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Take walks in the rice fields – My kids loved
walking through the rice fields. The elaborate irrigation ditches take hours
of investigation and baby ducks paddling in the water are adorable. Here
in rice fields, life is lived as it has been in Bali for centuries. It’s
calm, peaceful and the kids can stretch their legs. At the bookstores, buy
the map "Ubud Surroundings" (by Travel Treasure Maps) that marks
all the paths through the fields. |
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Tourist dance performances and shadow puppet plays – Having lived in Bali previously, I thought I’d take my boys
to see "real" Balinese theater performances in the villages late
at night. As it turned out, they liked the tourist performances better,
especially the Wayang Kulit (shadow play). These tourist performances often
have first rate performers, but the show will typically start at 7:30pm
and the story is condensed. Check the tourist office in Ubud for times and
locations of Wayang Kulit, Legong, Kecak. |
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Puri Lukisan (art museum) Barong dance – On Sunday
mornings, there’s a very funny and enjoyable Barong dance performance
by kids. Sit out on the grass and watch this performance where the kids
play the gamelan and act all the parts. |
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Take Balinese dance and music lessons – Kids in
Bali are accomplished dancers and musicians and your kids can get into the
swing of things with dance and music lessons. Children have flexible limbs
to stretch their hands into those lovely gestures, or take to the rhythms
of Balinese drumming and "xylophones." At the Pondok Pekak
Library and Resource Centre (east side of the soccer field, off Monkey
Forest Rd.) they have dance classes for kids and a kid's gamelan (plus a
children's library with books in English). |
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Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) – Goa Gajah
doesn't have any elephants, but it does have a wonderful witch with droopy
ears sculpted in stone over the cave entrance. Going into the cave is like
going through the mouth of the monster. The cave complex was a sanctuary
for hermits and a sacred watering place. |
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Ayung River – If your kids are 8 and
over, take a water rafting trip down the Ayung River. It’s a
great way to see this deep, lush river gorge. |
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Alternatively, you can walk on paths along the Ayung River in Sayan. The paths are somewhat steep, but marvelously jungly, bridge crosses over to Bongkasa village. |
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Monkey Forest – It’s fun to see
mischievous monkeys scrambling and scurrying around the immense roots of
the banyan trees and lush tropical vegetation. You can certainly see the
monkeys up close – they may come up to pluck at your legs, but please
don't feed them. |
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Herons at sunset in Petulu – Visit the white heron sanctuary
in Petulu, just north of Ubud. Go at sunset to see a spectacle, thousands
of birds coming home to roost. (Careful of bird droppings.) |
