My return to Ubud began months ago, long before I boarded my flight to Asia.
In the Summer Issue of Wine Dine + Travel Magazine, I wrote about my previous visit to Ubud in The Mother of Ubud: Finding Bali’s Soul at Murni’s Houses, a story about my stay at a remarkable Balinese retreat tucked into the lush tropical hillside overlooking the river valley.
During that visit, I had the pleasure of getting to know Murni, whose hospitality and fascinating life story made a lasting impression on me.
Before I left, Murni invited me to return in October to experience a series of extraordinary Balinese Hindu ceremonies, celebrations deeply rooted in the island’s religious and cultural traditions.
It was an invitation I couldn’t resist.
In fact, that invitation became the impetus for my current two-month journey through Asia. What began as a return visit to Ubud eventually grew into an adventure through Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Taiwan.
But Ubud was always at the heart of the journey.
And now, here I am again.
A Morning Across the Valley
Saturday began with breakfast at Murni’s Houses with my new friends Herman and Tos, originally from the Netherlands, who have called the remote northern part of Bali home for the past 20 years.
They’re also staying here for the same Balinese Hindu ceremonies that brought me back to Ubud.
Over breakfast, they suggested we hike across the river valley to visit the Blanco Renaissance Museum.
So off we went.
The Creative Vortex
Ubud has long been a creative vortex, attracting painters and artists from around the world. Beginning in the 1930s, it developed into something of an international art colony.
But the foreign artists weren’t creating something out of nothing. Bali already had an extraordinary tradition of local painters, sculptors and woodcarvers. Some of the most remarkable artwork here is Balinese, and the exchange of ideas between local and visiting artists helped transform Ubud into the creative center it remains today.
One of those artists was Antonio Blanco, a Spanish-Filipino painter born in Manila who spent time in California and Florida before eventually settling in Bali in the early 1950s.
Blanco was given a piece of property overlooking the river by the king of Ubud, where he built his studio and eventually the museum dedicated to his work.
Judging from his paintings and photographs, Blanco was quite a character. Eccentric, humorous, flamboyant and apparently a man who knew how to have a good time.
His paintings are dreamlike, almost ethereal, with a somewhat impressionistic quality. His favorite subjects were Balinese women, often nude, portrayed with a mixture of sensuality, fantasy and playfulness.
In fact, the upstairs gallery is considered X-rated, with paintings that border on erotica. But there’s a whimsical quality to much of his work that suggests he didn’t take himself too seriously.
He eventually married a beautiful Balinese dancer, Ni Ronji, and made Bali his permanent home. He died in 1999, shortly before the museum opened.
An Artist’s Extraordinary World
Like the artist himself, the museum and its grounds are an eclectic collection of styles and surprises.
The main gallery looks like something transplanted from Renaissance Europe, complete with a dome, grand columns, two stories and spiral staircases. Next door are traditional Balinese-style buildings, creating an unusual but fascinating architectural combination.
And then there are the birds.
The grounds are home to a collection of exotic Indonesian birds, including an impressive hornbill and a very clever cockatoo. An unexpected addition to an already unusual museum experience.
Blanco became something of an international celebrity, attracting admirers from around the world. Even Michael Jackson was a fan. There’s a photograph of the two together and a painting Blanco dedicated to the King of Pop.
Today, Blanco’s son Mario carries on the family’s artistic tradition as a painter himself.
It was a fascinating morning exploring the imagination of a man who clearly found his paradise in Bali.
Back to My Own Little Paradise
After hiking back across the valley, I returned to my own little paradise at Murni’s Houses.
I’ve stayed in some pretty remarkable places over the years, but I honestly can’t remember accommodations with grounds quite as impressive as these.
There’s nothing particularly fancy about the place. That’s part of its charm. It’s authentically Balinese, surrounded by tropical vegetation, traditional architecture and the peaceful sounds of nature.
I’m back in the same suite where I stayed on my previous visit, with a wonderful private terrace overlooking the lush surroundings.
I spent the rest of the afternoon doing absolutely nothing, which is becoming one of my favorite activities here in paradise.
For dinner, I ordered food delivered to my room and enjoyed it on the terrace.
A perfect ending to a wonderful day.
And for now, I have absolutely nothing planned until later this week, when I’ll be attending the extraordinary Balinese Hindu ceremonies that Murni invited me back to experience.
Sometimes paradise is about adventure. Other times, it’s about finding a beautiful place to sit and simply enjoy being there.
This is the first in a series on Art and Ubud.
For more information about this remarkable Balinese retreat, including accommodations, dining and spa services, visit the official website of Murni’s Houses & Spa in Ubud.
Featured photo by Taguelmoust – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
