Things To Do In UBud
Visit The ARMA Museum
The ARMA museum is a large Art Gallery spanning two buildings set in beautiful gardens. The buildings are a good example of traditional Balinese architecture. One building houses an extensive collection of traditional Balinese art from historical times to the present showing the way Balinese drawing and painting has changed over the years. The second houses a collection of contemporary Balinese art and some work by western artists who have been influenced and inspired by Bali. Entry fee is INR 80 000 but when you do my Linocut retreat in Bali, you have free unlimited entry . The surrounding gardens are also beautiful and you can stop at the ARMA kafe or the ARMA Thai restaurant for lunch.
The word ARMA stands for Agung Rai Museum of Art and Mr Agung Rai built the resort to fund the Museum and the ARMA’s cultural projects. The museum holds the families’ impressive private collection of artwork – mostly paintings and drawings. Mr Agung Rai built his fortune selling Balinese Art to foriengers in the 1970’s and has even bought significant historical Balinese artworks back from the Dutch, so he could return them to Bali, a legacy of the time when the Dutch were a colonial power in Indonesia.
The ARMA museum is important to the cultural fabric of Ubud, offering free dance lessons to local children, you can often see them practicing on Sunday mornings in the museum lobby. This is the venue where I run my linocut workshop, but the ARMA also runs art classes in traditional Balinese arts. Many people who have attended my workshop have attended a Batik or Balinese painting class on the free day. I really enjoyed the Batik workshop at ARMA. Many visitors who are staying other parts of Bali come to see the beautiful museum and grounds for a day trip.
To book one of the ARMA classes you need to give them 2 days notice, classes are not run at set times but are organised when booked, you may even get a private lesson if no one else wants a class at that time. See the link here – https://www.armabali.com/museum/cultural-workshops/
Jewellery Workshop at Chez Monique in Ubud
Many of the people who have come to my linocut workshop have done this jewelry workshop in Ubud on the free day. It is owned by Wayan Sunarta and his wife Monik . They run the classes from the family home, so you also get to see a bit of Balinese life. Everyone I know who has done it has really enjoyed the process and I must say they have made some beautiful looking pieces. People have made some lovely pendants and rings. You can also commission them to make a special piece for you if you want something made to order. You can see more images and information here on their website.
Please note there have been cases of fraudulent third parties who have created false booking pages, so best to book when you arrive.
Sound Healing at the Pyramids of Chi
This is a group sound healing event. Inside the pyramid the floors are covered with mattresses to lie down on and room for lots of people. There are many traditional instruments in the center. One time I went and it was full, the other time there was lots of space, how many people were participating didn’t seem to affect the experience. Each time I have been there was a different healer, each had their own style; they talked a bit about their background and what to expect at the beginning. I enjoyed listening to them both.
You lie down with your eyes closed and the sounds begin. It is not music, as such in a western sense (but that could be debated). My understanding is that they have combined the sound healing of many different cultures and traditional instruments including didgeridoo, gongs, chimes, shakers etc into one experience, with voice too. It was absolutely mesmerizing. One time I had tears flowing without sadness and I felt a huge emotional release. The other time was less dramatic and more peaceful but no less profound. I would absolutely recommend it. Even if you aren’t into this kind of stuff -try it, just lie down and rest, you may feel relaxed, and peaceful. I felt completely blissed out.
They have daily group healing sessions and other events, see their website for details, I would suggest book before you make the trip https://pyramidsofchi.com/
Downhill Bike Ride from Kintamani to Ubud
This is a great way to see parts of Bali you wouldn’t normally see, you notice things from a bike you wouldn’t see in a car and you are right there in the landscape. Its a fantastic experience riding through villages and rice fields. Several people from my workshops have done this bike ride on the free day and I did it a few years ago with my family. I went with Biak Bike, (whoever you choose make sure you book directly with the tour operator rather than a third party.) Biak Bike is a family run business but there are other businesses offering what is essentially a very similar trip. See trip advisor for reviews.
You are picked up from your accommodation early and bused up the hill to Kintamani to have breakfast, we went to a restaurant that had a view of the Kintamani Volcano it was quite spectacular, looking at the Biak Bike itinerary however this may have changed and you now have breakfast in the traditional Balinese home of the owner.
Everyone is measured for a mountain bike that will be the right size and after breakfast, the downhill ride begins. The staff were incredibly helpful and it is a very relaxed ride that continues on a gentle downhill slope so it’s not at all taxing (you will use your breaks more than the pedals). Some of the views are incredible and you get to see snippets of daily life; we were lucky enough to see a duck owner bringing his ducks into the rice field to eat the insects and pests. There are plenty of photo opportunities and other short stops and explanations of cultural practices along the way. The tour finishes with a late lunch of traditional home cooked food in a Balinese family compound, so you get to see how the extended family live together in traditional Balinese society too. By the way, our lunch was amazingly good too. A great day out (from 8am to 4pm).
The Campuhan Ridge Walk
The Campuhan Ridge Walk is really amazing.
When you are in Ubud and you’ve had enough of gourmet food and shopping this walk is a great way to see the type of scenery Bali is famous for. And as you can see from the photos the views are well worth it.
But it’s not like an Australian bushwalking experience, a lot of the track is paved, which is not really what I expected. We also passed a few houses and accommodation places along the way, and other walkers too, apparently there are some less-known walks if you prefer something off the beaten track (literally).
