Arrived At Homestay 'Rumah Roda" In Ubud, Bali

It Was A Long Flight, But Was Worth It!

After a sleepless 12 hour red eye flight from San Francisco to Taiwan, a 3 hour layover, and a final 7 hour flight to Bali, I arrived at 2:20pm, feeling weary but also felt much anticipation.   To my relief, the arranged driver was patiently standing outside the airport, looking a bit bored and waving a paper sign. I chuckled when I saw my last name badly misspelled as usual.  After climbing into his van, the next 1 hour drive from the airport to Ubud was more nerve wrecking than I ever remembered, while my driver tried his best to avoid the many weaving motorbikes that were pouring out clouds of toxic fumes.

When we finally approached the village of Ubud, I was thrilled to recognize the street "Monkey Forest" road and could feel a surge of energy.  There was a colorful flow of memories from past years and an indescribable welcoming feeling.  I had reservations via email for Rumah Roda homestay, which I researched on the internet as being a very good choice.  It has a traditional Balinese family compound with a three story building at the rear of the property offering 8 guest rooms.



 #24 Jn Kajeng, Rumah Roda entryway, Ubud, Bali

When I entered the homestay Rumah Roda, the family was welcoming and showed me my room
on the 2nd floor, which had a nice view of the family temple and also a peek a boo view of the neighbors properties.  Grandpa was sitting in the center of the compound in a  yogi position,
peeling a mound of garlic cloves and scraping out coconuts. I tried to ask him for a clove but he didn't seem to understand and it didn't seem right to snatch one from the pile.  Grandma was making temple offering with flowers, girls were sweeping with handmade brooms and roosters were still crowing in the mid day.

I slowly unpacked and it suddenly became dark at 6pm, when I took an awesome walk, circling the busy streets of Ubud.  Sadly, some of my favorite cafes and hangouts were replaced with new upscale shops.  But on the up side, I happily found Wayan , my favorite bungalow boy from a previously torn down bungalow,  sitting in his outdoor clothing stall. He was shocked when he saw me and remembered my name.  "Of course I remember you",  he said, "I still have a photo of you posted on my wall at home, and I walk by it everyday". "How can I forget you".    After a short sweet visit with Wayan, I started to feel jet lag and walked back to my homestay, Romah Ruda. I  slept well with ear plugs and woke up feeling amazingly refreshed.

When staying in a traditional Balinese  home stay you will have an experience in observing what happens on a daily basis within the Balinese culture.  The rooms are basic with scant furniture, a few lingering insects who appear to be in meditation while sitting on the bathroom counter top and an old fashioned Balinese version of cleanliness, good but not impeccable.

In the evenings the family may be seen flopped down on pillows, spread out on an outdoor platform

while all together watching TV, a fairly new addition to Balinese life.  They are reserved with basic friendliness but I had some disappointed that it wasn't quite as friendly  as I had read in the reviews. 
I quickly became aware of other guests being shuffled out of their rooms and being moved down the road to another family guesthouse, as to temporarily accommodate new guests.  Hopefully that won't happen to me!

The rooms all overlook a small pool down as well as an outdoor temple cluttered with building supplies and surrounding neighborhood family compounds.  The front entry area displayed a collection of family photos / paintings including one bizarre painting of young frightened girls running in the rice fields away from a man who appeared to boast a large erection. I'm still trying to figure out the feng shui that this particular photo portrays while it hangs proudly in the front entry area.  Someone please enlighten me!

Then there are a few loud, might I say "active" roosters in the immediate neighborhood with one pathetic wailing rooster immediately next door that just doesn't quit.  One of the staff members admitted that it is supposedly an expensive specialty bird that their neighbor displays in a cage.  They all hate the constant rooster wailing and in fact puts out so much bad energy that it gives them bad dreams at night.  But unfortunately, there is nothing she or anyone else can do since the Balinese seem to love their roosters and the variety of songs that they sing.

Rumah Roda pool, Ubud, Bali

The semi outdoor restaurant at the front and up on the second floor is where the included

breakfast is served. It is a good place to meet people from this homestay as well as other tourists
from the neighborhood.

The prices were reasonably priced but unfortunately I found that the Sunday buffet was overly spicy for me which required me to leave the table after the first two bites.  Also it wasn't quite as peaceful as it looked.  There were many motorbikes racing back and forth along the road driven by what look like 10 or 12 year olds.  I suspect that if there is an age limit, it is not enforced.  Needless to say, I learned quickly to say a little prayer and to hug the far side of the road.
I guess every area within Ubud and each homestay comes with their unique pros and cons but I will always come back to Rumah Roda.  The homestay is authentically Balinese and the owners are generous with giving out information about local events, especially when you let them know in advance that you are interested in Balinese ceremonies..

Rumah Roda upstairs restaurant, Ubud, Bali

(Update:  The rooms now all  have AC,  a small refrigerator and a TV. )