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A month in Ubud, slowly

Ubud

What happens when you stop moving for a few weeks: rice terraces, yoga, and finally learning some Indonesian.

After four months of night buses we rented a room in a family compound outside Ubud for a month. It cost less than a week of hostels in Australia and it was the best thing we did all year.

Mornings meant walking the Campuhan ridge before the heat, or cycling out to the rice terraces at Tegallalang before the tour buses arrive. Afternoons meant a warung lunch and not much else. The family we stayed with invited us to a temple ceremony in the second week, which never happens on a three-day visit.

Making it work

Long stays are easy to arrange once you’re there: walk around, ask at guesthouses and offer to pay monthly. Expect 4 to 6 million rupiah for a room with breakfast. A scooter is about 800,000 a month. Get a visa that lets you stay: the visa on arrival covers 30 days and can be extended once.