4-days in Ubud (The Cultural Hub of Bali, Indonesia)

So here we are, we made it to Indonesia and we left Jits, our van, in Europe whilst it's just us now with our backpacks here on this beautiful island. So it's very exciting times and scary times for us because we now have to think about booking transportation, paying for accommodation, which is stuff that us van lifers are not used to, but the fear has now dissipated and it's just exciting and we are loving it over in this part of the world. So this is our first film because we've been so busy just out and about filming it, exploring and recording our podcast, which if you haven't you should check out, we'll of course leave a link in the description. And our first film is Ubud, which is the first place we visited and we had such an incredible time there, so we really, really hope that you enjoy this film. And if you do, make sure to give this film a thumbs up, share it with a friend, it helps us out more than you know and we're just really excited to have you along with us on this backpacking trip. Yeah, so let's take you back to our incredible time in Ubud and I need to put my sunglasses on because I've probably been squinting this whole time. Oh, that's better because it's so bright here. Ubud is known as the cultural capital of Bali. Originally a small hamlet, which served as the centre for traditional medicines, Ubud is now world famous for its rich culture, beautiful scenery and vibrant art scene. We visit the sacred monkey forest, home to over 700 monkeys, where we have our wallet stolen by a very cheeky local. He's got your wallet. We explore some of the tracks and rice fields and witness a moment of tradition at a sacred temple. So a nice early start and we are off to Ubud. We took a taxi with our driver Neoman, who would quickly become not only our go-to driver, but a guide and a friend. On the drive to Ubud, we stopped for a coffee tasting where we tried all sorts of flavoured coffee and tea, such as durian fruit coffee, dark local coffee and mangosteen fruit tea. This one is vanilla coffee. It just tastes like a sweet. It's just so nice. The tasting was free, with the option to buy something to take home at the end. We picked up the mangosteen tea, which was once forbidden for anyone outside of royalty. Okay, Mr Adam, thank you so much. Thank you very, very much. We checked into our lovely little B&B, which only cost us £21 for the night. So first impressions of Ubud are that it is beautiful, it's very green and there are lots of quiet backstreets and our little accommodation place looks incredible. First stop is food because we're a little bit delayed because of the coffee. So breakfast energy has kind of worn off, so we're going to get some food, then we're going to explore. We stopped off at one of Ubud's most popular vegan restaurants and soon found out why it had such great reviews. How do you like the food? It's perfect. Look at this goodness. Look at the colour of that dragon fruit as well. Silly. So beautiful. So happy. Ubud. I could live in Ubud already. I've been here for two hours, not even an hour. And I could live here. So here we are in the monkey forest and it does not disappoint, we've already seen so many monkeys. The monkeys were dotted around everywhere. We were literally walking around them. It was such a pleasure to observe them. Their mannerisms, features and personalities. You can really see how they're just one evolutionary step away from us. This is absolutely amazing guys, honestly. I love it so much. They're so close. It's not an issue if you're thinking, oh will we see a monkey in the monkey forest? You will. It's such good value for money. And they live here. Yeah, they live here. And it's not scary at all until just then down that path. We were the only humans and we were a bit like, hmm, maybe it's a little bit nervous because there's not other humans around for them to go and be cheeky towards. But yeah, it's just absolutely amazing and such a great experience. Yeah, look at all the monkeys. Look at them all. Look at them. And this baby's having a little scrap. Oh my God. One thing we've learned, no eye contact. No eye contact. Oh my God. Look at them all. I'm surrounded by monkeys. Oh, look at the baby. Although close to the center of Obed, the forest is over 30 acres. So there is a lot of space for the monkeys to be away from us humans. So the monkeys are very unintimidating. It doesn't feel scary at all. But you do have to avoid eye contact and not smile at them because they think of that as a sign of aggression, which makes sense, right? Showing your teeth. That's what they do for aggression. So aggressive. That's so aggressive. We soon found out that even if you do obey those rules, we're not spared from the particularly cheeky monkeys. Oh my God. A little cheeky monkey went and he was trying to grab something from my bag. Luckily, everything is safe. But still, you have to keep an eye out. They're very cheeky. Oh, here's a cheeky one now. What's the cheeky one doing? Look, look, look, look, look. Oh my God, he's on my leg. Oh my God, he's on you. He's on me, he's on me. Oh my God. Cheeky monkey. I have to stay calm. Just stay calm. I have to stay calm. Stay calm. He's just having a look in your bag. Okay, he's got his hand in your bag. Oh my God. Oi, cheeky monkey. Oi. He's got your wallet. Oh my God, what? And he's running away with your wallet. Oh my God, Adam. What? What can I do? Why didn't you just... Adam, that is... It's okay, it's okay. Just keep an eye on him. You want some food? He can't eat that. Excuse me. He took our wallet. Okay. What did he say? He's got me. Okay, thank you. Oh my God. He's coming up again. Let's just close your bag. Yeah, it's closed. Yeah. He's got... He has our card. That's our Monzo card. He's got our Monzo card. Oh my God. He's got our Monzo card. Oh no. Thank you. Okay, wow. Well saved. Thank you. Wow. He's literally... He literally came and... He opened the bag and stole the wallet. And now we have the wallet back. Thank you very much. You're welcome. No worries. Do they often open zips? Pardon? Do they often open zips? Some monkeys can open. Yeah. The clever cheeky ones. But no, I had no food. Just money. So the monkey will try to open all the zips. Because they'll think there's food inside. Yeah. Thank goodness. There was a ranger here. And then they knew how to shoo them away. But I was thinking that's us gone now. We will have no money. All you needed to do was run into the forest. All you needed to do was run into the forest and then take your wallet and then it's gone. Yeah. But they know how to open zips. They're so smart. So we didn't bring any food. We didn't have anything ice. You think you're safe. But they're very smart. So just watch out. And this comes just after we were saying how unintimidating it was and how fine it was. Yeah. No, they were fine. But I did think like, oh God, our money. There you go. So there is a monkey crossing the road. I just want to demonstrate here how there is the monkey forest or jungle, monkey jungle forest. And here is like a main road with shops and things. It's just right there. It's right in the middle of the town. So in case any of you were looking for a great banking card recommendation, either in life or in traveling, we really cannot recommend the Monso card enough. Adam and I have been using it for the last four or five years and it's brilliant. Love their online app. It's so easy to see how much we're spending, especially when we're abroad. And yeah, they're just brilliant. Great customer service. This isn't sponsored, but if you are looking for a card, if you sign up with our referral code, which is linked in the description, you'll get a Fiverr and we'll get a Fiverr. So I thought I'd just mention it. Abu Dhabi is considered to be Bali's center of arts and culture. As well as temples, beautiful architecture and dance, there are several markets brimming with artwork. And as I found out, the art market is a great place to get a massage. I'm off for a half hour back massage here in the market. Enjoy. See you in half an hour. So I just want to show you the place that Tanya's gone to get her massage. Here's the market, the chaos of the market. And then you come through this gateway into a little peaceful oasis. Look at that. How was it? That was actually the best massage I've ever had in my life. Wow. Really? Yeah. I was just so impressed. That is a hell of a review. I really, really recommend this. Great, great. You look very relaxed. I am. Very relaxed. So since discovering Gado Gado, it is our local favorite. Creamy, peanut sauce, veggies, tofu, tempeh, all of it. It's the sauce. The sauce is the best thing. If you like peanut sauces, this is the one. Nom, nom, nom. Love all the yellow. Yeah. How much do you want? This is such a special place. It's so green. Yeah, literally just outside of Ubud, there is this tiny little two kilometer kind of trek, they call it, through all of this green with this amazing architecture. And there are little rice fields and rice paddies at the end. It just looks so picturesque. And again, like a 15, 20 minute walk from our accommodation in the center of Ubud. The dream. Ubud is so cool. The Champuhan Ridge is one of the most popular treks in Ubud, and it's easy to see why. It's a gentle walk, beautiful, and well paved. A perfect escape from the busy streets of Ubud. What an absolutely perfect little spot for us to have our coconuts. We just ordered two coconuts from the fridge, and they are actually cheaper up here than they are from the little place down at the bottom. And you don't get much better than this, the view, like absolutely perfect, isn't it? It's really reminding us of Costa Rica. Yeah, it is. Lolly, and then carry on to the rice fields. I can't believe we've had to take a break for a two kilometer trek. It's because it's so hot. And we haven't had to take a break. We chose to take a break, just to be clear. And why wouldn't you? You can have a coconut here. It suits you. I think it probably does suit me, doesn't it? Yeah, thumbs up if this suits Adam. What a perfect, perfect little stroll this has been. We've just been next to these picturesque rice paddies, and it's just been so green and so lush, and the perfect way to spend the day, and we can highly, highly recommend it. And now we've ended up in a village where there's so much to do. There's spas, there are massages, there's coconuts, there's brilliant food. And that's what we're going to do. Check out this spot. This is where we're going to have lunch. We stopped at this beautiful little restaurant to escape the heat of the sun and get our energy back. Yummy! Yay! Mappy is sorting us out. Thank you. This one, the gado gado. Look at that. Thank you so much. Looks so good. Yeah. One gado all already complete, yeah? Yes, that is everything. Enjoy your lunch. Yay! Thank you. Bye! Thank you. It also happened to be a perfect spot for a quick nap. Adam's off to the toilet. Very interesting. Look at that. So we are here at one of the holiest temples in the whole of Bali. And it's really interesting. Loads of locals come here to collect the holy water. And it's genuinely considered a very sacred place. Dating back to 926 AD, Tirta Ampul is a Hindu Balinese water temple, famous for its holy water. Balinese Hindus visit for a ritual of purification. Today was a full moon, so it's particularly busy. Even though it's open for tourists and anyone can visit, it hasn't lost its authenticity. The energy and respect shown to the sacred temple was palpable. The warmth and generosity of the Balinese people is perfectly demonstrated by the free fruit on offer to anyone, regardless of religion or nationality. So we've just learned that this is an offering to anyone. It's welcome here if they need fruit. They can just pick up fruits or snacks or anything like this. So this is really a place of welcoming people. I will try something. Oh, I like the snake fruit. Thank you. This is so kind. Oh, a banana. Thank you. Behind us here, this is the holy water and it's absolutely beautiful. I wasn't expecting it to look like this. It's stunning. And all of these walls around here are the originals from over a thousand years ago. Which is absolutely incredible because often, when you're in places like this, they'll say like, it's behind barriers or do not touch. For example, there's like gold that is adorning the buildings, the temples, and they're still intact because people really respect things here. So it's just, it's just like traveling back in time. It's amazing. Yeah. Look at it. Look how beautiful it is, the details. So here, everyone's bathing under different water to just eliminate themselves of any bad karma or spirit. And yeah, they're just bathing in holy water. Apparently it's very cold and it's also really busy because of it's a cold moon. But it's amazing. I'm starting to feel things already. So I'm not a religious person at all, but being here, like the energy and the vibe, it's just so nice and it really shows the best of religion and the beauty of religion. And just, it's just so nice to be around. It's so nice to witness. And because it's all about caring and it's all about sharing and just looking after one another, it's just feels really, really pure. And yeah, it's just been such a good experience. On our way out of the temple, we tasted the absolute best gado gado yet, made right there on the floor of the market, followed by coconut with Neoman. So in the short time that we've had in Ubud, we have absolutely fallen in love with it. And we are genuinely already talking about relocating here for a few months because we know there's so much more to the country of Indonesia than just Bali. So there's just so much more that we want to see. And Ubud would just be the perfect place for us to base ourselves and to go off and enjoy and explore. So if you haven't already, please do subscribe, like this video and make sure you're following along because our next film, we go camping out in the jungle. Yay! Join us next time as we explore the wilderness of Bali. We camp by a rainforest and stay with the chief of a small traditional village. Make sure you subscribe to follow along the journey and a huge thanks to our patrons for helping make our films possible.