Susan Calalay & Bernie PDF Print E-mail
BY SUSANA CALALAY-YNIGUEZ

November 2007
It was Bali or bust for my friend Bernarda and me! After we eagerly packed for our ten-day stay, we decided to find lodgings in Ubud (about 45 minutes ride from Denpasar Airport) after we were told it was the center of art activity in Bali. Kuta was more for beachcombers who love to party and stay out late nights. Ubud as we discovered was more for the laidback crowd
The Bali landscape proved interesting, to say the least. No vacant expanse of land is left idle as all of them are utilized as rice fields that add to the monochromatic shades of the green that cover the vista. Houses are a combination of terracotta, cement and wood. Ubud, where we stayed, is a busy art community.
Since the natives are of Malay origin with their Bahasa dialect having many Filipino words, it wasn’t long before we settled and felt at home with the budget accommodations we reserved through the Internet. Nick’s Home Stay is clean and comfortable . The rate includes a healthy breakfast of tea or coffee with fresh fruits and buttered bread. This was for a room with two beds, toilet and bath with hot water in a duplex cottage setting. I discovered that ‘home stay’ meant staying within the family compound. Every compound contains a family temple at every entrance and endowed with lovely well-tended gardens at the center.
Like the rest of Bali, each compound is a beehive of some kind of family enterprise -- it could be a batik shop, ikat weaving, silver making, cloth dyeing or a restaurant. It is common for a family compound to function as a “home stay” -- like the place where we stayed.

We easily blended into the family set-up especially when my knees became sore on the first day after a long walk. A fall sustained before I left Manila apparently damaged my kneecap making it swell. Concerned about my condition, Yande, the owner’s son and the manager of Nick’s Group of Cottages, called a hilot to tend to me right away. With my knee steeped in BenGay overnight and wrapped in proper bandages, we ventured into town the next day with me using a make-shift bed post as a cane (tungkad it’s called). When Mr. Nick, the owner of Nick’s Cottages, saw this, he immediately sent me a decent cane made of coconut wood which I used—ala Bianca Jagger --- till the end of our stay. One thing I discovered -- the terrain in Bali is not friendly to people with walking difficulties. Seemingly endless stairs by the mountain’s edge brought one to scenic sites and comfort rooms were always a floor above or below where the main activity was taking place.
During our first night in Ubud we were curious participants of a film showing-cum-dinner of organic food hosted by the BaliSpirit Restaurant. This was a preview of a documentary by adventurer Laurence Blair entitled “Myths, Magic and Monsters” soon to be shown on Animal Planet Channel.

His previous work on volcanoes called the “Ring of Fire” was shown on Discovery Channel. People sat around on the wide yoga floor as he explained the efforts that went into the making of the film. He held captive a group of expats that seemed, to me at least, to dominate that kind of community set-up.
Other evenings we spent watching stage performances at the Royal Palace that showed excerpts from Ramayana and Mahabharata tale. Here they danced their traditional Legong or their Ke Cak dance, a show of dancing men screaming ‘kechak’ in rhythm from beginning to end.

Every other morning, we took short visits to the neighboring villages of Ubud. This came as a welcome relief for me because it meant riding and not putting pressure on my knee. We would rent a car from Nick’s Pension- a more upscale version of their Home Stay. Car rentals vary from 200-300 Rupiah (P500/100,000) depending on how long the trip would take. Everything in Ubud is negotiable- even taxi fares. Our first visit was to Celok -the silver smithing district. The small shops turned out to offer better buys for tourists than the big factories where bargaining can be tedious and unpleasant.
Worth seeing is the Gunung Batur Volcano known for its beautiful sunrise. The younger set would dare trek in the early morning just to catch the sunrise. Beside it is a lake that mirrors this morning event. It’s a tourist restaurant set in a ridge just like Tagaytay if you want to linger and eat lunch. I would suggest that you go to the smaller restaurants near the periphery of this site where the same view is offered for a less costly meal. Better yet, come early so you can leave before lunch. The vendors along the way can be irritating.

One interesting sidelight was when we visited the different 5-star accommodations that had been featured in design books. Among them are the Four Season’s Resort, Amandari Resort, Royal Pita Maha Resort and the Como Shambala Estate where the basic attraction is the natural breathtaking view of the mountain enhanced by the sprawling architecture. All worthy of the fee they charge (range of $500-$2000 plus a day) depending on the quality of services rendered. A spa may offer yoga, ayurvedic medicine consultation and individual cleansing program. The comfort of Paradise is indeed costly these days.
For us, Nick’s Home Stay became our Paradise. Here we heard the birds chirping and children’s laughter in the yard every morning, their cries during baths and the occasional giggle of your neighbor in the adjoining room at night. Geckos croak nightly in staccato rhythm that lull one to sleep. Breakfast was served at a small patio facing the other duplex rooms
In between our sightseeing days, we looked into courses offered for half a day. Among them were Batik Making, Balinese Cooking, Balinese Dancing and Silver Jewelry making. We opted to try the silver jewelry class. So there we were --- grinding, drilling and heating silver for half a day. I was happy with the fish pendant I designed myself while Bernarda did her interpretation of the kalachuchi flower.

If you like art, museums and galleries abound everywhere. Check the Blanco Museum at Raya Ubud St.- very interesting, or the Arman Museum in Pengosekan Road for contemporary and traditional art, or the Neka Museum in Sanggingan Road.
Excellent cuisine is found everywhere. Many foreigners who own restaurants offer a fusion of culinary delights bringing together certain native dishes and the sophisticated European cuisine. This successful venture has made regular restaurants (Warung) infinitely interesting. Their local version of our lechon is called Babi Guleng but our version appears more sinfully appetizing. To die for is the Bebek Betutu. The best we tried was at Nick’s Pension. We had to order it a day before and it came with some chopped vegetables of beans and spiced kamansi.

The duck dish wrapped in native leaves was cooked slowly for about 8 hours and buried in the embers of rice husks. It was delicately spiced and melted in our mouths. The joints of the feet crumble as you suck on it. This goodbye meal served before we left proved befitting of fanfare. I wanted to pack what was left after dinner but I was too embarrassed to ask so I just ate till satiated. It was not cheap but well worth it.

If you do decide one day to take a trip to Ubud, Bali do not hesitate to get in touch with Yande Budiyasa, manager of Nick’s Homestay. He can be reached though his email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call [--]. You have a choice to stay at the Homestay or may want to check out Nick’s Pension or Hidden Cottages if you are traveling with your family. The pension offers more amenities than the Homestay. There is a pool, access to the Internet and room service. For trips to the outskirts, everything can be arranged and negotiated --- that’s Bali for you.
Forget TV if you are vacationing in Bali. Instead immerse yourself in the culture. You can even join temple celebrations provided you wear the right attire. We did and it was fun.
 
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Nicks Hotel Ubud