Boom Boomin’ it up in Ubud
Ah Ubud… Ubud, Ubud, Ubud. The minute Gen and I arrived in Ubud we knew that we had broken out of the hysteria and pandering to tourism of the beach areas. Granted, Ubud has blown up, and there is tourism like no other as well, namely the recent addition of the local Starbucks. Seriously? Fuck Starbucks! Nevertheless, the vibe of Ubud is just different. Futhermore, the knowledge that a short walk from the shops, spas, and eateries of the bustling main drags will open you up to landscapes that are as sacred as can be changes the entire game.
We arrived in the late afternoon and awaited the addition of another cutty-classic couple, the recently engaged Lorrin Pascoe and Kea Wyatt, otherwise known as LoWal and KeBomb. Having to alter there flight schedule on account of the possible flooding in Bangkok, Thailand, they came through Tokyo on an overnight layover in Signapore. Apparently they hit the Signapore Slings a little hard because after checking in on their arrival a couple of times, we were surprised that they hadn’t made it. Turns out we thought they were coming in at 6 pm and they were always slotted for a 10 pm arrival after the change in flight plans.
Good thing it didn’t matter to Gen and I because we took the opportunity to actually booze out a little bit for the first time on our trip at the nearby watering hole slash restaurant slash live music venue Boom Boom. The name had us right away considering it was so similar to the Boom-Boom Room back in SF, which everyone who has ever been there can attest is the jam. After a nice meal and some banging cocktails, we started hitting the Bintangs pretty hard awaiting the arrival of our comrades. With the local cover band rocking all sorts of songs, we hit the dance floor to start the party a couple of times and had the joint in an uproar by the time we headed back to check game on LoWal and KeBomb’s arrival. Sure enough, they’d gotten in but were straight to bed due to the massive jet lag and great time they’d had in Signapore. All good, feeling like it was 3 am at 11:15 pm was good enough for us to call it a night anyhow, and as fate would tell, the Boom Boom would call upon us again the following night.
After trying to awaken LP the night before knowing full well he heard my ass we were awoken the next morning to a sly knock upon our door. Sure enough, Mr. Pascoe blurted “Room Service” in his ever-so-obvious sniper voice and we welcomed in our homie. Again, so great to see one of my best buds across many an ocean, especially since it was on his recommendation that Bali ended up being our vacation destination. Onward to breakfast and the bringing together of all crews as the Cullinen’s had decided the night previous to trip to Ubud and meet us for the day and to stay a night. As the last bite of breakfast fell at the Yulia Village Inn, our quaint but very cute inn, sure enough, Dewa rolls into the driveway producing Ryan & Andrea. No more than 3 minutes later Lorrin and Kea waltz up like all stars were aligning.
Together now, we had a day, a night, and another day together… What would it have in store for us? A severe cop session was definitely in the cards. Monkey Forest? Scooter Mashing? Bintangs galore? So many options, all of them legit.
We took advantage of all of our powers combined to get into bargain mode for some copping action. We had a seasoned vet in the game, aka The Ringer, Mr. Pascoe. Man does he have bargain game. In his words “Bargaining is a sign of respect”. As peculiar as it may sound after breaking down the price of my first few items, he had a point. We tag-teamed attack mode style in a local pasar with LoWal coming through on the tail end of every close to purchase moment with a “ahhhhh, that’s too expensive” under his breath but just loud enough for the seller to notice. Work magic, cop fits, cop gear, handle business, reward yourself with Bintangs. Done and done. Money gear, money savings, Rupiah in the bank.
Chill session was needed and taken, then it was to food, and to live reggae at the Boom Boom. Redux, but with more peeps, and more action. Buy one shot and get 10 free? It’s got to be a gimmick right? Nope. Just as long as you like a line of vodka-based shots in the color of a rainbow, you’re good to go. Just be careful of the swamp ass inna humid reggae high-steppin’ session, truth be told. Suffice to say we had an awesome time, and the local Balinese band “The Small Axe” was jammin’. Much respect, buddaaah bye bye bye!
HK Boozenthal.
Skip a track to the next morning. All roads point to the Ubud Monkey Forest. Touristy as fuck, yes. Dope as shit anyhow, yes. Adolescent monkey chilling on Mays? Jiranteeed! My photos and videos were the jam, but LP donned the fisheye lens into this enchanted forest of temples of many a monkey and without a doubt caught some candid shots of a lifetime. Can’t wait to share some of his when the time comes as well. In sum, monkey’s play, monkey’s slay, and monkey’s chill. The most unexpected aspect of these creatures is their affinity to gaze directly into your eyes, sizing you up just like you would another human being. Pretty elfin’ cool, or in the primordial words of Jodi Foster “Epoch!”
Chronicles of all things Ubud…
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