Since beginning of this February, we have finally moved to the place in Bali that pulled me from Singapore – Ubud. I remember sitting on the porch of a villa in Nyuh Kuning, listening to the birds singing, and absorbing the picturesque garden surrounding us, and thinking: “I could move here, I could live in Bali!”
Jimbaran was a different story, but Ubud is my dream come true.
Not just because we live in a rented double-storey house with a tiny garden & front porch, three bedrooms with ensuite bathroom, an upper terrace, a spacious living area, and an average-sized kitchen.
A huge plus of this house is the fantastic view that greets us every morning. There is also the melodious gamelan music accompaniament of the traditional dance performances from the Pura Dalem thrice weekly at night.
What I love about the location of our home in Ubud is that it is a five minute walk from the front gate to the main road, Jalan Raya Ubud. Turn left towards the market, Royal Palace and soccor field; turn right towards Campuhan, Penestanan and Naughty Nuri’s warung!
Not all places are within walking distance though. Such as the two big supermarkets Delta Dewata and Bintang. Shopping there is a comfort that is reserved for times when the S.O. is available to drive us there.
Otherwise, the domestic help have been instructed to make purchases from pasar Ubud (Ubud market), a 15 minutes walk each way. This is the main market for residents in the villages that comprise Ubud, from Penestanan; Campuhan; to Nyuh Kuning; Kutuh Kaja; & Pengosokan. This is where an Ubudian gets his/her poultry, vegetables, fruit, spices, grains, and other items necessary for cooking.
The Ubud market is split in to two sections and three levels:
Basement level – wet market of meat and vegetables, and food stalls.
1st level – a combination of shops selling souvenirs; made-in-Bali clothing, accessories, home ware and paintings; the dry market where fruit, vegetables and condiments are sold.
2nd level – a combination of shops selling made-in-Bali clothing, accessories, home ware and paintings.
The market is currently known as Pasar Seni Ubud, meaning Ubud art market. Its current name indicates how the pasar has evolved from a traditional local market in to an ‘art’ market catering to tourists hunting for Bali souvenirs.
In fact, there are more shops selling souvenir items than daily groceries! This happened due to the burgeoning tourist numbers that keep coming to the Ubud market.
Even the facade of the market is a testimony to this shift: as you gaze on the market from its exterior, all you see are souvenirs, accessories, bed spreads, home furnishing, and clothing spilling forth from the shops, forming a colourful facade that hides the interior structure of the market.
Interestingly, the tourism that pasar Ubud sees are mainly from Australia, Europe, America, and Japan. Indonesian tourists from Java, Sulawesi and other parts of the country will be brought to the pasar Sukawati instead, an approximate 20-minute drive from pasar Ubud.
What is the difference in the two markets?
Other than the clientele, the biggest difference is the price of items.
The same pair of sandals begin at Rp10,000 (approx. €0.65/ S$1.35) here as compared to Rp15,000 (approx. €1/ S$2) in Ubud.
The same sarong begins at Rp50,000 (approx. €3.365/ S$6.70) here as compared to Rp120,000 approx. (approx. €8/ S$16) in Ubud.
The same t-shirt for kids begins at Rp15,000 here instead of Rp50,000 at Ubud.
Same items made from the same materials from the same factory in Bali, sold at different prices. You get the idea.
This comparison shows the stark reality of how tourism can, and has, driven prices in Ubud up.
For those who are unaware of the situation, the thought of haggling over Rp10,000 difference seems unfair to the locals, even when prices are already low. However, for Bali residents, Rp10,000 is the difference being labelled a savvy shopper or a gullible person whom the shopkeepers can fleece repeatedly.
There is also a rumour that the shopkeepers use different colour plastic bags for spreading the word about a savvy (black) shopper versus a gullible (red) shopper.
Although each time I walk past the pasar there does not seem to be that many red plastic bags in circulation, if this rumour is true, you can hinder it by putting your purchases in to your own canvas or cloth bag, which is what I do. Doing this also helps reduce the use of plastic bags.
The shopkeepers may not be wealthy, but they are certainly not impoverished. They have been in this business for longer than we have been tourists.
So do not worry, go ahead and push prices down by about 30 to 40 per cent of the initial asking price. Most times, you get a better bargain, and the shopkeeper still earns a profit.
Happy pasar shopping!
Insect under a leaf. (Taken on April 3 with my iPhone.)
A view from the path snaking in to the rice paddies behind our home. (Taken on April 8.)
Brought our two dogs along for the walk and they make interesting contrasts of colour and height. (Taken on April 8.)
Fancy stopping for a cuppa and a chat among nature? (Taken on April 8.)
Decorations made for the Balinese festival of Galungan, left to stand until the next one arrives 180 days later. (Taken on April 8.)
A group on a morning walk of the rice field listens intently to their guide’s commentary about the importance of rumahs (houses) in Balinese culture. (Taken on April 8.)
How our row of houses look like from the back. (Taken on April 8.)
Antonio taking *his* walk. (Taken on April 8.)
An expression that expresses everything he is feeling. (Taken on April 8.)
Harvesting rice on the rice paddies behind our home. (Taken on April 12.)
Another view. (Taken on April 12.)
Ducks frolicking in the cleared paddies as evening creeps in. (Taken on Apr 13 with my iPhone.)
Early morning feeding for the ducks on the freshly irrigated rice paddie behind our home. (Taken on Apr 14.)
