First impressions of Ubud, Bali

After one full day here, this is what I know.
This is a magical place, steeped in tradition and humidity. Everywhere you go it smells of incense from the offerings littering the sidewalks. The architecture is rich and detailed. The people are polite and friendly. The food is vibrant and delicious. The shopping is unique and inexpensive. There are yoga classes and massages every other block. I never want to leave!!!

After taking a taxi from the airport for 300,000 Indonesian Rupiah (about $25usd) we arrived at the Kunang Kunang Guest House on Jalan Hanoman in Ubud. We are staying here based on a recommendation from a friend and I could not be happier!! At about $30/night it is a little spendy, but we decided to splurge for our first stay here since we will be budgeting most of the time from here on out. There is free breakfast, free wifi, a pool, and the friendliest staff. Plus it is just off the best shopping road overlooking a rice paddy. Glorious!!

After our breakfast of eggs and fruit, we wandered over to the yoga barn for some yoga and lunch. I highly recommend visiting the yoga barn if you visit here. It is a true sanctuary. The open air studios offer the smells and sounds of Bali to drift into your practice. The on site cafe offers the healthiest food and a plethora of fresh juice options. I had stir fried greens with red rice, tempeh, and a ginger miso dressing with a pineapple orange basil whatever juice. Yummmm!

After a change of clothes we wandered the streets and window shopped our way to exhaustion. A fresh coconut break quickly refreshed us for more exploring.

If you can classify a place based in the type if stray animals, Bali belongs with Mexico in the stray dog category as opposed to Hawaii and it’s stray cats. A friend of mine told me Bali was like Australia’s Mexico. This could not be more true! There is a very similar vibe here. I would say it is like a more humid, cleaner, denser version of Mexico with temples everywhere.