Bali - Part 2: Ubud and Central Bali

We spent the second half of our time in Bali in Ubud, which is the art and cultural heart of the island. It's also physically located right in the middle of Bali. On the drive to Ubud, we stopped in numerous "villages" to check out the local wares for which they are famous. This included Mas for wood cravings, Celuk for silver, and another whose name I forget for Balinese paintings. First, I must admit that these were not quite the villages I imagined from India, but more like small towns with lots of shops along the main road. Many of the ones we stopped in targeted tourists and I didn't get the feeling they were very "authentic."

But that didn't stop us from shopping. We bought a lot of silver jewelry (for me) and some artwork that we have yet to frame and hang on the walls. People say that prices are really inflated and you should bargain hard. But we they said this, I bet they didn't imagine running into Ani, king of bargaining. Ani is obviously no stranger to bargaining and after each of our purchases, Ani left with a smile and the retailers appeared exhausted.

After our successful purchases, we finally located our small hotel, which was on the outskirts of town. It took a few phone calls and several stops to ask for directions, but we eventually made it to Amori Villa. One of the latest trends in Bali is that foreigners buy houses and convert them into bed and breakfasts. This results in places that can really cater to the tastes and needs of tourist, but it also means that less businesses are locally owned. Fortunately, all businesses must have a local partner, so there's some aspect of sharing in the success.

One regret was that we had a packed schedule and didn't have as much time as we would have liked to enjoy the peacefulness of the surroundings at Amori Villa. Nonetheless, we did enjoy the time we had there among the limited five bedrooms.

One of the highlights of the entire trip was my birthday dinner at Mozaic in Ubud. Thanks to my meticulous planning, I made a reservation two months in advance. And fortunately for us, Mozaic lived up to the hype and we were amazed with an incredible 7-course meal. I must confess that I don't remember everything we dined on, but I remember that the pork belly dish (no surprise there if you know my love of bacon) was my favorite among many tasty dishes. The staff was amazing. The service was impeccable, and they even offered to tweak the set menu around my food allergies. The final result was wonderful. If we'd had more time in Ubud, we probably would have gone back for another visit, and I highly recommend that future Bali travels spend the time and money dining at this restaurant which is the only one in Indonesia to be named one of Les Grandes Tables du Monde.

The following day we ventured out on a half-day bicycle tour around Ubud with Banyan Tree Cycling Tours. We were picked up from our hotel around 7am and whisked up Mt. Kintamini. After about an hour (during which we managed to get in some extra rest), we picked out our bicycled and headed off - fortunately downhill. The bike tour proved to be a great way to see the countryside. As we pedaled along, we stopped in a village home, a village temple and walked through rice fields.

If you think those are ominous clouds in the background, you are right. We soon found ourselves in a middle of a torrential downpour. During the last hour of the tour, we ended up pedaling through lots of mud on our way to the final destination - lunch.

The next day I rallied to take a cooking class at the Ubud institution, Cafe Wayan. The classes are actually held at their sister restaurant, Laka Leke. After arriving a bit late (I live in India afterall), I met my fellow classmates and jumped into preparing several favorite Balinese dishes. We tackled the staple, nasi goreng, as well as Balinese chicken salad, Balinese prawns, chicken curry, and two desserts, black pudding and banana caramel.

I can happily report that the lesson didn't go to waste. The chicken curry has become a regular on our dining room and I've also made nasi goreng and the banana caramel a few times.

Photos of the food: Clockwise from top right: Chicken Curry, Banana Carmel, Balinese Prawns, Nasi Goreng

New Year's Eve was our last night in Bali and we celebrated at Indus, another Ubud institution. The owner of Indus is Janet De Neefe, author of Fragrant Rice and an Australian who has made Bali her home. A note for future Bali travelers: Janet De Neefe also offers cooking classes and market tours, but I read before the trip and heard from others while in Ubud that her classes are less hands on than the one I took with Cafe Wayan.

In any case, here's a photo of us ringing in 2010 at Indus...

...And saying goodbye to Bali (Until our next trip)!