Ubud information
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| The village of Ubud is a center for art, dance, handicraft and culture. It has been popular with tourists since the 1930's, and while it has grown considerably in the last 10 years, one is still a stones throw from rice paddies at almost any place in the village.
The temples, market, and local warungs (restaurants for the local people) have not changed too much in effect. The market has seen a lot of construction and dislocation, but the stalls are much the same. Tourist items, packaged food and hardware are the only real changes you will see. Fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, medicines, offerings are sold in stalls not much different from those of 15 years ago. Sophisticated shops and fine restaurants are one of the benefits of both the tourism and the quantity of expatriates living near Ubud. In the past 5 years shops have sprung up carrying clothing designed by westerners or western-influenced Indonesians, manufactured locally using local or imported materials. This is vastly different from what was available in the early '90s: shorts, tee shirts, sun dresses and shirts, mostly batiked or tye-dyed, and the same goods from one shop to the next. Now, in addition to the huge and wonderful selection of carving, weaving and painting available in shops, one can find clothing as individual and fine quality as anywhere, at much smaller expense. There are at least 10 or 15 very fine restaurants in and around Ubud, with at least 20 more good ones. Cuisine ranges from Balinese through Sumatran, Indian, Japanese, European (many regions and countries), and American. Typically, the finest restaurants are owned partially or entirely by westerners, who understand the mysteries of western cooking and have trained the staff to western standards. Indonesian restaurants (warungs) are wonderful, but both the food and service are not what the well traveled visitors are accustomed to. I recommend giving it a try, though. Food is always fresh, and in a dependable restaurant, safe to eat without concern. Water should always be bottled or boiled. Salads in a fine restaurant are normally safe. Fruit should be washed or peeled. Normal precautions for the traveler will prevent problems. Ubud also has several stores carrying a wide range of goods important to tourist and expat alike. Books, maps, western snacks and food, soft drinks, beer and liquor, photo finishing, film, cameras and supplies, medicines and personal items are all available. This is a far cry from the "good old days" when there were no telephones and electricity was off for hours every day, and if you didn't bring it, you didn't have it! To keep one healthy and beautiful, there are a number of spas, beauty and massage salons, and massage specialists. |
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