“Om Suastiastu” (“peace and greetings from God”, as the Balinese would say to greet you),
I am very well aware of the fact that it’s been a while since I visited this stunning Indonesian Island, but I couldn’t keep the million pictures I took to myself, plus you guys requested a travel guide to Bali. Therefore, I liztened (yes, pun intended) and I am beyond excited to share my adventures in Bali with you all! Looking through all of the photos again made me reminiscent of my unforgettable Summer, traveling to Asia and immersing myself into the local culture. Before I take you guys along for the ride of your life, make sure to check out my previous Bali post, in case you haven’t yet: here.) Alright Lizteners, I hope you’re ready to be stunned! Keep on scrolling to see my favorite sites in Ubud, Bali.
Ubud could be considered the most tropical region in Bali and I was lucky enough to have my hotel located within this area. If it wasn’t enough waking up everyday with a view of the most astonishing palm forest, the city center of Ubud has quite a few things to offer as well: Starting off with the oh-so-famous Ubud market. Now idk if you’ve been to markets in the South of France, but if you think that those are crazy, you clearly haven’t been to Asia yet. Since I love a good market or two where I can test my bargaining skills, this felt right up my alley (& yes I totally snatched a few of those bags for an amazing deal for my friends and me – I felt victorious to say the least). In between the tourists, cars, motorcycles and wild dogs ruling the traffic, I highly recommend wandering the narrow streets of Ubud center and checking out their local temples, art museums and amazing restaurants (For my fellow vegans: you will thank me later as Bali is vegan heaven). Fun fact: There are about 20,000 temples in Bali alone. Also, keep in mind that while Indonesia is the largest Muslim country, Bali happens to be almost 100% Hindu, so be aware of the fact that the Balinese lifestyle, which is heavily related to their beliefs is very different from the natives on mainland Indonesia.
After you’ve walked the busy streets, getting hunted down by some local trying to sell you either a $1 fresh coconut (never pass that up btw), some artwork or taxi service, it is nice to escape the craziness and take a walk along the Campuhan Ridge Walk. The scenery along the rice fields is absolutely jaw-dropping, especially during sunset: Be prepared to get transported into another world.
Another absolute necessity when you’re in Ubud is to visit the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Since monkeys are holy in Bali, protecting the temples inside the forest, these small but feisty creatures are well aware of their status and are pretty mean to say the least. I saw them stealing everything from visitors’ sunglasses to water bottles to scarves. So when the guides tell you to keep your belongings in your bag, just listen to them (unless ofc you want your newest Céline sunnies to get stolen by a monkey – your call). If you’re feeling extra brave and wanna show off on your insta feed, you can buy bananas at the park and have the monkeys climb up your body to steal it from you (trust me when I say these guys are always hungry and they come jumping out of every corner).
I can’t stress enough of the importance of finding a driver in Bali because there is no way that you, as a tourist accustomed to Western standards of driving can keep up with the Balinese style of managing traffic (if you think you can, think again). Anyways, that was just a little insider tip 😉 Once you’ve found your driver, make sure to have him take you to the Tegalalang Rice Terrace. Although Bali is covered in rice fields that are currently still ‘in-use’, this one unfortunately isn’t anymore, but nonetheless worth visiting!! Whenever I have people visiting Luxembourg, the first thing they compliment us on is how green our country is. Well folks, I’m sorry to stab my own peeps in the back, but once you visited Ubud, it kinda puts all other ‘green’ places to shame.
Right next to the Tegalalang Rice Terrace is a Luwak Coffee plantation. Now if you’re as indifferent about coffee as me, you probably didn’t know that Bali coffee or more specifically Luwak coffee is the most expensive in the world. How so? Well, the coffee beans are being eaten by a cat-like animal called civet cat or Luwak, which are then being digested and secreted. The Luwak’s poop essentially is then being cleaned and sold as ‘kopi luwak‘ aka Luwak coffee. Although I don’t drink coffee, both my brother and dad reassured me of its very rich and strong taste. Short supply and high demand is what drives up this product’s rarity. After visiting the plantation, which btw was free of charge, we were graced by a taste testing of their coffee and their wide variety of teas (you guys I had the pleasure to taste about 12 different freshly-made teas; that’s my kind of turn-up).
Outfit #1:
Dress: Club Monaco
Outfit #2:
Dress: Acne Studios
Outfit #3:
Dress: Abercrombie & Fitch