Ubud Things to Do

There are several cultural performances in Bali itself and the most watched I guess should be the Kecak Dance, otherwise known as Monkey Dance.

It is performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak", and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where monkeys help Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana.

It's interesting how the different chants can make such music.

Its a great time when walking around the terraced paddy field.... the ducks playing around, and people walking on sawah....sit on the grass under the coconut trees.... and feel the air, and the sound of the leaves, birds, and nature.

First, there is no musical accompaniment. The gamelan is not there. Rhythm is provided by a chanting 'monkey' chorus. The polyrhythmic sound of the chanting provides the name,
'Ke-chak'.

The story line for the Kecak is taken from the Ramayana.
Prince Rama goes hunting for a golden deer and his beautiful wife is kidnapped by the evil Rawana.
Story is secondary in this performance, though. If you want to see the story of the Ramayana, you should see a Ramayana performance.
The Kecak is a triumph of style and mood, rather than story. Watch the faces of audience members. More than any other Balinese dance, the Kecak turns every viewer into a child, wide-eyed and transfixed.

Ubud is sprawling and most of the attraction is not in the town center. We drove around Ubud countryside to discover artists' homes and watch them at work.

We found this mask maker in his home and he even put on a show for us.

Ubud is such a great place to shop especially along Jl Monkey Forest. Sometimes, you'll find artists showing off their crafts and selling them in front of hotels.

We met this young artist who paints on egg shells with intricate designs.

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One thing you shouln't miss when you go to Ubud is to go and see the beautiful rice fields, which characterize Ubud . Drive through to see them and watch the people working there.

If you have a driver , ask him to stop so you can take a closer look.
Very picturesque. It's an amazing sight!

If you're a shopaholic like I am, you will be thrilled with shopping in Ubud! There are small shops everywhere, plenty of crafts. Baskets, table mats, trays, boxes, incenses, massage oils, sarongs, and many, many beautiful things to buy. And usually very inexpensive.

You must bargain a little and if you're lucky to be the first customer of the day maybe you will get a big discount. The balinese say that the first customer of the day brings them luck!

If you like Indonesian food, what about having a cooking lesson at Casa Luna? Besides being a guesthouse, the Casa Luna has cooking classes.

Usually the classes begin with a visit to the Ubud food market followed by the lesson. It's a fun way to spend some time while you learn how to make tasty balinese food.