Bali H'ai May Call You...It May Not

March 15, 2025

Time passes.  Places change. I know that.  And for the most part, I am okay with it.  Far be it from me to begrudge a neighborhood for prospering and developing.  Of course it stings a bit when the small, one road town you knew as Chang Mai, Thailand has become an unrecognizable, but thriving metropolis with tall buildings and a bustling economy in the past 30 years sicne you've been there.  

For the most part, the mountain enclave of Ubud on the island of Bali is how Francesca and I remember it from 2010 when we were last here.  It's still that lush, green wonderland that I fell in love with - the serence rice fields, the small, narrow stone paths that meander between buildings and the ubiquitous yoga and meditation centers.  It was, and is, such a magical, ethereal place. 

Having said, that.....all of that ethereal magic has been tainted by the massive influx of scooters that buzz about the place.  There were scooters here 15 years ago to be sure, but not nearly the amount there are today.  Add to that all of the Grab scooters - Grab is the Uber of Southeast Asia - and you have, at best, a major nussiance when walking anywhere and, at worst, a moving death trap. 

And even though I enjoy walking along the roads into town, I get that pedestrians are 2nd class citizens there, but try and escape to the rice fields to stroll along the single person stone walking trails and you will be besiged by motorscooters of all types - Grabs carrying passengers, tourists self driving scooters and the ever present workers carrying awkwardly heavy loads to lord knows where in the middle of nowhere.  

That said, we did manage to enjoy ourselves in Ubud for the month we were there. We did a LOT of walking, and got to know all of the rice field trails, and even hiked up Mt. Batur in the middle of the night to catch a spectacular sunrise.  

The Monkey Forest Sanctuary is always a crowd pleaser even though they have become more strict with the feeding of, and interacting with, the monkeys than they were 15 years ago. 

Dan also took the opportunity to start a health campaign that included excercise - It was fun to run through the rice fields - healthy eating - easy to do in Bali - and a dabbling into the spiritual arts of yoga, meditation and kirtan.  Click here to read my Travel Stories about practing Yoga at the Alchemy Yoga & Meditation Center ("How Shiva's Rage Improved My Quad Strength") and attening a Kirtan session ("Lost in the Mantra").

The kids had several field trips as well during the month including the delectible Junglegold Chocolate Factory where they learned how organic chocolate is made from local cocoa pods. 

A few more shots of our life in Ubud, Bali in February/March 2025.

Maybe I was a little too harsh on Ubud for all the motorcycles.....or maybe I wasn't.  I think as time passes - it has been about a month since we left Ubud - the bad memories fade, leaving only the positive ones, front and center.  Although when we were there the scooter epidemic was definiltey a thing...and not a pleasurable one.