place, so it’s important for all visitors to be respectful in both action and dress code. Andi and I reminded Aden of this as he grumbled about wearing the sarong.

The name, Pura Tirta Empul, means Holy Water Spring Temple. It was purposefully built around natural springs that are believed to have cleansing powers. In addition to the entrance fee, tourists can pay an additional cost to participate in the Melukat purification ceremony inside the temple. As Christians, however, we did not feel comfortable doing this. I think it’s important to teach Tory and Aden about different religions and customs of the world, but participating in the cleansing ritual would mean that we believed in the spirituality of Hinduism and that we do not.

Tourists participating in the Melukat ceremony pay an additional fee to wear a special green sarong. They present a Balinese Hindu offering (called Canang Sari, made of woven palm leaves, incense, and flowers) to an alter outside the springs, kneel, and pray. These same small offering baskets are found all over Bali at the entrances of every home and business.

Next, the purification ceremony participants are led to the holy pools within the central courtyard (Jaba Tengah). They visit several of the fountains in prayer, and then wash themselves ceremoniously in the water. We didn’t participate because of the spiritual aspect, but I also hate being wet and can’t imagine willingly getting into that pool with my clothes on, haha!

The temple itself was very beautiful. Andi, Tory, Aden, and I enjoyed walking around, admiring all the details carved into the stone and the blooming plants and flowers. Our driver, Kadak, told us that Hindus put sarongs on statues and trees to make them more “human like.” He said they have special rituals and prayers for the Earth and the trees. Indonesian people have big hearts, that’s for certain.

Yes, this was a working temple but parts of it also felt like a tourist trap. There were ladies selling bananas and lychee fruits and the exit was lined with vendors selling Bali bags, sarongs, wooden bowls, and magnets. Andi offered one of the “Chiquita banana women” $20,000 Indonesian Rupiah ($1.21 USD) to take her picture. I don’t think she could understand his English, and she smiled hesitantly. We bought some bananas from her, too, as a good will offering.

This is an example of the Canang Sari offerings that are found all over Bali. The Hindu religion calls its worshippers to present such offerings of devotion in the form of a “flower, fruit, or water, the offering of love and a pure heart.” I found it interesting to learn that it is the Balinese women who are responsible for preparing the daily offerings which must contain those components. These offerings are believed to help maintain the balance between the Hindu gods and mortals.

After the temple, Kadak drove us to Ulu Petanu Waterfall. It’s one of the many waterfalls located in and around the city of Ubud — all of these swarming with tourists, I’m sure. Nevertheless, it still felt magical as we descended 90 stairs to a floating footpath leading to the falls.

“Do you feel like people even take in the scenery, or are they too worried about getting the perfect picture for Instagram?” Andi asked me. There were dozens and dozens of young tourists wearing skimpy thong swimming suits posing in front of the waterfall. So many, in fact, that it was really hard to enjoy the natural beauty of the place.

I suppose it didn’t much matter because it started to rain about 10 minutes after we arrived. Andi didn’t want the camera to get wet, so we made our way to the exit, climbing back up all 90 stairs to the parking lot. Luckily, I’d brought along two beach towels in case we went swimming in the waterfalls so I draped one over my head as protection for myself and the camera. Tory covered herself with the other towel. Poor Andi and Aden ended up getting soaked by the time we returned to Kadak’s car.

Andi picked a Mediterranean restaurant for lunch called CHORA in central Ubud, and asked Kadak to drive us there. The drive seemed to take forever as we weaved through narrow roadways and traffic. The thunderstorm happening outside didn’t help matters.

There are so many layers to Ubud. Kadak turned down a narrow alleyway with food & convenience shacks, restaurants, small temples, trash cans, people, and everything else in between. In the mix of all that, we saw a sign for CHORA. Kadak dropped us off at the door, and we stepped inside a beautiful restaurant with an open courtyard. We practically had the place to ourselves as we listened to the rain fall outside.

Andi was freezing after being soaked to the bone. “Do you have a blanket?” he asked the server. Tory was mortified her dad would request such a thing. “We don’t have a blanket, but I can bring you a table covering,” the waitress said. Andi sat the rest of the meal with a white tablecloth wrapped around his shoulders. Personally, I don’t think he’s feeling 100% yet after his bout of sickness earlier this week.

The kids ordered milkshakes, and Andi ordered a hummus platter, zucchini fritters, and meat skewers to munch on while we waited for our main entrees. Tory and Aden eagerly ordered chicken nuggets (that’s the food they’re missing most from home!). I ordered chicken gnocchi for my meal, and Andi had the ribeye.

Our food and service was excellent; perhaps the best meal we’ve had in all of our Australian and Indonesian travels.

The level of Indonesian hospitality transcends anywhere else! Our server insisted on walking us out to Kadak’s waiting car with an umbrella. “But, then you’re going to get wet,” I said to her. “Oh, that’s OK,” the young woman replied, “I insist.” What restaurant personally escorts you to your car with an umbrella during a rainstorm? In Indonesia, no level of service seems to go too far.

After lunch, Kadak drove our family back to our rented airbnb on the north side of Ubud. We thanked Kadak for his time today, and Andi paid him $600,000 IDR ($36 USD) for his driving services.

A bag of our clean laundry was there waiting for us when we arrived at the house. The owner of the airbnb sent out our laundry this morning, and then returned it cleaned, folded, and pressed for $90,000 IDR ($5.44 USD). I wish I could send my laundry out at home for $5 a bundle!

Tory, Aden, and I did some school work late this afternoon while we listened to the rain outside.

After eating such a big lunch around 3:00pm, I wasn’t hungry for dinner. Andi ordered burgers and fries from Mr. Smashburger for himself and the kids. It’s nice that there are a few food delivery services in Bali, but the drivers don’t always accept our orders since this airbnb is located a few miles outside Ubud city center. Eventually, Andi got a driver to pick up the order and deliver the food to us tonight.

The four of us lounged around the very uncomfortable orange sofa and watched a few episodes of Shifting Gears and Georgie and Mandy together. Then, Andi surprised us all with another food delivery — this time from Gelato Secrets; chocolate chip, honeycomb, and strawberry gelato flavors to share between us.

Tomorrow, we have another full day in Ubud and it should be a special one as we get to witness the traditional Ogoh-Ogoh celebrations before Nyepi Day.