A new and fantastic home just outside of Ubud

Coming back to Ubud from the Gilis, I knew my housing decision was important. I would be staying in a place for at least five nights, maybe seven (a very long time when travelling!). Also, I would begin my class on meditation, and that would take place every evening, depositing me on the streets in the dark. So proximity was important.

And, I had heard of the Penestanan footpath. I had even seen parts of it. But I did not imagine how fantastic it would be.

So, coming back from the Gilis, I had my driver drop me at the Campuhan steps, a steep vertical staircase of 100+ steps coming off of the main road as it exits Ubud and enters Campuhan, Ubud's westerly neighbor. I walk up the stairs with my two bags of life-belongings and hook a right. My initial destination, Londo 2 bungalows. Supposedly, there are wonderful rice field views in a complex owned by an artist with dirt-cheap prices. I get there, meet the proprietor (a lovely old man), and he informs me they are full. This is starting to be a story I am hearing a lot! But, he suggests I could to head down the path, to Santra's place. So I do. I walk. And I keep walking. Is this right? Just when I am about to turn around, I spy the Santra Putra art gallery and guest house. The artist himself is coming out of the gallery. I ask about rooms and he shows me the place and it's perfect. It's huge, three floors (bathroom in the cellar; living room and kitchen on first floor; studio, bedroom, verandah, and other bathroom on top floor), has 270 degree views of the rice fields that surround it, is very far from cars, and is only 100,000 rupiah per night! Excellent. It turns out his art is lovely as well, so peaceful and natural without being overly representational. I settle in.

And this becomes my home. Every morning, I leave and head down the footpath, down the steps, and into Ubud, about a 30 minute walk. Then coming home, I head back...

...down the empty stretch of street connecting Campuhan with Ubud...

...across a rickety pedestrian bridge or its more modern car counterpart...

...up a steep hill, on which I am usually the only one walking, with motorbikes whizzing past...

[editor's note - video coming soon, technical difficulties...]

...to my footpath, from where it is a ten minute walk through the jungle and rice fields, with some perilous dropoffs and lots of running water (note, video is 10 minutes, mostly for posterity, but hopefully gives a good sense of it).

I arrive home, head upstairs, and relax into the view.