Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 262

DIRECTORY
Banks and exchange There are ATMs throughout Ubud
and its environs. Many tour agents offer exchange services,
but there are some common scams to be aware of (see box,
p.248). Western Union agents include the GPO, and Bank
Mandiri on Jl Raya Ubud.
Bookshops Find new, secondhand and rare/out-of-print
English-language books and maps at Ganesha Bookshop,
Jl Raya (daily 8am-9pm; T 0361 970320, W ganesha
booksbali.com). Periplus, Jl Monkey Forest, and Jl Raya
Ubud (daily 9am-10pm; T 0361 975178, W periplus
.com), has a good range of new titles.
Hospitals and clinics Ubud Clinic at Jl Raya Campuhan 36
( T 0361 974911, W ubudclinic.baliklik.com) is open 24hr,
staffed by English-speakers and will respond to emergency
call-outs; it also has a dental service. For anything serious,
the nearest hospitals are in Denpasar (p.246).
Internet Highway, Jl Raya Ubud (high-speed connection
and laptop hook-ups; open 24hr; Rp10,000/20min) is
Ubud's best internet café.
Pharmacies There are several pharmacies on Jl Raya
Ubud, Jl Monkey Forest and Jl Peliatan.
Police The main police station is on the eastern edge of
town, on Jl Andong, and there is a more central police
booth at the Jl Raya and Jl Monkey Forest crossroads.
Post o ce The GPO on Jl Jembawan (Mon-Sat 8am-
5pm, Sun & hols 9am-4pm) keeps poste restante, and
there are postal agents throughout Ubud.
Shopping Souvenirs at the sprawling central market,
Jl Raya Ubud. Also worthwhile are Sukawati art market,
8km south of Ubud (served by Ubud-Batubulan bemos),
and the handicraft outlets that line the 12km Ubud-
Tegalalang-Pujung road (best with own transport).
Spas and massage At Nur Salon, Jl Hanoman 28 ( T 0361
975352), and Ubud Bodyworks Centre, Jl Hanoman 25
( T 0361 975720, W ubudbodyworkscentre.com; massages
from Rp90,000).

featuring Havana Club rum, including a fine mojito
(Rp86,000). Daily 10am-midnight.
Laughing Buddha Bar Jl Monkey Forest T 0361
970928, W laughingbuddhabar.net; map p.259. Small,
relaxed bar with a big drinks menu plus plenty of nibbles
and tapas to share alongside some larger meals. Sunset
Happy Hour stretches from 4pm to 7pm and there's live
music every night. Daily 9am-midnight.
Shisha XL Lounge Off Jl Monkey Forest W xlshishalounge
.com; map p.259. This comfortable, chilled-out place
overlooking the football field stays open late and features
DJs and live music. The drinks menu includes sangria
and ice-cold beer (around Rp25,000) and, as the name
suggests, shishas. Daily 10am-2am.

THE OUTSKIRTS
Jazz Café Jl Sukma 2, Peliatan T 0361 976594, W jazzcafe
bali.com; map p.261. Excellent jazz bar-restaurant, with
live acts every night of the week. Beer from Rp29,000.
Daily 5pm-late.

TRADITIONAL DANCE
Up to nine different traditional dance and music shows are
staged every night in the Ubud area; the tourist o ce
publishes the weekly schedule (also available at W ubud
.com) and arranges free transport to outlying venues.
Tickets (Rp75,000-100,000) can be bought at the tourist
o ce, from touts, or at the door. If you have only one
evening to catch a show, either choose the lively Kecak
(Monkey Dance), or go for whatever is playing at the
Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung), central Ubud's most
atmospheric venue.

4

COURSES
Batik Nirvana Batik, Jl Gavtama 10 ( T 0361 975415,
W nirvanaku.com; Rp485,000/day).
Cooking Casa Luna restaurant, Jl Raya Ubud ( T 0361
977409, W casalunabali.com; Rp350,000); and Tegal Sari Jl
Hanoman, Padang Tegal ( T 0361 973318, W tegalsari-ubud
.com; Rp350,000/3hr 30min), offer excellent Balinese
cookery courses in which you learn to prepare up to six dishes.
Crafts ARMA, JL Raya Pengosekan, Pengosekan ( T 0361
976659, W armabali.com) offers courses (Rp300,000-
600,000) in Balinese painting, woodcarving, batik,
gamelan, dance and theatre, jewellery-making, basket
weaving, traditional architecture, Hinduism, astrology and
making offerings.
Music and dance Sehati, Jl Monkey Forest ( T 0361
976341, W sehati-guesthouse.com; from Rp100,000/hr).
Yoga Several daily classes at The Yoga Barn, southern
Jl Hanoman ( T 0361 971236, W theyogabarn.com;
RP110,000); arrange via the holistic information centre,
Bali Spirit, at Jl Hanoman 44B ( T 0361 970992,
W balispirit.com).

BESAKIH
he major tourist draw in the east of Bali is
undoubtedly the Besakih temple complex
(daily 8am-5pm; Rp10,000), situated on
the slopes of Gunung Agung, the holiest
and highest mountain on the island.
Besakih is the most venerated site on Bali
for Balinese Hindus, who believe that the
gods occasionally descend to reside in the
temple, during which times worshippers
don their finery and bring them elaborate
offerings. he complex's sheer scale is
impressive, and on a clear day, with Agung
towering dramatically behind, and with
ceremonies in full swing, it's beautiful.