There is an energy that is unique to the markets of Bali. The rush, the hustle, the smells, the heat, the crowded spaces and the jam packed stalls all add to the vibe within the Ubud market in particular.
We spent a lot of time in other small markets buying a few items, but there is something amazing about the Ubud traditional market. Every morning the market opens at 3am. From 3am to 7am it is filled with locals selling mostly food or the materials to make daily offerings. There are very few tourists who walk through at this time but it is also when the best deals on food are found. With the art of the barter, you can purchase all of your groceries for a fraction of the price.
At 7am everything changes. The front tables all close up and the food pretty much disappears. The back stalls in the rows and rows of the market open up to reveal every tourist style souvenir you can think of. It is remarkable how different the same space can feel when it is intended to target different demographics. The chaos is still there, but the items available for purchase could not be more opposite.
We managed to find a few deals on items at both the early morning market and the later tourist market. Bartering became a lot of fun for us. We started to figure out how much we should be paying for things instead of what they would like us to pay as tourists. The kids are a bit difficult to have in the market because they can't hide their excitement and often get suckered into taking things from the sellers. They have gotten so much better at saying "No Thank You' and moving on, but it took many, many reminders.
If you are patient and willing to look around to get the best price on an item it is completely worth the trip to the market. Embrace the chaos and the crazy to find something you fall in love with and take it home!
No comments:
Post a Comment