After a relaxing breakfast we set off mid morning for our
rice-field hike out of Ubud. The starting point was in the middle of Ubud on
the “signature street” that I mentioned in an earlier blog, Jalan Kajeng. We headed up there, looking once again at all
the names of individuals, businesses, and words of wisdom carved into the
stones, past neat little craft stores such as the Threads of Life store we had
visited previously, and on out of town, up a little path and on to the rice
fields. What is it about these lush green paddies that grabs the heart? Several
things come to my mind: the spiritual association of the land, the water, the
rice, the people; the rich green of the growing rice stalks; the little ducks that
farmers bring to the fields to dig around the mud looking for pests to eat,
fertilize the rice with their poop, and just look cool; and the lovely people
who work in the rice fields wearing their conical hats or some other shaped hat
made from coconut leaves to shade them from the hot rays of the sun.
We walked
along the edge of the fields on dirt paths, or on the concrete sides of the
water canals, and then finally on a paved path where we avoided the odd motor
scooter, before arriving in a little grouping of buildings and a restaurant
with signs that proved they really knew all the good things about wine. We
walked on past the restaurant, that did not go unnoticed by Robin, and saw some
of the tunnels that are part of the irrigation system; we passed a derelict
building that was apparently still under construction; respectfully averting
our eyes, we walked past a naked body bathing in the one of the rice field
canals; and eventually we emerged on a paved road like rice stalks falling out
of a bundle of freshly cut rice.
Curious to know where we were, we investigated
a little path that advertised land for sale and came across a beautiful
mansion. We ascertained that we were on the road that past the Bintang
Supermarket!
We could have walked back to Ubud down the road, but Robin had
spotted the Luxe Café and determined that we would should eat lunch there, so,
we retraced our steps. We arrived at the restaurant with our t-shirts stained
with marks of our exertion under
the mid-day sun, our skin glistening with salt, and our tongues longing for
some cool fluid to lubricate them. We climbed the stairs to the café, and
marveled at its elegance. The servers graciously welcomed us and seemed not to
notice the bedraggled state we felt ourselves to be in. The view over the rice
fields was stunning. Outside the open windows were bougainvilleas bushes in
delicate shades of mauve and salmon. Lunch was delicious. We discovered the
owner was a Canadian from Toronto and after lunch he showed us over the villas,
rooms, and other areas in the Luxe Villa complex (https://www.luxevillasbali.com/accommodation/luxe-villa). The design, decorations, and colour schemes were all elegant
and tasteful. A beautiful spot to spend a few days or more in Ubud.
Paul, the owner, showed us a different way back to Ubud and we set
off down the same track turning right across what seemed like the middle of one
of the fields to a path on the other side. We met a couple of cute kids with
the most adorable puppy, and someone working in one of the rice fields who
asked me to take their pictures, and then got a big kick out of looking at them
afterwards!
We ended up coming out on the main street of Ubud down the most
unlikely looking lane. See for yourself. Would you have followed up there
believing there to be beautiful rice paddies, restaurants, and bungalows??
Returning to the villa, we cooled down with a dip in the pool …..
and of course, a Bintang, then headed over to the Dream Café for dinner.
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