Taxi to Ubud
On the beach in Sanur an eager taxi driver met us in the water and had followed us so relentlessly that eventually we gave in. He started at Rp 150,000 for the drive to Ubud, but endless negotiations later he accepted Rp 100,000 – very reluctantly.
The Magic Bus, as Julia called it, was a little van that seemed to have been nurtured since the 70′s. It was spacious and relatively comfortable for the 4 of us. The drive to Ubud was scenic and uneventful until a police car pulled up behind us and flashed their lights.
Our driver seemed nervous and stopped his car and the police car stopped in front of us. He got out, stuck his head in their window and returned to the Magic Bus putting his wallet back in his pocket.
We’ve heard of police asking for bribes for all sorts of reasons, but we’ve not come across anything like it until then. We asked him if he had to bribe them and he reluctantly said yes, Rp 20,000 each. We felt bad and decided to tip him Rp 40,000. He was ecstatic when we paid him after he dropped us off in Ubud after a 40 minute odd journey.
Frisbee in Ubud
Julia had read that on the sports field in Ubud they play frisbee every Sunday from 4 – 6pm. We stood on the only sports field in Ubud at about 5pm and only a few kids were playing around.
Not a group to be discouraged by details as minor as this, we whipped out the frisbee once again and started throwing it about the field, me playing with my big back-packs front and back.
Quickly kids who had been playing nearby joined us. A boy with and Irish mom said they knew frisbee as they do sometimes play on this field, however, today there was nobody. As it go dark we realised we hadn’t yet arrange accommodation and should probably do so before it was pitch dark.
Accommodation in Ubud: Dewa Ayu Two
From the field we walked down Jalan Dewi Sita and down Jalan Hanoman where there was a lot of accommodation choices. We had a look at several and finally settled on Dewa Ayu Two as it was already dark.
Once again, cheap (Rp 70,000 per night) and cheerful, the accommodations where modest, but clean and tidy with breakfast and hot water. We dumped our stuff, plugged in our chargers in the only plugs in Bali (it seemed) that didn’t have the sunken hole in which we couldn’t fit some of our two-pin plugs and went out looking for a massage.
Ubud Inn & Spa: Spa Heaven
When in Rome… and thus we looked for a Balinese Massage. By now it was quite late and we had a beautiful pizza at equally beautiful bungalows at Artini 2 Cottages & Spa. The accommodation was well beyond our budget, but the food was not and the pizza came topped with generous amounts of mushrooms, bacon and ham.
We purposefully kept the meal light as we were gunning for a massage and didn’t want to do it on full stomachs. But, did we find out, many spa’s close at 8pm and we were on the wrong side of the clock.
A little past Monkey Forest we stumbled upon the Ubud Inn and Spa. Julia and Pip cajoled the manager into arrange a massage for us and 20 minutes later we were experiencing our first Balinese Massage in Bali.
We also met Neoman – a burly bloke who said he’s security, masseuse, driver and pretty much anything else the hotel needed him to be. He was the man who could organise motorbikes for us. Rp 30,000 per bike later, we zoomed out of the Ubud Inn & Spa.
Jazz Cafe Ubud
Julia got a tip from the guy who had arranged the massages that apparently the Jazz Cafe in Ubud was the place to be for a chilled night and good food. We effortlessly found our way around the easy streets of Ubud and moments later drove down Jalan Sukma and found Jazz Cafe.
Jazz Cafe is bar / lounge / restaurant with traditional tables around a dance floor and raised platform for on-the-floor seating and dining around low tables. Stretching towards the back in the luscious gardens where more raised platforms for small intimate settings, a truly enchanting venue.
We were just too late for dinner so enjoyed drinks instead, listening to the last set of a pretty decent Salsa Band, watching Ubud’s expats and tourists-in-the-know enjoy the wine and dance.
Hunger pangs drove us to look for food. At past midnight it seemed Ubud had shut down and there was no more visible life. A drive to the edges of town revealed a loud-sounding venue, but none of us were in the mood for loud music.
At Hibiscus Restaurant, where there was lights and music, but no customers, 2 giddy waitresses made us the centre of their attention and literally cooked up some snacks for us.
After that, the only alternative was to head home and sleep.