Ubud is touted as the cultural center of Bali so we excited to see the handicraft artisan villages with stone carving, silver and gold jewelry, wood carving, painting, and batik. When we got to Ubud, everything seemed to be catering to foreigners - cooking schools, Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Polo, sports bars, restaurants with reggae / punk / country live music, spas on every corner, yoga, evening traditional dance performance troupes, etc. Bali men would be squatting every few meters to ask if you want a day tour or private driver. Bali women would be a few steps away asking if you want a massage. Everything seemed to be available for a price.

In talking to a British lady who had lived there for 40 years, she had seen the changes to Ubud over the last 10 years as tourism increased. She said this village used to be rural with nothing around but rice paddies and homes.

We wonder if the bestseller, "Eat, Pray, Love", influenced people to come to Ubud to find rest, love and adventure. Do the Balinese like the changes to their way of life or not?

Massages in Ubud ranged from $9 to $55! We spent $17 each for this place. We had a private room with a tub and outdoor shower, overlooking a rice paddy field. We were asked to shower and change into these mesh bikini bottoms for the healing spice rub. After the massage, they prepared a flower aromatic bath while we ate fresh fruit and sipped on hot tea. When a few locals walked past us along the berm to fly kites, we felt a little exposed. We questioned how well these fronds concealed us. LOL. It was a great spa experience.

Our view was the best out of the 6 rooms in Gerhana Sari 2 Bungalows. It had AC and a little sitting area overlooking the rice paddy field. (Across from us was where we had our spa experience.) Every morning, Made or his brother, Wayan, made us breakfast. Hot water was always readily available on our table. It was such a relaxing place to read in the heat of the afternoon.