Living in Ubud. Bali Indonesia 8

Living the Ubud life. 

I have never stayed in Ubud for any great length of time. I have stayed at Padma Resort and Gran Bekas but the stays were short. This time it’s already been a few days and I am unsure if it is in my head but sure feels cooler than staying in Jimbaran.  

The other difference is that I am surrounded by small shops. There is a great little place called Coconut Kitchen. It is but two tables, 4 chairs at each table and two ladies in a small kitchen that is no more than four meters by four meters. This would be the outside measurement of this place. 

I kid you not, banana pancakes for $1.50 Canadian dollars. Yes, I hear and see us foreigners brag about cheap food here and there but wow. I had 600ml of coconut water and a pancake for breakfast and it cost $3.50.  

Now these ladies hustle, they have a juicer and people order food online and some will drop by, pay and come back for the juice later. I mean it is hardly worth cracking an egg for the pancake at the prices that they are charging.  

Life here is a little different.  

Ubud is a little bit farther from the airport than most tourist attractions it is busy but only in certain areas. Even though Bali is open people may or may not come this far out on a weekend getaway.  

The recovery is slow, the competition is tough, and life is not easy by any means.  Many shops are still closed, and it is hard to understand how a once so vibrant island is still in recovery.  

This location is home for a month, and I am happy to see the smiling faces of the locals when I enter their establishment. The two ladies that take care of Coconut Kitchen, for example, work long hours and I am sure their profits are slim, but they make a living and support their family, that is what matters.  

Traffic. 

In Bali, traffic is everywhere and even though one would think it should be nearly nonexistent, well one would be wrong. Sure, currently it comes and goes in short spurts. There is a school nearby my place and when school is out, all the parents are right there to pick up the kids.  

I am sure they could walk home like I could walk to the restaurant, the problem is that there is nowhere else to walk except the road. It is risky and for the pile of kids coming out of school to cross the road is kinda scary.  

Rice fields. 

This is one thing I love to see. My view is not of the lush green rice fields at the moment. It is a large muddy puddle; the rice was planted today. Yup watched the 5 men plant away at a rapid pace. By tomorrow they will all be done, and I look forward to the rice field turning green before my eyes this month.  

It is a process I have seen often, men and women planting. However, I never watched the process from the preparation to the finished product. This time I get to see it all. 

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