We have air-conditioned
cars with English speaking drivers. If you would like to be met
at the airport please let us know your flight number and arrival
time and we'll be happy to send a driver to meet you. We can also
arrange pick-ups from other parts of Bali and can drive you to
your next destination after leaving our hotel.
Our airport
pick-up price for one or two passengers with a reasonable
amount of luggage is US $35. Our cars are more spacious and comfortable
than regular airport taxis and also cost less.
UBUD
A Village Haven for the Arts
Far
from the madding crowds, Ubud has long been a quiet haven for the
arts. Set amidst emerald green rice paddies and steep ravines in
the stunning central Balinese foothills, some 25 km north of Denpasar,
the village was originally an important source of medicinal herbs
and plants. "Ubud" in fact derives from the Balinese word
for medicine - ubad.
It was here that foreign artists such as Walter
Spies settled during the 1920s and '30s, transforming the village
into a flourishing center for the arts. Artists from all parts of
Bali were invited to settle here by the local prince, Cokorda Gede
Sukawati, and Ubud's palaces and temples are now adorned by the
work of Bali's master artisans as a result. Unfortunately, the tourist
boom has transformed Ubud into a bustling business center, complete
with traffic jams and fast food outlets.
According to an 8th century legend, a Javanese priest named Rsi
Markendya came to Bali from Java and meditated in Campuan (Sangam
in Sanskrit) at the confluence of two streams - an auspicious site
for Hindus. He founded the Gunung Lebah Temple here, on a narrow
platform above the valley floor, where pilgrims seeking peace came
to be healed from their worldly cares. You can get there by following
a small road to the Tjetjak Inn on the western outskirts of Ubud,
then taking the path down toward the river. |
