Ubud, has more monkeys than expected in a tourist hub.

Ubud was once an important source of medicinal herbs and plants. Today, it is filled with tourists and monkeys. When I started planning my trip to Bali, Ubud wasn’t at the top of my list. However, I wanted to visit the Swiss wig maker, Orlando Bassi, who has a wig factory not too far from Ubud. Then it became a natural reason to stay there. When I hiked a little out of the crowded tourist streets, I also found some nice spots.

Ubud

The town was originally important as a source of medicinal herbs and plants; Ubud gets its name from the Balinese word ubad (medicine). A burst of creative energy came in the 1960s after the arrival of Dutch painter Arie Smit and the development of the Young Artists Movement. The Bali tourist boom since the late 1960s has led to significant growth in the town. Today, it is promoted as an arts and culture centre.

The Monkey’s Heaven

I do not think I have ever seen so many monkeys in a short period of time before. They were everywhere. Crossing the street by the electric wire for the street light, and everywhere where there was some greenery. They also have the Monkey Forest as a park. In the lush backyard at my hotel, there were hundreds of them. One morning, I had been out buying a coffee and a croissant, which I still kept in the paper bag. All of a sudden, a monkey came up to me, grabbed the paper bag and ran up into a bush. There was no chance for me to get it back.

Visit to a wig factory

As I said in the introduction, my main reason for going to Ubud was to visit Orlando Bassi and his wig factory. Orland is from Switzerland, but has lived in Indonesia for more than 20 years. His company is one of the leading wig companies in Europe, and he supplies to a wide range of film and theatre productions. I met him for the first time at a trade exhibition in Frankfurt a few years ago.

It was mainly the wig production that interested me, but I also knew he did special effects and full masks. What I did not know was that he had built up a whole film park on his big premises. He had film studios, sound studios, cutting rooms, and a viewing room, and he liked his speciality to be producing film the analogue way, on film rolls. He also has an extensive collection of old cameras so that he could open up a museum.

It was so fascinating to be shown around his studios and get an idea of how he works. All his workers are taught in-house, and it sounded like people have worked for him for years. It was really a worthwhile journey to visit this place and come home to share it with colleagues. I wish Orlando all the best.

Excessive tourism

I know it sounds a bit corny when someone like me complains about tourism. But there you have it, I try as well as I can to avoid the most tourist traps, but ever so often, I have to join the crowd. This was the case in Ubud, in the afternoon and evenings, you basically walked in a crowd on the narrow sidewalks. And it was almost only souvenir shops and restaurants. I have to admit, though, that many of the souvenir items were nicely crafted woodwork and of strew.

A short way to the countryside.

Literally, just 2-3 hundred metres from the markets, you could walk some narrow streets, and you were out among the rice fields. Here, very few tourists came, and you could walk for long distances in peace and enjoy nature. Now and then, some people set up a small stall to sell drinks and homemade food. Also, some artists have stalls in this area. I found a friendly eco farm that had a small restaurant, and I had a delicious lunch there. So, the secret is to look a little outside the big crowd. In the end, I did have a nice time in Ubud.