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The Ubud Market
At the main crossroads you'll find the multi-storey Ubud market, a bustling maze of stalls and shops that sell everything from paperclips and papayas to saffron and sarongs. Mornings are the best time to catch the market buzz, as locals buy all the components for the daily meal and daily offerings. Afternoons are calmer, but hotter. The "official' market day for Ubud falls on "Pasah" which occurs every three days. Check a Balinese calendar. On "Pasah" in the morning, there are more local shoppers and heaps of fresh produce and other foodstuffs. There used to be a night market in Ubud, but it was closed a few years ago. There are nonetheless a few holdouts, including a foodstall where locals buy late night sustenance and a lethal beverage consisting of arak mixed with brem, then finished with the addition of a raw duck egg.
Tour the Best of Monkey Forest Road - Shopping Trek Number One - Walking South from the Main Crossroads by the Market
After a random mix of shops, you'll find Toko Lagi on the west side of the street, with no sign, just a cryptic object hanging from its rafters, and pale blue-green stones in front. It sells hand-selected museum-quality antiques and textiles from around Indonesia, as well as custom-designed useful objects made by traditional craftspeople, It's owned by the architect of Ibah Hotel, who also runs Toko, a few paces further down the street. Toko has interesting clothes, carefully chosen ikat fabrics, and a large collection of extremely well designed and made original jewellery. Walk on, to Sakti to see a hand-picked collection of primitive artefacts, clothing, essential oils, bath products and incense by Utama Spice. Next stop is Le Chat, across the street, with very wearable and tasteful men's and women's clothing, charming gifts and decorative objects. Displays feature wittily worded cards by the manager, Oka d'Putra, an alarmingly literate and cultured young man. Great music. Continue on to visit Bead 'n' Bali, with its huge selection of beads of all kinds, and materials to make your own bead jewellery, You can do beads for hours if you like. Also sells pieces ah-eady made up. Across the street is Wardani Textiles, Ubud's best textile emporium, with thousands of fabrics for sale by the metre, sarongs, sashes and casualwear. Check out their fine ikat, Balinese cotton chambray in endless colours and patterns, cotton and silk batik, plus silk and linen fashion fabrics. Stroll further to Kamar Sutra, an elegant boutique with original designs in gorgeous double silk. Also handmade silk batik worked in powerful and deeply traditional motifs. Further down, and across the road is Senang-Senang, a stylish little clothing boutique with boldly simple designs for women, which are sexy and at the same time demure. Next is Casa Alam, an exquisitely designed shop in a beautiful building set back a little from the street (which in itself is a relief). Fine goods from natural materials, including baskets, stationery, decorative, and useful objects. Also very fine clothing in natural materials and high quality hand made batik. Gross to the west side again, and continue walking south to Argasoka Gallery. This place is worth walking all the way from the market to visit. A marvellous collection of antique (really) batiks from Java, including fine Pekalongan, Cirebon and (of course) Solo and Yogya pieces, Perhaps even more exciting is the collection of new batiks, handworked in silk and cotton, designed by a very talented Indonesian/Canadian couple who founded the "Brahma Tirtha Sari" studio in Yogyakarta, Java. The clothes made up from their original batiks in clear, natural colours, are works of fine art.
The Best of Jalan Raya - Shopping Trek Number Two - Walking West from the Main Cross-roads to Campuan
Mr Bali, about 30 metres west of the Ubud Tourist Information Office, is famous for white cotton shirts, in endless variations. Their designs were created for men, but they are equally flattering on women. Mr. Bali is a real person, a larger-than-fife character, who drives old Chevys, and is quite a local celebrity. He is single-handedly responsible for the way the stylish young men of Bali dress when they attend temple ceremonies. Sarong, saput, sash, sunglasses and a Mr. Bali shirt. They also sell jackets, trousers, tasteful shorts, and comfortable shoes. Strolling westwards, you'll find Toko Tino, Ubud's "department store," with a large selection of Indonesian and western goods of a practical nature. Across the street is Lotus Studios, with fine clothing, gifts and textiles including excellent Balinese ikat. Word has it that this shop will soon be taken over by Cok Wah, the affable son of a branch of the royal family who live in Puri Saraswati, right behind the shop, so watch for a new improved Lotus Studios. Walk a hundred metres west to find a cluster of fine shops. First is Kunang-Kunang II, which sells very fine Indonesian textiles, antiquities, jewellery, crafts, ceramics and antiques. Their collection, assembled by Murni, of Murni's warung, is quintessential, and a must for all shoppers. Look here first to see what quality looks like, The prices are truly quite reasonable, so don't hesitate to buy. Nearly next door is Casa Lina, selling stylish things for the home, featuring local textiles and crafts. Just across the street, on the south side, find Toko Saru, which sells almost nothing but handmade teapots, plus a judicious selection of gifts and stationery made exclusively from natural materials. A few steps away is Rumah Seni, with an interesting collection of art works in an intriguing space. Down the hill in Campuan is another group of shops, some of the best of them also owned by Murni of Murni's warung, including Kunang-Kunang, and Murni's - The Shop. Both sell a truly exemplary collection of Indonesian crafts, jewellery, textiles and antiques.
Best of the Rest
Jalan Hanoman has become an increasingly fine shopping street. Start at the cross-roads with Jalan Raya and work south. Oasis Bali is a favourite clothing store for women with better than average taste, about 100 metres south of the cross-roads. Further down is Buy Made, a good tailor's shop with fine ikat fabric and simple, elegant designs. Tegun is a nice gift and craft shop another 60 metres or so south. Don't stop yet. After that, there are still lots of interesting shops, all the way down to Padang Tegal. Stop at Kirta Kaloka for very high quality hand-woven tablecloths, napkis, and handmade batik on cotton and silk. It's in an attractive row of shops just off the road on the left. It's little bit before Bebek Bengil Restaurant, where you can stop for coffee to give you the energy to continue south another 300 metres or so to Hare Om, a legendary tailor, selling beautiful simple cotton clothes in fabulous colours. They have a line of original ikat designs, that are far more appealing to western tastes than most. Choose something of the rack, or have them whip up a special order for you. The sewing, and the buttons are exceptionally good. Jalan Dewi Sita, leading from the football field, east to Padang Tegal has also become a good shopping street, with new boutiques, art and antique shops opening all the time. Don't miss the fabulously quirky boutique called Nitrous Oxide (N02), which is the brainchild of two progressive Swedish designers and their Balinese partners. The Amandari Hotel in Sayan, West of Ubud, has an outstanding collection of very fine crafts, jewellery, clothing and gifts produced in the Ubud area and elsewhere on the island. Several good shops have also sprouted up in the hotel's neighbourhood to appeal to the finer tastes of Amandari's guests. Villa Interiors at the southern end of Mas Village is a large wholesale/retail interiors showroom with a collection of quality furniture in almost every style, and the quality is superior (particularly finshes and hardware). Antique and new pieces in Indonesian, English, European and modern styles, accessories and decorative objects. The owner is a charming English gentleman who understands how things should be done. You can count on him to help you select what you want, order your own design, and see that it is shipped off reliably, safely and quickly, For private buyers and export businesses.
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