Ubud – is it still worth a visit?
I first visited Ubud about 17 years ago, when it was not much more than a village surrounded by beautiful rice terraces. In fact, I stayed in simple accommodation in the midst of a rice paddy and my memory was one of peace and tranquility…
My second visit to Ubud was eight years ago when I visited Bali and Lombok to shoot swimwear and fashion at various locations on both islands. I didn’t stay in the town, but went there for a day to shoot with two models using the famous rice terraces as a location. It was once again a pleasant visit and we didn’t even have to pay to shoot there.
Imagine my surprise then when we entered the now very overdeveloped town of Ubud for my third visit. I can honestly say that I couldn’t recognize the place. The streets are filled with upmarket fashion boutiques and restaurants, and hotels, guesthouses and homestay are a dime a dozen. Mass tourism has most definitely come to Ubud. Large groups of Chinese tourists charged up and down the pavements of four main tourist streets near the centre of town, often forcing us to walk in the street and risk being run over by either a scooter or one of the many tour busses or private taxis which clog up the roads. It was a bit of a shock to say the least.
What was previously a haven for hippies, artists and new age guru’s has taken been completely commercialized now…There are even vegan supermarkets selling overpriced products sourced from countries worldwide. A smoothie bowl can cost more than a main course in one of the trendy vegan restaurants which are found on every street. To be honest, we really hated our first two days in Ubud. Food was overpriced and not particularly good. The taxi mafia have set the cost of a 5min taxi ride at RP 100 000 and chase Grab (Asian Uber) when they stop to pick up customers.We paid Rp150 000 for the trip from Seminyak to Ubud with Grab – they want Rp 400 000 for the return trip! So you either walk, and then get harassed every few meters by a taxi tout, or you pay the extortionate rate. We chose to walk…and by doing so we discovered that the real, old Ubud still exists not too far from the over-touristed centre of town.
We decided not to do one of the typical tours to visit the larger rice terraces outside of Ubud after hearing numerous stories from travelers who had been charged up to Rp 100 000 just to climb up and down a few terraces by aggressive locals. It was obvious that just as in other countries, the most popular attractions have become overcrowded, with visitors being exploited on every turn. To avoid this negative vibe, we decided to rather explore the area around Ubud which we could reach on foot. We had seen this sign while walking in the Main Street…
We followed the path and within 10mins we were in the countryside where I had stayed during my first stay in Ubud. Farmers were out working in the rice paddies, every now and then somebody passed us on a scooter, but it was still tranquil and peaceful.
Along the way we stopped at a cute little wurung called The Orange Blossom for refreshments and a smoothie bowl, which was half the price of those offered in town. The place was very cool, and provided us with several photo opportunities.
We also spotted a little artists studio just off the pathway and decided to pop in for a chat with the resident artist Wes. He showed us some of his work, as well as some amazing paintings by his farmer father. He also introduced us to his daughter, who is studying graphic design and photography. We chatted to them about our travels and the equipment we shoot on, and then continued on our way. It was great to connect to local Balinese on a very creative level like this.
A few minutes later we came across a friendly old man who was busy picking bananas from a tree on his property. He agreed to a quick photo and gave us a big, open smile. Refreshingly he didn’t then ask for money…this was the Ubud I remembered 🙂 We spotted very few other travellers on this walk – I guess most people are either doing the group tours or hiring scooters to explore the countryside by themselves.
The next time we visit Ubud we will definitely find accommodation outside of the town and rent a scooter or car to get around in to avoid the crowded centre with its high prices, touts and tour groups 🙂
