Located amongst the rice paddies of south central Bali (see map), Ubud is the island's cultural capital. An oasis of art, music, dance and history, few places in Bali offer visitors so many rich opportunities to explore Balinese culture. Staying at the Alam Jiwa hotel just south of town in Nyuhkuning, we used Ubud as a base for nine nights of our trip: five nights at the beginning and four at the end.

	Ubud's Pura Taman Saraswati temple, famous for its lotus ponds (and the Lotus Cafe restaurant next door to it).		Closeup of Pura Taman Saraswati's lotus pond.
	Two boys on a bicycle mugging for the camera.		Some kids just can't get enough of the camera.
	Andy makes funny faces at a puppy. Bali's dogs are usually very territorial and suspicious of strangers, but this pup was very friendly.		The entrance of a small temple near the center of town. Ubud is dotted with dozens of temples.
	Two girls waiting for a fresh snack from a fruit vendor.		Although this looks like a temple, these shrines are actually a part of the Neka Gallery, one of the finest art galleries in Bali.
	This little kitten stood guard inside an art gallery north of Ubud's Campuan neighborhood. Every time Andy went around a corner it chased after him, then ran away when he noticed it.		This kid was hanging out with his mother, a t-shirt vendor.
	A group of gamecocks sitting by the side of the road. Their owners like to show them off while they're getting ready for a cockfight.		Susanne standing on a wooden bridge.
	A woman sells flowers in Ubud's pasar (market).		Frangipani flowers for sale. Flowers are commonly used in the daily offerings made by the Balinese.
	A woman makes an offering at the temple adjacent to the Ubud market.		No matter the time of day, women were always visiting this small temple.
	Another woman making her offerings at the market.		A woman sprinkles holy water on the ground.
	Women selling offers at the market. For those who don't bring their own offerings from home, they can always pick one up along the way.		A man sells baskets at the market.
	Carvings for sale.		Schoolkids hanging out after classes end for the day.
	During our first visit to Ubud, we went on an afternoon rice paddy walk. It's amazing how rural the surroundings get after walking just a few hundred meters from the main tourist haunts.		A man tends to his flock of ducks as they move to another rice paddy.
	Ducks will move from one paddy pond to another based on the location of a flag planted by a farmer. That way, the ducks will visit each pond at a particular time and help eat the parasites in the water.		Watching the ducks parade from pond to pond is one of our favorite memories of Bali.
	In Bali, the word for a rice paddy is sawah. Padi is actually the word for rice that's still growing in the field, not the field itself.		Farmer working in his field.
	A farmer carrying freshly picked coconuts.		An enterprising farmer offers to climb up a palm tree and sell us a coconut.
	Andy sucks down the coconut water, compensating for the water he accidently left behind at the Lotus Cafe earlier that day.		Andy consults the Lonely Planet guide as we get a little lost during our walk.
	This young man offers to show us the way back to Ubud. Instead he takes us the long way, down a gorge, across a "bridge" made of bamboo poles, then back up the other side of the gorge -- only to leave us with a four-mile walk back to town.		The long, hot path to Ubud.
	A view of ritzy bungalows across the valley.		Andy recovers from a long day with a fresh bottle of water and some clean clothes.
	Detail of a carving at an Ubud temple.		Susanne notices a frog while eating dinner one night.
	A boy gets ready to fly his kite. Kites are one of the most common sights above the rice paddies of Bali.		A bowl of frangipani flowers at the Mandara Spa in Ubud.
	You can't get through a day in Bali without seeing freshly arranged flowers.		This statue at the ARMA art museum was decorated with a sarong.
	A Barong costume on display at the ARMA museum. One of the most popular characters in Balinese dance, the Barong is performed by two men in a single costume, not unlike a Chinese dragon costume.