filmwill

Gang,

So I reached out to Putu and he's proposed a few great options for us--but he seems to have us touring the entire time we're there.

We'll be in Ubud (using it as our base to explore the entire island) for basically 6 full days. I certainly don't want to (nor can probably afford to) tour with him for that whole time. We'd like to have time to explore Ubud on our own as well.

As you'll see below he's done an awesome job of grouping our various interest into days of touring...and while some of this stuff sounds really interesting (the paddies, the temples, the healer, etc.) some of it doesn't (salt making, textile markets, etc.) I'm sure I can contact him to customize this more, but wanted to get your opinions/input first.

How many days are the "right" amount for touring if one has basically 6 full days there? I'm thinking of whittling this down to just a few half-days sprinkled with maybe 1 full day for those harder-to-reach places? Those of you who have toured with him might have better insight. In general, this seems like way too much stuff.

Also, is it me or aren't there a few key 'must-see' Bali sights missing from here? I think Lake Batur and the volcano are probably worth seeing, no? What about Uluwatu?

Take a gander and let me know your thoughts:

Day 1/Historical Day
-Depart at 10 AM
-Visit Bali Monument with good diorama for Bali history.
-See Goa Garba with impressive gate of 11-century
-Visit Archeological site of Gunung Kawi
-Visit Water psring temple of Mengening
-Visit Pura Sada Temple

Day 2/Nature Day
-Depart at 9 AM
-See one of the old and biggest banyan tree in Bali
-500 steps hike to the secluded Nunung waterfall
-Pass through the vegetable valley of Bali
-Visit the Lake temple of Bratan
-Enjoy the natural hot spring of Angseri
-Visit Jatiluwih rice terrace
-Visit the jungle temple of Batukaru.

Day 3/Forgotten South Bali
-Depart at 10 AM
-Visit Jimbaran fish market
-Visit mangrove forest
-Visit Kutuh Beach where local people farm their seaweed.
-Beach and sunset time in Tegalwangi Beach

Day 4/Unique East Bali
-Depart at 9AM
-Visit textile market in Klungkung
-See beautiful scenic view of Sideman Valley
-See the making of Balinese traditional weaving (songket and single ikat)
-See the making of traditional palm wine (arak)
-Scenic view from Putung to Manggis
-See salt making in Kusamba

Day 5/Ubud Cultural Day
-Visit Puppet maker (Sukawati)
-Visit mask maker/dancers (Ida Bagus Anom/Alit)
-See painter village (Penestanan/Kutuh/Keliki)
-See Balinese house compound and tropical farm
-See Balinese healer

Day 6/The Lush of West Bali
-See the centre of roof tile making in Pejaten
-Passing through the lush and green of rice field in Sarinbuana, Belimbing, Pupuan.
-See coffee plantation
-See Bunut Bolong
-Pekutatan fishing beach
-Bat cave in Soka

kmkrnn

Bill...I told Bob to be sure and comment on this. The sideman valley is beautiful if it is the one with all the rice terraces. The fire dance, the temple that floats in the lake, Putu's family home, and if there is a local festival those are interesting. Andy and Beth had him for 2 days last year and saw alot of the"to do " things, check with them.

We found the volvsnos not too inspiring if you have seen active ones. These are just green, with a lake in the center.

You need a good day just to walk around Ubud, and just some time to veg and ejoy the hotel. Andy, Beth and I took an early am rice paddy walk with a guide from the Alam Shanti. It was very interesting and enjoyable. It did evolve into a talk about a Balinese home and it's features, which we had already done with Putu, but you can opt out of that part. The walk was worth getting up early for.

Kathie

My guideline on Bali is to tour not more than half the days you are there.

rhkkmk

we've only done a few of these things or at least by the names here...

mt bratan was ok but not fabulous imo...

the temple on the lake was however fantastic

the old legal court was very interesting i thought

uluwaltu is interesting and you might like the sunset dance performance..

dinner at jimbaran beach with fresh fish is a hoot

the fish market is interesting too

the villages around ubud, car needed, are nice--silver, pupets, carving, kites (i loved the kite maker)...

day one looks boring to me
day two is 50%--- i love rice temples and harvesting and the lake
day 3--- ??-- seaweed and fish market would hold my interest
day 4-- ok but not great
day 5-- excellent
day 6-- ??

i would see if i could combine it all down to 3 days taking the best of each day... tell him your priorities: landscapes, local industry, beaches, crafts, shopping, people, etc...

a visit to his family compound is very interesting too

participating in a ceremony if any are on offer or in the advance preparations is very interesting...

scfphoto

I am by no means any kind of expert on Bali but you need to realize how much time you will be spending in the car. Bali roads and traffic make the journeys between sites much longer than it appears on a map. Seeing the sights of Bali is fascinating but it can take longer to get there than it does to see them. Ubud to Jimbaran could take a few hours at the wrong time of day, it did for us one day as there was a procession of some type that stopped traffic along the way. If it is a full or new moon while you are there try to set up a visit to full moon ceremony preferably at a smaller village temple. Highlight of our trip.

Craig

It has been a while since we toured with Putu - we had him on and off during our 11 night stay back in 2003. That was obviously not ideal for him as he had to find other customers to fill in the gaps. I did a ton of research for that trip and basically laid out what we wanted to do. That was a probably a mistake as we likely missed out on some things. Fortunately, we are going back next November and will spend more time with Putu. That being said, he has planned a very logical but busy itinerary for your 6 days. Some of those days could be quite long. I think it would be worth trimming back or eliminating parts of it. You will accomplish more if you do full days rather than 1/2 days and Putu will be happier with the scheduling.

It does not appear that many of the usual tourist sites are listed - that doesn't mean that he can't take you to them. In most cases they are along the way. Uluwatu, for example can easily be reached on the southern Bali tour. If it were me (and its not) I'd do the nature day (Lake Bratan temple etc.) and the Ubud cultural day - you would see an awful lot just by doing the activities in those itineraries. I did find that after a while there was a certain sameness to the scenery - the rice fields are beautiful but you'll see them all over Bali.

I am sure Bob and Andy will chime in with their experiences as well.

Gpanda

I would cut it down to 3 or 4 days with Putu. He is an excellent guide. Very bright and very attentive. You will enjoy wandering in Ubud and popping into some of the shops.

I would get Putu to begin a day with a trip to the market in Ubud. This will only take a half hour or so, but it's interesting.

If you're interested in masks, there are some wonderful mask makers outside of Ubud. You can probably get Putu to take you to one or two of these when wandering on your tours.

scfphoto

One other tip, I learned this the hard way. If seeing the terraced rice fields are a major part of an itinerary make sure your guide checks what phase they are in. The planting/harvesting cycles vary from area to area. Some may be in the beautiful green phase and another area in the mud stage.

dgunbug

Great info for future trip down the road.

marmot

When we’re making plans to fill up our time in Ubud we usually divide our days into thirds – morning, afternoon and evening – and try to fill up two out of three. The third, open, slot we use for unplanned activities – like taking a walk in the rice paddies or reading a book by the pool – or for me time: massage, nap, yoga. Bali is an intensely spiritual place and you need to set aside quiet reflective time to soak it up.

I like driving around Bali as there’s lots to see, both grand vistas of breathtaking natural beauty and intimate glimpses of charming daily life. Having said that time spent in a car or van no matter how air-conned gets irritating. Nearby village markets, temples, banyan trees can actually be more rewarding than some of the big-name sights.

I have to confess that although I’ve been to Bali a zillion times I’ve never been to Tanah Lot or Ulu Watu Temple. I finally went to Besikih recently and although it was interesting the overall experience was negative. Scenery, art, religion, culture is everywhere – you don’t have to travel far to find it.

I’ve never toured with Fodor’s Putu but he sounds great. Balinese are rightly proud of their culture and want to share, but sometimes they just can’t figure out what we want. The most important point of working with a guide is to be clear and emphatic about what you do and do not want to see and do.

I’d divide activities into cultural, acquisition and nature/adventure. Different people want to concentrate on different things.
Culture
Dance: I love Balinese dance and would attend a performance every night of the week. Get a performance schedule from your resort and plan one night. You don’t need a guide for this.
Temples: There are old temples, new temples, big temples, small temples. Sunset temples, forest temples, monkey temples. Pick one or two that appeal to you. It helps to have a guide who can explain the symbolism and ceremonies.
Village life: Again, your guide can take you on a stroll through his village, the market, the family compound.
Temple ceremony: These usually get going around 10:00 p.m. and get interesting around 2:00 a.m. Be prepared for a lot of hanging around punctuated by interesting activities like masked dance, cock fights, religious ceremonies
Processions: You never know when you’re going to see one. Keep your eyes and ears open.
Museums: My favorite is the Mask & Puppet Museum in Tengkulak Tengah, near Ubud
Architecture: If you’re interested, Como Shambhala and the Green School are extraordinary

Acquisition
Arts & Crafts: Textiles, stone & wood carving, mask making, jewelry etc. Do you want to visit a workshop? If you go with a guide, be very specific or you’ll end up being dragged from workshop to workshop
Contemporary stuff (clothes, jewelry, home wares): Spend an afternoon wandering through the shops in Ubud. I think you’ll be surprised how unsophisticated they are, but still everyone usually finds something to take home. If you like fine (expensive) jewelry a visit to John Hardy is essential.
Serious contemporary art: There’s no shortage of it, but I’m not too impressed at the quality

Nature / Adventure
I like rafting and non-aggressive trekking
Sunrise mountain climbing is wonderful if you’re fit
Walking through the rice paddies is wonderful on your own or get a guide to explain to you the ancient irrigation and rice cultivation systems
A guide can take you down to the river where you can swim under waterfalls. Caveat: it’s a long way up
A guide can also take you on a walk through the country side and show you the plants and trees from which we get cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, coffee, chocolate etc
Bicycle tours, bird watching, surfing lessons can be arranged
Have a late lunch at La Lucciola in Seminyak and take a long walk on the beach at sunset
Have lunch at the pool (you can swim) at Blue Point in Ulu Watu and watch the world class surfers

Hanuman

I trust Putu and once you've met him just discuss the itinerary with him - he's pretty flexible.

Now about the food in or near Ubud. I highly recommend two restaurants that we always visit every time we're in Ubud:

Bebek Bengil(Dirty Duck) for lunch or late lunch. Reserved a pavilion and dine while you enjoy the rice paddy that surrounds you. Pre-order the "smoke duck" 24 hours ahead and Putu can do this for you.

Mozaic for dinner. Sit outside and dine alfresco. Good French food and nice garden atmosphere.

http://www.mozaic-bali.com/

MichaelBKK

I would agree on the idea of touring only half the time you're there, plus there are other activities that you don't need Putu for. I love the white-water rafting in Ubud, which you can book through Sobek.

mscleo

Glad I saw this thread - I'll be seeing and touring with Putu next week and was finalizing the itinerary of the places I wanted to see this go round. I see there are a couple of places I left off my list...

Can't wait to get there and hope you have a great trip, Filmwill...!

tengohambre

Book marking. Great tips for our trip.

We traveled with Putu last year and had a great time. In truth, we tried to cram too much into one day and spent too much time traveling in a car between sites. While Bali isn't huge, getting from one end of the island to the other eats up a lot of time because the roads are generally two lanes and some distances are hilly, thus increasing travel time. We will have to better think out our touring this next time.

For touring around the island, and for fueling up with some "fast food" so to speak, this story may be useful. Terrific photos also:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/12/20.../20choice.html

kmkrnn

Thanks Robert ...we will have to try some of these plaaces.The roast pig sounds good.