Ubud Bali, No 3 World's Best City: Travel + Leisure Magazine

TheIndonesia.id - In July 2022, Ubud, one of the sub-districts in Gianyar regency, Bali, became a byword among foreign and domestic tourists. The travel magazine from the United States "Travel + Leisure" announced Ubud as the 3rd best city in the world.

The magazine made a survey and then ranked the 25 best cities in the world in 2022. The survey was conducted from October 25, 2021-February 28, 2022. Of the 25 cities in the world, Ubud with 91.73 points occupies the 3rd position as the best city in the world or top ranking in Asia.

Apart from Ubud, the other cities are Oxaca, Mexico, with 92.96 points; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with 91.77 points; Florence, Italy, with 91.06 points; Istanbul, Turkey with 90.97 points. Next up, Mexico City, Mexico, with 90.90 points; Chiang Mai, Thailand, with 90.70 points; Jaipur, India, with 90.67 points; Osaka, Japan, with 90.35 points; and Udaipur, India, with 90.22 points.

Ubud, a sub-district city, with a strong Balinese culture and arts, managed to beat metropolitan cities that have skyscrapers such as Istanbul (5th place), Mexico City (6th position), Osaka (9th), Tokyo (12th place), and Seoul (16). Thus, Ubud improved its position from 4th place in 2021 to 3rd place out of the 25 best cities in 2022.

Ubud is better than other cities that did not even make it into the top 10 such as Tokyo, Hoi An, Luang Prabang, Taipei, Kyoto, and Singapore. Ubud is one of the seven sub-districts in Gianyar regency, Bali province, which always strives to maintain its culture, art, and natural potential to maintain its authenticity which turns out to be fascinating.

The chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Associations of Bali, Tjok Oka Sukawati, assessed that Ubud is a city that is still beautiful and well-maintained with the friendliness of the community so that tourists are always happy to visit. "That's why Ubud will be the best city in 2022 in Asia and the third best city in the world in 2022," said Cok Ace, his familiarly call. Cok Ace is also the Deputy Governor of Bali.

Preserves Tradition

For tourists, Ubud is known as a city that is strong in maintaining culture, tradition, art, nature conservation, and strong belief in Balinese Hinduism. In Ubud, tourists will find many temples with gates typical of Balinese art. Strolling in the city of Ubud, tourists will find many offerings on the side of the road that show Balinese Hindus expressing gratitude to God.

Tourists often face traffic jams on the road because there is a Ngaben ceremony, a procession of Balinese people delivering corpses in cow statues, white or black. In Ubud, tourists will witness lots of free spectacles for tourists, whether it is a tradition, religion, and cultural activity.

Tourists can also see the beautiful natural scenery of the Tegalalang rice terraces. For art lovers, there are many painting museums, painting shops, and art objects. Painting exhibitions are also always available at the Puri Painting Museum, Arma Museum, Neka Museum, Don Antonio Blanco Museum, and Arie Smith House (Museum). All of them are in the middle of Ubud.

There are many painting shops in the city of Ubud, which tourists can buy to decorate and beautify their homes and offices. There is also an art shop, such as sculptures and creative works of art. Starting from the Sukawati art market to Tegalalang along 19 kilometers.

Gianyar Regent I Made Mahayastra said that one of the peculiarities of Ubud is the longest Art Shop street in the world because no other city or country has a street full of Art Shops on either side.

Healthy City

Ubud is also a healthy city. The word "Ubud" originated from the Sanskrit word Ubad in the 7th century. Ubad is now known as Obat in Indonesian. Ubud means the city that heals.

Therefore, Ubud has many places for yoga and meditation. Yoga place is like a mini market, in every corner of the city. In addition, there are also many restaurants, cafes, and restaurants serving healthy food to support the city of Ubud which is known as the city of Yoga lovers. The city of Ubud also has many restaurants and cafes that serve natural views such as rice fields, waterfalls, and pristine forests. While eating and drinking, tourists can enjoy the beautiful natural scenery.

The existence of the Monkey Forest in Ubud also shows that this city takes care of the forest and its hundreds of monkeys. The people of the Padang Tegal traditional village, Ubud village, took care of the forest and won the environmental award Kalpataru prize for successfully preserving the forest, flora, and fauna.