"All those who love Nature she loves in return, and will richly reward, not perhaps with the good things, as they are commonly called, but with the best things of this world-not with money and titles, horses and carriages, but with bright and happy thoughts, contentment and peace of mind.’ - John Lubbock"
The place I fell in love with two months ago. Actually, every part of Bali stole my heart but Ubud is something special, there is magic going on in Ubud. You’re probably wondering what it is that I find so special about this place, well I’m happy to tell you. I will not give you the tourist information, Google knows everything about that. I would like to tell you about my point of view and what Ubud is giving me.
My first time in Ubud I met a wonderful friend here, we connected right away. So we stayed in touch and later when I came back, he took me into the core of Ubud. A lot of people stayed here that way, a friend introduces them to another friend, takes him to places, connect them with the beautiful but also useful places and in the end, they turned out to stay here.
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People, both locals and foreigners seem more connected with their nature. People live in the present, are enjoying life and are going with the flow. I don’t see people in a rush, most of the people take their time. I love the energy in Ubud, it’s easy going, laid back. That relaxing state of mind is one of the many elements that gives Ubud her wonderful atmosphere.
Ubud is a source of creativity, you can find nature, art and music everywhere. You find beautiful sculptures, colorful, beautiful shapes and artwork everywhere. The beautiful creative Balinese architecture is blowing my mind every day. The smell of incense is everywhere thanks to the ceremonies and offers to the spirits. I’ve come to appreciate the Hindu culture. For me the two most important things are here. There is a close and loving collaboration with nature and I see peace and love in people’s faces.
The nature around and in Ubud is like a painting. Jungle, palm trees, rice fields, rivers, waterfalls, volcanoes and mountains. Some say it’s the volcanoes what makes the island so spiritual. The green trees and plants match perfect with the Balinese shaped orange rooftops. And you should see the temples. Incredible beautiful temples always on the perfect spot in nature. The gardens of the houses and the streets are filled with beautiful different kinds of big green plants en colorful flowers which attract big colorful butterflies and beautiful birds.
Where ever you go, you see and hear the geckos. They are welcomed in the houses and restaurants by people for eating the mosquitos and other insects. Everywhere you look walls are decorated by these beautiful creatures . I find just as beautiful, although I don’t think a lot of people agree with me on that, the mice and rats running around (except in the kitchen). I love to watch a rat sneaking around, looking for food or rushing by on their quick little feet. But also the well-known hard working armies of ants are always too quick to clean up after you ate. In no time you’ll see them marching around on the table, taking the crumbs you left to their underground tunnels. In no time they’re everywhere and I keep on wondering where they’re coming from that quick! A lot of times it looks like they are just running around like crazy madman, but we know better..
In and around the sacred monkey forest sanctuary you see the macaques hanging around on rooftops, on parked motorbikes, chilling on the sidewalks. You can also find them in nature of course. In the mountains, on the roadside, in the jungle. They steel your food in touristic places or other stuff they find interesting, like sunglasses or phones.
There are dogs everywhere, so watch were you are driving, because the dogs really don’t give a shit about where they walk, lie down or play. I’ve been told that the Kintamani mountain dogs, who live in the towns, go back to the mountain to give birth.
I love nature, I respect nature and there is not much in life that can give me more butterflies than nature can. Here in Ubud, people and nature are living in harmony. it makes my heart tremble everywhere I go. For me this is happiness. When you find peace in nature, you worry less about the daily things. Because as long as we live, nature will always be there to find back our peace.
And then the music! The music is everywhere. You can find people jamming every day in different places. Every evening there is an open mic in a different place and during the day there are places where people are jamming or hang out. These two things often go hand in hand. The chemistry the music brings is such an amazing experience. People from all over the world jamming together. Some people already know each other, others don’t. The music connects on a universal level. Some people are here for a couple of days, some for a month or even years and some are here their whole life.
So here I am, having the most complete experience you can imagine. Enchanting beauty for my eyes to see, the sounds of nature and music to fill my ears, the flowers and incense to smell, more than beautiful people to feel and an atmosphere that feeds my soul.
That leaves us with the last part I want to share. What do I get out of this, except a beautiful experience? I am no musician nor an artist. I’ve never had the patience and space for it. Yet here I feel more complete, inspired and welcomed by these amazing creative people that it made me choose to stay here for a couple of months. Here in Ubud I can explore my creativity and my heart is able to flourish. Everything feels pure and intense. It feels like the music is slowly sneaking in my system. And the art everywhere, art by man and nature, is creating new ways in my head. Ubud makes me want to express myself. I feel like I can do everything and I guess for the first time in my life, I feel like I do not need people to confirm my thoughts or idea’s. For me Ubud feels like home. A place where I can be who I am and get the best out of myself.
The world should be like Ubud, where different religions, cultures and backgrounds all come together and live in peace with each other. And all that by using the universal languages: nature, art, music, love and a bit of English.
