This walk has a long and a short version.
Both walks start at the border of Ubud, from where you experience directly the peace, the silence and the view over the sawahs.
There Wayan will tell you everything about the cultivation of rice; the difference between the Balinese and other rice; the number of harvests; the irrigation of the land; the cooperation among the farmers; the distribution among the workers; the necessairy offerings to the gods; the benefit of the ducks; and a lot more…
Strolling through the rice fields you will come upon a more natural scene, where a small path leads along an outlet of the river, coming all the way from Lake Batur, guided along the rice fields.
It is a beautiful, peaceful, green and cool area, where the farmers at the end of the day often take a refreshing bath in the running water.
At a point where the water is guided in two directions, you cross the river. At the other side of the river, you climb up and arrive -how surprising- in a local jungle-warung. A place where the farmers take a rest and buy a refreshing drink and a local snack. But, of course, everyone else will be welcome there. Further up you are standing again between the sawahs. Walking back in the southern direction, a path to the right leads to the hill of Campuhan, a rather rough route and straight on you pass the rice field of Wayan himself, where he, if you like, climbs in the tree to pick up a coconut for a fresh drink. A little bit further in this direction you will find the ‘organic farm’, an Indonesian initiative to grow organic vegetables and products of it. In the opposite of the farm is an open-air restaurant for organic food and drinks. (even organic beer and wine)
Walking along the same route, you will come back again to the Jalan Raya, the main street of Ubud, where you can be picked up to bring you back to your hotel.
The real die-hards take the rough way. This is the route, that after the jungle-warung leads to the right, in the direction of Campuhan. Via a path between the sawahs you come out at the next river. You pass a farmyard, where some stone stairs leads to a lower platform. In a small stable stands the cow of the farmer quietly eating from his trough and looks curiously at the passer-by. From there the descent to the river is not very easy, because the places to put your feet down are very small and sometimes slippery, while there is hardly any handhold. Over the river is made a small shaky bamboo bridge you have to pass one by one (no more than 70 kg!)
About 5 meter below is the twisting riverstream.
The other side of the riverslope is just as rough to climb and you need a good physical condition to do this.
After this piece of jungle you arrive directly in the middle of the green cultivated landscape again, which gives a wide, quiet view.
Right across the sawah you arrive at the road, that to the right leads to Keliki and to the left via Campuhan to Ubud again.
You move on to the left, you pass a small village with some galleries, small warungs and some bungalows. At the end of this village the road passes into a foot-path on the top of the hills between the two most important rivers that stream into Ubud. Over the top of these hills is a path situated only reachable for walkers. At both sides of this path alang alang is growing, a sort of grass, long and tough, cultivated for roofs. Beside the path you find several wild flowering plants, attracking a lot of butterflies.
Later in the afternoon this place is visited by a lot of young couples, hiding between the long blades of grass.
This path ends at the important temple of Campuhan, set up where the two rivers come together and where Ubud began in the past, so it is said.
The river is a popular bathing place for the local citizens.
After passing the temple and the school, you come out on Jalan Raya Ubud again.
