Ubud art village maintains its tranquility

By Putu Wirata

DENPASAR, Bali (JP ): For visitors who want to hear the sound of crickets and frogs while they sleep, the art village of Ubud, 18 kilometers south of Denpasar, maybe the best place to stay.

Each morning, hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists eagerly hunt for distinctive art pieces at rows of famous galleries and art shops along Jl. Raya Ubud.

As the sun goes down, these distinguished guests enjoy the delights of Balinese dances such as Cak, Barong, and Legong as well as wayang kulit (leather puppet) performances.

To entertain guests, cozy cafes like Casa Luna, Yogyakarta and other places screen Hollywood movies, while diners digest delicious meals.

By 9 p.m., the dynamic Ubud is transformed into a quiet and serene village. Only a few people hang around the village's alleys, others chat with their friends at various cafes.

At midnight, almost everyone is asleep. All businesses and art activities have stopped.

Ubud, famous for its high-quality art, has attracted foreign tourists since the l930s when the late artist Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, German painter Walter Spies and Dutch artist Rudolf Bonnet established the Pita Maha art group.

Pita Maha was a well-known and dominant art community which encouraged Ubud artists to experiment with various painting styles.

When Kuta was flooded by "hippy" tourists in the l970s, Ubud was almost untouched. The village successfully maintained its originality and distinctiveness.

Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, the eldest son of the Sukawati family, and who owns Tjampuhan Hotel and Pita Maha Hotel, said: "We offer cultural and natural uniqueness instead of beaches and other forms of modern entertainment."

Traditional art activities continue to blossom in the village, which is now informally led by the descendants of Tjokorda Gde Putra Sukawati.

He also manages Museum Puri Lukisan, home to many priceless Balinese modernism paintings and numerous traditional artworks, where the famous German painter Walter Spies established his art studio.

Because Ubud has no discotheques or karaoke bars, visitors to Ubud are mostly art lovers and middle-class tourists.

"Visitors to the village are mostly art aficionados," said Anak Agung Rai, 44, owner of Agung Rai Museum and several cafes and restaurants in Ubud.

Agung Rai explained that even now, a lot of community leaders and as well as the entire community have refused to accept the establishment of modern entertainment centers like discotheques, karaoke bars or similar kind of places.

"We prefer to maintain and to preserve Ubud as Bali's art and cultural center, while other places have been transformed into international tourist arenas," said Agung Rai, who was once an art vendor at the popular Kuta Beach.

The community leaders also rejected an idea to set up Pasar Senggol (a folk market), on Jl. Raya Ubud, where street vendors sell a large variety of local and international dishes at low prices.

Reports said they are afraid many youths would get drunk at the market. Their activities were frequently found to disturb foreign visitors.

But other information claimed that it was the owners of the restaurants who strongly pushed the leaders to stop Pasar Senggol from happening for their business' sake.

The street vendors selling traditional cookies and dishes like fried rice, martabak (pancakes), could actually become interesting tourist attractions.

Visitors are often curious to taste these inexpensive dishes.

"I really don't mind seeing many vendors on Ubud's streets as long as they sell healthy and clean food. They should not disturb the traffic," said Agung Rai.

He added that he is not against modern forms of entertainment like disco and karaoke bars but said they are not appropriate in a small village like Ubud.

Most hotels and restaurants in Ubud are designed to blend in with the surrounding environment.

Bebek Bengil restaurant, owned by Agung Raka, for instance, is beautifully designed to face the stunning views of a river, ponds and rice fields.

Agung Rai boasted, "In front of my cafe (Arma Cafe), one can still view the beauty of Mount Agung and carpets of yellow rice fields and hundred of stars in the sky."

Agung Rai said traditional performing arts such as the Legong dance, Calon Arang play and other local shows are presented frequently at Museum Agung Rai and in hotels and eating places.

Therefore, if you want to taste cosmopolitan Bali, where people can enjoy hearing loud music and dancing all night long surrounded by pretty girls, Ubud is certainly not for you. You can probably find such an atmosphere at Lovina beach in Singaraja, North Bali and Kuta.