In August 2023, I stayed in Ubud, Bali for a month. Just like my stay in Dali, I didn’t check in many famous attractions. , more often than not just wandering around in the rice fields and among the houses. This article just summarizes some local life information to provide a reference for friends who are interested in traveling to Ubud.

It is also my first time to travel abroad, and I am traveling alone. As long as I prepare in advance and solve problems step by step, all problems can be easily solved.

1. Preparation for entry

  1. Visa: [Official website for self-application for electronic visa on arrival EVOA] (http://xhslink.com/Sqp8iu “Official website for self-application for electronic visa on arrival EVOA”) is very convenient, and you can get the visa pdf file on the spot. Single entry is possible within 3 months, with a maximum stay of 30 days, and can be renewed locally for another month. I met a friend who brought the outbound ticket order when he entered the country and it was two months old. He just told the prosecutor when he entered the country that he would renew it. The first day is the day the plane lands. Please show up on the 30th day at the latest. If you leave the country on the 31st day, it is considered one day overdue and you will need to pay a fine.
  2. Mobile phone card: Domestic mobile phone cards cannot use Google for international roaming. It is recommended to apply for a local mobile phone card. Local mobile phone card can be unlocked for a short period of three months when purchasing a mobile phone card in a business hall, but long-term use requires unlocking at imei customs.
  3. Cash: Some stores accept credit cards such as Visa, and most stores require local currency. You can exchange Indonesian currency in advance at the Bank of China in China. After entering the country, you can also use your domestic UnionPay savings card to withdraw money at BCA’s ATM (I have tried several banks, but only BCA can withdraw cash with UnionPay card). The ATM will charge a small fee. There is a fixed amount fee, and your UnionPay debit card will also charge a proportional fee (5% for China Merchants Bank, 12 yuan + 1% for China Construction Bank). Please check with your debit card bank for specific charges. **When using Visa credit cards, please note that a currency conversion fee will be charged for full-currency and dual-currency (RMB and USD) Visa credit cards. **
  4. Language: The prosecutor will ask you some simple questions in English when entering the country. There is an endless stream of Western tourists in Ubud, and most businesses and taxi drivers can speak English. If you are not fluent in English, you can still use simple gestures to communicate, and the merchant will use a calculator to tell you the price. The signs on the streets are mainly in Indonesian and may not necessarily be in English.
  5. Time Difference: The time zone in Bali is the same as that in China, but Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is one hour behind.
  6. Leaving the Airport: You can use Grab to take a taxi to your hotel at the airport. The airport is in Gianyar City, very close to Canggu and a bit far from Ubud. The price of taking a taxi to Ubud is 150 yuan. If you are not in a hurry, you can walk out of the airport. There is a luxury bus not far from the airport that goes to Ubud at a fixed time every day for only 75 yuan. Buy Kura Kura Bus tickets on Klook.

2. Local food, clothing, housing and transportation

There is a lot of Muslim culture in Jakarta, but Bali is mainly a Hindu culture. Most families will build temples in their homes, worship statues of gods, change sacrifices every day, burn incense and pray for blessings, and every household will place ribbons in front of the door every day. The offerings of millet rice and small flowers are very unique. You need to wear long pants when entering the temple. Please take off your shoes according to the instructions and enter barefoot.

clothing

The year-round temperature ranges from 20 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, which is more comfortable than summer in southern cities in China. It is enough to bring a few sets of summer clothes and a set of long sleeves and long pants. You can bring your own from China, or you can buy slippers, towels, toiletries, mosquito repellent, and washing powder locally, because many B&Bs do not provide any toiletries, slippers, washing machines, and hairdryers. The local laundromat is very cheap, you can wash a large bag of clothes for 3 yuan.

Locals usually take off their shoes indoors (this is the case in most countries in Southeast Asia), so it is necessary to have a pair of sandals.

Diet

The local restaurant is called Warung, and the Indonesian equivalents of the commonly eaten fried rice and fried noodles are Nasi Goreng and Mie Goreng. Restaurants for tourists provide English menus, while local eateries only have Indonesian menus, but you can order with gestures. Restaurants owned by foreigners usually charge additional service fees and taxes, while local restaurants only charge the cost of the food and usually do not require tipping.

Here are some great restaurants I recommend:

  1. Rona Warung, next to the rice fields, the scenery is good, the fried rice and desserts are delicious, and the meal is about 25 yuan. It is highly recommended to go hiking here. This is the most extensive scenery of rice fields near the center of Ubud, and it is very quiet.
  2. Warung Garasi and Guest House, closed on Sundays, is very popular with tourists at other times. It mainly provides local food and drinks, very authentic and delicious local fried rice and fried noodles, and a meal costs about 25 yuan.
  3. Warung Pondok Madu, grilled pork chop with fried rice and local beer is perfect. Many Chinese eat here, and a meal costs about 35 to 60 yuan.
  4. Siboghana Waroeng, highly recommended. It is in the courtyard of a local family. It has a good environment and a meal costs about 25 yuan.
  5. Mie Kuy Ubud, the taste is average, but the price is cheap, a meal is 5 to 20 yuan.
  6. La Portal to Shamballah is a vegetarian Western restaurant. The male owner is Egyptian and the female owner is Russian. If you go here often, you can meet many friends and have many social activities. A meal costs about 20 yuan.
  7. Mama’s Warung has a good reputation, but I have never eaten there.
  8. Bintang Supermarket Ubud, this is a large local supermarket, as big as Wal-Mart. There is a vegetarian buffet next to the door for 30 yuan.
  9. Prima Warung Pure Vegetarian, a vegetarian restaurant with a good reputation, a meal is 20 yuan.

Accommodation

We recommend Airbnb to find a homestay where you can experience homestays in many local people’s homes. You can also use Booking to book hotels and hostels. I recommend a youth hostel with a good reputation, Sila Urip Guest House. You can visit their temple and participate in making local food.

You need to pay attention to the facilities description of the B&B. Many B&Bs do not provide any toiletries, slippers, washing machines, and hair dryers. Some only have electric fans and no air conditioning.

If you want to live for a long time, you can first make a short-term reservation to experience it, and then find a B&B owner to get a very favorable monthly rent.

Travel

There are no buses in Ubud. Just use Grab to take a motorcycle or car in Ubud, which is cheaper than in China.

There is a local motorcycle rental service, and the price is also cheap, about 30 yuan a day. You must wear a helmet, drive on the left in the local area, and there are many motorcycles on the road very fast, so you need to pay attention to safety.

3. Other recommendations

Location recommendation

  1. Eiger Shop, an outdoor goods store. It was hard to find this store. It has hiking shoes and other equipment. There is no Decathlon or Uniqlo in Ubud, but there is a Miniso on the main street.
  2. Sacred Ubud Spa, a massage shop next to the rice fields, is highly recommended. It would be a shame not to experience Balinese Massage once in Bali. It only costs 60 yuan for an hour of essential oil massage, which is great.
  3. Green Billage Bali, you can visit a large bamboo structure building and learn about environmental organizations.
  4. Batur Volcano: I personally do not recommend the popular activity of climbing a volcano to watch the sunrise. We set off to climb the mountain at 2 am. It is cold and dark, which makes the climb more difficult. If you cannot see the mountain road, you must pay for a local guide. It is cloudy. You may not be able to see the sunrise and miss the scenery going up the mountain. The last section of the trail is somewhat difficult, with steep slopes and slippery slopes. Experienced mountaineers should also note that this is a trail formed by volcanic ash, but the scenery is very good during the day. Local people nearby will advise you to pay for a guide. There is no explicit requirement to find a guide. Climbing the volcano during the day is easy to find. It is recommended that novice friends find a guide. For experienced mountain climbers, here is a [route to climb the mountain without a guide] (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/indonesia/bali--3/gunung-batur-rute-selatan?sh=2zhpaj “There is no guide to climb the mountain on your own”).
  5. Sacred Monkey Forest: Very close to the main street, don’t miss it. It is a tree-lined forest park with tall tropical trees and many monkeys.
  6. Ceding Rice Rerrace Hiking: The scenery is very good, and the houses in the nearby villages are also very quiet. In the evening, I unexpectedly heard musical instruments playing in the temple.

Software recommendation

  1. Google Map, not only has maps, but also reviews of various stores, a must-have overseas. But please note that international roaming with domestic mobile phone cards cannot be used with Google!
  2. MAPS.ME, a very useful navigation software. It has many trails that are not on Google Map. It can be navigated offline. It is a must-have for outdoor use!
  3. Grab is a must-have taxi app in Bali. Motorcycles are more convenient and cheaper.
  4. Airbnb, usually cheaper than hotels, you can stay in local people’s homes, which is a great experience.
  5. Booking, booking hotels and youth hostels overseas, similar to Ctrip.
  6. Klook, you can find the bus from the airport to Ubud. The comfortable car costs 75 yuan, which is cheaper than taking a taxi which costs 150 yuan.
  7. Tripadvisor is a bit like Dianping. You can find accommodation and restaurants with good reputations.
  8. WhatsAPP, a chat software used by locals and foreign tourists, similar to WeChat.
  9. Little Red Book provides very useful Bali travel information. If you have any questions, go to Xiaohongshu to search.

Activity information platform

  1. Activity information organized by Bali Digital Nomads: nomeo, this is a website developed by digital nomads in Bali. The author of the website lives in Canggu. There is a wealth of information on Bali activities on the website, and you can also filter to specific cities.
  2. Activity information organized by Couchsurfing: couch surfing, a one-time payment website, itself is to provide travel accommodation, but there are many Interesting local activities, such as City Walk, volcano climbing, and dinner parties.

Meditation and Yoga

Yoga Barn is probably the most well-known yoga studio in Bali. It provides 200 hours of yoga teacher training. Yoga enthusiasts from all over the world come here to train intensively for one month to get their own training certificates. There are many yoga studios in Bali, and many yoga courses do not require registration. Usually a class does not exceed 75 yuan, and the price of long-term courses can be much lower. You can find many yoga studio reviews and course URLs on Google Map. Here are a few recommendations that I have experienced. You can use their names to find the address on Google Map:

  1. Ubud Yoga House: Not far from Ubud Palace, it is located in a rice field. It is quiet in the bustle. The environment is great. You can see fireflies when doing yoga in the evening, but there are also more mosquitoes.
  2. Radiantly Alive: It is very close to the center of Ubud and the environment is very good. There are delicious medium-priced vegetarian dishes on the first floor. There are some free trial courses that can be seen on the information board on the first floor.
  3. Anand Ashram Ubud: Meditation Center, book accommodation online for at least three consecutive days, you can experience Sanskrit mantra chanting, Fire purification rituals, yoga, meditation and other activities are great to experience. 250 yuan per day, including accommodation, three vegetarian meals and all activities. If you stay in the hotel, you need to abide by their customs. If you don’t want to stay, you can just attend the events, but each event requires a separate donation.