– JUNE 01, 2015

We arrived in Ubud, located north of Legian and Kuta.  Its a much calmer atmosphere, with the same shops and opportunities as in the southern towns but without the aggressive approaches.  A person could really relax in this area.

One of the things we can’t figure out is their fascination with the penis.  Its everywhere, including in Ubud.  We asked around, but we couldn’t get a straight story on this.

 

We had a great view from our hotel breakfast area.  Below are some pictures of the food we got to sample in Ubud.

The Luwak, an Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxus hermaphroditus), eat only the prime kopi (coffee) cherries it selects.  The kopi (coffee) cherries eaten by the Asian civet passes its digestive tract with its normal fermentation.  In other words, the Luwak eats the coffee cherries, digests them, has a bowel movement, then the feces are collected by people and used to make coffee.  Yes…you read that correctly.

The free coffee & tea samples brought out to us were as follows (from top left corner moving clockwise; with their descriptions from the shop):

(1) Mangosteen Peel

– Prevents cancer, aging, good for dental health/eyes/skin/hair, lowers stress, aids digestion & vitality, assists to prevent prostate cancer.

(2) Bali Coffee

– Organic Bali coffee is Bali’s best coffee selected from red sun ripe harvest coffee and processed while slow roasted to ensure the quality of the finest beans to provide you with a richer, better coffee taste.

(3) Ginger Tea

– Ginger tea is usually used to prevent colds and to aid digestion.  Also can be used as a home remedy for nausea & sore throats.  It also has a remedial effect on diarrhea & stomach ache due to low body temperature.  It is purported to aid blood circulation.

(4) Lemon Tea

– Lemon tea benefits are quite numerous and varied in nature and as a result many people choose to drink this choice of concoction.  In comparison with soda or coffee, tea carries a lot more health benefits.  Lemon is also known as nature’s antiseptic.

(5) Ginseng Coffee

– Ginseng is an aphrodisiac, helping accelerate the healing of many diseases.

(6) Lemon Grass Tea

– Lemongrass tea provides relief from nausea, severe menstrual cramps and acts as a diuretic.  Detoxification of liver, pancreas, kidneys, bladder and the digestive tract.  It also assists in maintaining normal cholesterol levels in the body, toxins, excess fats and improves digestion.  Lemongrass also relieves symptoms of the common cold/cough.

(7) Cocoa Spices

– Chocolate, cocoa powder, ginger, sugar and Indonesian spices result in a distinctive flavor apart from other cocoa coffees.

(8) Vanilla Coffee

– Vanilla coffee is usually better served in the morning.  A blend of coffee and vanilla extract good health, one of which is to calm the nerves.

(9) Bali Cocoa

– Bali Cocoa has a positive influence on one’s health, containing antioxidants.  Flavonoids found in hot chocolate are beneficial to the health because they shield the walls of blood vessels from free radicals.  They balance the levels of compounds called eicosanoids, which may be beneficial to cardiovascular heart issues.

(10) Coconut Coffee

– Selected from the best Kintamani coffee and fresh coconut cream powder blended with normal cream/sugar to get the rich taste of coconut and coffee.

(11) Rosella Tea

– This was a special tea that was off the menu.

Then it was time to try the special Luwak Coffee.  The workers apply high standards of sanitation and hygiene in utilizing these droppings and transforming them into coffee grinds.  This results in a natural exotic taste and aroma.  We had to order one to try it out…when else will we ever have the chance to try something like this?  It was a distinctive flavor…not our favorite, but definitely something we will remember (the taste/smell in addition to the story).

More Ubud adventures to come!

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For more photos of our adventure go to our flickr account here.