UBUD, the beauty village

Ever since the German artist, Walter Spies arrived here in 1928, UBUD has been a magnet for any tourist with the slightest curiosity about Balinese arts. The people of Ubud and adjacent villages really do still paint, carve, dance and make music, and hardly a day goes by without there being some kind of festival in the area.

However, although it's fashionable to characterize Ubud as the real Bali, especially in contrast with Kuta, it actually bears little resemblance to a typical Balinese village.

Cappuccino cafés, riverside losmen and woodcarving shops crowd its central marketplace and, during peak season, foreigners seem to far outnumber local residents. There is major (mostly tasteful) development along the central Monkey Forest Road (now officially renamed Jalan Wanara Wana), and the peripheries of the village have merged so completely into its neighbouring hamlets that Ubud now covers some nine square kilometres, encompassing Campuhan, Penestanan, Nyuhkuning, Peliatan, Pengosekan and Padang Tegal.

Getting there

A fixed-fare taxi from the airport to Ubud costs Rp65,000 and takes about an hour. The smaller shuttle-bus operators tend to drop passengers outside their agent's office, which could be anywhere in the Ubud area, while the two biggest operators, Perama and Simpatik, both drop passengers some way from central Ubud; guesthouse touts usually congregate at the drop-off points and if you don't accompany them you'll either have to negotiate a ride with another transport tout, or walk (there are no metered taxis in Ubud).

Perama buses terminate at their office at the southern end of Jalan Hanoman, about 750m from the bottom of Monkey Forest Road and 2.5km from the central market place.

The Simpatik drop-off is at the Pura Dalem at the northern end of Jalan Sukma, about 1km east of the central market place and the northern end of Monkey Forest Road. Arriving in Ubud by public bemo , you'll be dropped at the central market, on the junction of Jalan Raya (or main road) and Monkey Forest Road (signed as "Jalan Wanara Wana"), close to central accommodation. If you're planning to stay in Peliatan, any bemo coming from Batubulan (Denpasar) or Kintamani can drop you there first before terminating in central Ubud. Getting around Ubud Tourist Information (daily 10am-8pm; tel 0361/973285) is on Jalan Raya and has noticeboards giving dance-performance schedules, news on special events and a directory of emergency numbers.

If you're planning to do any Ubud walks, buy the Travel Treasure Maps: Indonesia VI - Ubud Surroundings, from any bookstore. The most enjoyable way of seeing Ubud and its environs is on foot or by bicycle (available from losmen and tour agencies for Rp15,000 per day).

Numerous places on Monkey Forest Road rent out motorbikes and cars - if you're driving up to the Kintamani volcanoes or to the north coast, it's worth splashing out on a more powerful Kijang rather than the cheaper Jimny. The most central Ubud fuel station is on the eastern arm of Jalan Raya, opposite Bali 3000 Internet; it's extremely difficult to get fuel after about 7pm anywhere in the Ubud area. There are no metered taxis in Ubud, but there are plenty of transport touts . You can use the public bemos for short hops around the area: to get to Campuhan and the Neka Museum, for example, just flag down any bemo heading west, such as the turquoise ones going to Payangan (Rp500), or ask at the terminal in front of the central market. For Pengosekan or Peliatan, take a brown Batubulan-bound bemo.

Dance

The Ubud region boasts dozens of outstanding traditional dance and music groups, and there are up to five different shows performed every night in the area; the tourist office gives details of the regular weekly schedule and also arranges free transport to outlying venues. Tickets cost Rp15,000-20,000 and can be bought either at the tourist office, from touts, or at the door. Performances start between 7pm and 8pm; arrive early for the best seats. If you have only one evening to catch a show, then go for whatever is playing at the Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung), opposite the market in central Ubud.

The setting of this former raja's home (now a hotel) is breathtaking, with the torchlit courtyard gateways furnishing the perfect backdrop.

Eating

With some 250 restaurants to choose from, eating in Ubud is a major pleasure, though prices are higher than elsewhere, and a mandatory ten percent local government tax is added onto all bills. Most places shut at about 10pm.

The City

The major attractions of Ubud and adjacent villages are their art museums and galleries - well worth browsing before you buy any paintings yourself. As there are so many impressive art galleries, you'd do well to miss out Ubud's most central museum, the Puri Lukisan on Jalan Raya (daily 8am-4pm; Rp10,000), which is poor in comparison to the Neka Museum and ARMA.

The temple complex of Pura Saraswati is set in a delightful water garden, landscaped around a huge lotus pond behind central Ubud's Café Lotus - either enter via the gateway on Jalan Raya, or go through the restaurant. A forest of metre-high lotus plants leads you right up to the red-brick entrance gate, through which you'll find a pavilion housing the two huge barong costumes used by villagers for exorcizing rituals: the lion-like Barong Ket and the wild boar Barong Bangkal. Balinese women feature prominently in the paintings displayed in all the big art museums, but there is barely a handful of works by women artists in any of them. To redress this imbalance, British-born artist Mary Northmore set up the Seniwati Gallery of Art by Women on Jalan Sriwedari, off Jalan Raya (daily 9am-5pm; free) which covers the complete range of mainstream Balinese art styles; the works are supported by excellent information sheets and well-informed staff. Just west of the Campuhan bridge, about 1km west of central Ubud, an ostentatious gateway leads you into Antonio Blanco's House and Art Gallery (daily 10am-5pm; Rp10,000), former home of the flamboyant Catalan expatriate who died in 1999 at the age of 88. Blanco specialized in erotic paintings and drawings, particularly portraits of Balinese women in varying states of undress but, whatever you think of his artistic achievements, you'll almost certainly enjoy the exuberance of his works and his gallery space, which is left has it was during his lifetime. (IM)