Later, several prominent European artists settled here, who made a great contribution to the development of local art, as well as to the discovery of Balinese culture to the Western world. Today Ubud is a museum, countless galleries, art centers, art schools, temples, cafes and hotels, harmoniously woven into a wreath of lush tropical vegetation.
I really wanted to visit this town last year, but then it was not possible to do it - our route, which was chosen by the guide, passed nearby, but we never entered the city. This time we chose the day and purposefully went to Ubud by taxi. I must say that I was not at all disappointed. I imagined him a little differently, but in reality he turned out to be no worse than my fantasies.
On the way from the south coast of the island, various pictures flash from the car window: chic mansions in a traditional style and shabby shacks, flowering trees and mountains of garbage with thin cows grazing on them, noisy intersections with a rumble from hundreds of mopeds, muddy canals and foamy mountain rivers ... With the approach to Ubud, the road becomes narrower, winds steeper along the natural hills, landscapes change before our eyes. Densely along the road are beautiful houses of artists and sculptors, they are also showcases for the sale of works. Greenery grows thicker, closing over the road, and roadside debris is less and less common. Dense thickets are interspersed with bridges hanging high above the picturesque cliffs and overlooking the vast expanses of rice fields.
In Ubud, we visited two temples, a museum of traditional Balinese art, walked through the artist's village and got lost :) The route according to the guide was supposed to take us along a walking path in the jungle and take us out to the most successful viewpoint of the rice terraces. But “something went wrong” we did not turn on the right road in time and went the other way. As a result, almost all our way went along the road, along which it is not very convenient to walk, since there is no sidewalk in the project, and the road with heavy traffic winds through rough terrain. Nevertheless, the views around the road were still beautiful, and the terraces were even more picturesque (according to the guidebooks) we saw on another day with a guide.
The Puri Lukisan Museum is adjacent to the temple. It consists of three rather deserted small buildings located in a beautiful garden. We practically did not see people in the museum. The exhibition features paintings in the traditional style, depicting mainly scenes from a religious epic, as well as skillful wood carvings. Follow the link to see photos of some of the exhibits, but of course they do not fully convey the beauty.
