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Our New Home, a Short Walk from Ubud Town Centre
If you walk down our driveway, past the barking dogs and fruit orchard, you come out at the heart of Nyuh Kuning Village. The convenience store on one side - the school, village hall and temple on the other. Opposite, past the big banyan tree, is the football pitch with a warung and continental cafe. Nyuh Kuning Village (pronounced 'Newa Cooning') is a special place indeed.
Our Neighbours at Monkey Forest
Lush and laidback, Nyuh Kuning's streets are lined with frangipani trees in full bloom. Locals go about their daily business laying flower blessings on the street. And yet, just 8mins walk up the road, is the famous Monkey Forest and Ubud town centre.
You pay an entrance fee to enter the monkeys' ancient domain where they run amok and tease the tourists. The monkeys act as gate-keepers to both worlds, our tranquil village life on one side, and the hectic traffic of town on the other.
Top 5 Nyuh Kuning Eats and Treats:
- - Vegetarian Indian Thali plates & a popular locals' hangout
- Sage - Vibrant Vegan food with chic decor opp Outpost
- Warung Pojok - Authentic Indonesian cafe next to the football pitch
- Bali Bohemia - Thursday night is open mic, a firm fave with local expats & the monkeys swinging outside
- Ubud Wana - Spa, hotel and restaurant with great promo prices for treatments
2 Top Tips:
- Bumi Sehat Health Centre: this pristine, drop-in Western health centre has amazing doctors and no queues (tourists don't know about it). It's donation-based so remember to take cash.
- Outpost Co-working Space: Has the best air con and a relaxed location on the edge of Nyuh Kuning Village. A cheaper option is WHAM cafe, overlooking the football pitch, with free wifi & great coffee.
A Local Community in the Heart of Ubud
We instantly knew we had to live in this village when we were house-hunting. Its central location near Outpost (co-working space) and the orphanage (where I teach English) means I can cycle or walk everywhere. There's also a strong community of locals & expats living here, congregating regularly to celebrate the constant whirl of holy days.
Our home 'Rumah Buda, just off the football pitch, is surrounded by paddy fields and combines Balinese charm with Western practicalities. The wrap-around garden full of pink and yellow frangipani trees lets a very special sunlight flood in through the huge windows. No wonder Elizabeth Gilbert was inspired to write 'Eat Pray Love' in the house next door. Each day, a lady comes and blesses our home with flowers, holy water and incense.
Daily Life in Ubud
Each morning we wake up in a cloud of white mosquito netting, with the sun shining onto our wooden carved four-poster bed. Looking out from our bedroom balcony, I admire the view of our garden, swimming pool, paddy fields and blue skies.
We now have our school routine nailed: banana pancakes for breakfast before driving to school for 9am. The school day til 4pm is much longer than back home but the big banyan trees at The Wood School give the kids enough shade to run, play and rest.
Mornings are my perfect quiet-time to write for clients back home or plan my English lessons for kids at the local orphanage. Every Tues afternoon, I teach 7-9year olds and on Thursdays, 13-16yr olds. It really was as simple as walking in and saying hello to the manager when we arrived in January. "When can you start and how often can you come" she said enthusiastically..."my current teacher returns to Holland next week". Destiny as always, played its part.
In the afternoons, if not teaching, I will go and be a student myself. Attending weird and wonderful meditation classes at Yoga Barn in town or out in the paddy fields at Ubud Yoga House for Mindfulness sessions accompanied by the ambient sound of frogs. Picking up Saff from school at 4pm will be the usual social whirl of playdates she's arranged during the day. Slightly more complicated here with the different drivers arriving on scooters. Usually it will be splashing in the pool at ours, or playing with the many adopted cats & dogs at friends' houses.
Those same dogs bark us to sleep at night, accompanied by a chorus of squealching frogs & self-styled tokays.
Take a tour by clicking on the Photo and Video pages
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