Lakad Pilipinas

The morning gracefully greeted us in the town of Ubud. Rice paddies brimmed with bountiful harvest, the sky, deep blue with wisps of clouds floating slowly by. It was like waking up on a farm, except we’re not on one, we’re inside a resort in town, Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas.

BEBEK TEPI SAWAH VILLAS’ OPEN LOBBY

We arrived late the previous night, having toured the whole day, traipsing about the beaches of Bali and sneaking in a couple of temples into our itinerary. It was almost nine in the evening when our van from Bali Golden Tour dropped us off at our lodging.

THE RESORT WAS MADE FAMOUS FROM ITS CRISPY FRIED DUCKS

Bebek Tepi Sawah literally means duck by the rice field. And ducks, like crisply fried ducks, is where it got famous for. The restaurant fronts the resort which is home to six Balinese villas with twenty five rooms, two swimming pools, a restaurant, and real-life rice paddies surrounded by maze-like gardens.

POOL NUMBER ONE NEAR THE RESTAURANT

POOL NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS A BIT MORE SECLUDED

It is located about two kilometers away from the center of Ubud. It is walkable, but why walk when they have complimentary daily shuttles to and from town from nine in the morning ‘til ten in the evening.

THE RESORT IS LADEN WITH GARDENS

We settled in at the second floor of their Batuan Villa [CHECK DISCOUNTED ROOM RATES] which shares with two other rooms. We actually got the better deal since ours has its own verandah with a sprawling view of the rice paddies.

OUR VERY BALINESE ROOM

A four-poster bed sits at the center of the room, an ornate wooden vanity on its right, and a mini-sitting area on its left. The furniture all looked antique and the room is capped with a beautiful pitched cogon ceiling. Our room can’t get any more Balinese.

The toilet and bath looks dated with its marble finish, but the open-roof shower more than made up for it. If you’re worried about privacy, there’s absolutely nothing to fret about as high-rise structures are not allowed in Bali.

MINI LIVING AREA

My only beef with our room is the lighting. While having muted dim lights is nice and cozy, it can get annoying if you need to find something in your bag or if you need to work. An option to have a regular-powered light would’ve been very considerate.

THE BALE BANJAR RESTAURANT

Breakfast is complimentary at the Bale Banjar Restaurant, which sits right by the pool. It’s not a buffet but the options are quite varied. They have Continental, American, and Indonesian. You can, of course, also order their Tepi Sawah breakfast menu, if you want some duck for your morning meals, but it’s not free of charge.

OUR FAVORITE MIE GORENG FOR BREAKFAST

And during our four-day stay, we have tried all their morning fares, the mie goreng topping our list. It was just too bad that we didn’t have time to actually try their fried duck, an Ubud specialty.

BEBEK TEPI SAWAH IN UBUD

Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas in Ubud is the perfect getaway from a getaway. It is secluded enough for those wanting a quiet stay in Bali, but still close enough to town for shopping, dining, and partying. Plus, if you want your Balinese fried duck, it’s literally just a few steps away from your room.

~ BEBEK TEPI SAWAH HOSTED OUR STAY IN KUTA. VIEWS AND OPINION ALL MINE.

Bebek Tepi Sawah Villas
Address: Jalan Raya Goa Gajah, Br. Teges,
       Peliatan Ubud, Badung, Bali, Indonesia
Contact Number: +62 (361) 972-987
Email: sales@bebektepisawahvillas.com
GPS Coordinates Map: -8.5236857,115.2706991
► CLICK HERE FOR DISCOUNTED ROOM RATES
► BOOK ONLINE FOR DISCOUNTED TOURS IN BALI

Mention Bali and the first things that come to mind are its white sand beaches and the hundreds of ornate temples that dot its landscape. But there’s more to Bali than these, and no, it’s not babi guling—although that porky delight is indeed another aspect of the island worth considering. It’s the traditional Balinese villages that still celebrate the way life was on the island before hordes of tourists started invading this paradise.

COLORFUL TRADITIONAL WOODEN MASKS BEING SOLD ON THE VILLAGES

During the course of my visits to Bali, I’ve visited only two of these so-called Bali traditional villages. There are more, like the Trunyan Village which has the custom of leaving their deceased above ground, a cloth and bamboo canopy its only cover, to the more famous jewelry-making village of Celuk and the culturally rich and more touristy Batubulan Village in Gianyar.

It was past ten in the evening when we arrived at our lodging. The resort was peacefully quiet, the moon rising in full, as our Balinese hosts led us to our villas overlooking the pool. Rama Beach Resort was our first taste of Bali. It was literally the place we went to directly after flying from Kota Kinabalu, Bali being the third leg of our ASEAN Summer Loop trip.

RAMA BEACH RESORT & VILLAS AT BALI’S SOUTH KUTA AREA

Set on two hectares of sprawling land ten minutes away from the Ngurah Rai International Airport, the four-star resort has 104 rooms for tourists wanting to experience the Beaches of Bali and the island’s unique cuisine. Of the six room types, five are on detached villas—which we were lucky enough to be billeted in.

AirAsia recently bagged the title of being the World's Best Low-Cost Airline as proclaimed by Skytrax. This is the tenth consecutive time that AirAsia has held the title. And rightfully so.

Ever since I started traveling, AirAsia has been my go to carrier for my trips, especially during my partner-in-crime's and mine's annual two-month summer trips around South East Asia. In fact, our first one, the ASEAN Summer Loop four years ago, came about because of AirAsia's really affordable ASEAN Pass. It was followed by Beach Hop Asia, where we travelled across the beaches of South East Asia, Sri Lanka, and Maldives. Then the Same Same Summer Trip, and finally, our most recent one, the SEA2africa trip.

How many beaches are there in Bali? That was the thought that was running through my mind as we savored our last sunset on the island, pastels painting the lower part of the horizon as surfers glide through the curling waves. We’ve just spent almost two weeks on the island, exploring the temples and waterfalls of Bali, and of course, its beaches. We’ve seen quite a lot, swimming on a few and wishing we actually know how to surf.

Bali, Kuta particularly, emerged on the tourist map during the eighties, being a popular stop for backpackers doing the South East Asian route. It was part of the backpacking forefather’s three K’s—Kathmandu, Khao San Road, and Kuta.

When was the last time you’ve actually stayed and slept on a palace? When was my last? Well, never, of course. I have never slept on a palace before like the rest of the proletariat. But checking in at Ubud’s Puri Saraswati Bungalows, I’m finally getting to sleep on one. And it’s not just any palace, it’s one with a history too.

PURA SARASWATI BUNGALOWS’ OPULENT VERANDA

I actually have zero inkling that Puri Saraswati Bungalows is part of Ubud’s Puri Saren Agung, a royal palace built during the 1800’s in the heart of Bali, until reading their in-room menu while munching on a Tim Tam chocolate bar on our room’s very Balinese veranda. It turns out that that the ground we’re standing on used to be the playground for the children’s royalty before it was converted into bungalows which then served as residence to the royal family.

Wow. Just, wow, I said to myself as I reached for another bar of chocolates.

Bali, the Land of the Gods. Separated from mainland Indonesia, this island paradise has a belief unique from the rest of the country, practicing Hinduism instead of Islam. With it comes temples, lots of them, sacred grounds carved on mountainsides, built over lakes, and standing over cliffs, all dedicated to their faith’s gods. And they literally have millions of gods, thirty three million to be exact.

HINDU IMAGERIES ON BALINESE TEMPLES

Imagine how hard it was for us, unfamiliar with Hinduism, to choose which temples to visit—each Balinese village having no less than three temples on their soil. We consulted guidebooks and read about Sad Kahyangan, the six cardinal temples of Bali, the holiest and most revered pura or temples in the whole of the island. But not all of these are easily accessible, being located on the heart and perimeters of Bali, and this island is huge.

I was able to grab the last copy of Inflight Traveller’s most recent issue at National Bookstore the other day. The main feature is about beaches in the Philippines, from El Nido to Pagol. On their Insiders Guide, I contributed a listicle for Guimaras. Both words and photographs were by yours truly except for a couple of island hopping pictures which were by Blissfulguro—duly credited, of course.

It’s basically a rundown of things one can do in the island province, from hitting the beach and hiking up the Guisi Lighthouse, to mingling with monks at the Trappist Monastery and trying out the famous Guimaras mango. I’ve been to Guimaras quite a number of times and it is one of the more accessible beach locations you can find but, surprisingly, without much of the tourist crowd.

Inflight Traveller, published by Dornier Media, is available for sale on major bookstores and can also be read on cafes, restaurants, and of course, aboard AirSwift Airline.