To get a snapshot of how the locals live in a city or town, you just need to head over to markets to catch the locals in action. Over at Ubud in Bali, the common market for all locals is the Ubud Morning Market, found along Jalan Raya Ubud. Interestingly, this market for the locals instantly transforms into a market for tourists from about 9 am onwards. Before 9 am, the market is bustling with the Balinese people who were there to get fresh produce, flowers for prayers and breakfasts. So you will expect the fresh produce to be sold much cheaper in the wee hours of the morning.
That Monday morning, we set off at around 7.15am to the market. I believe the local markets starts as early as 5 am in the morning. The local farmers will set up their stalls along the roadside and within the market compound and the locals would bring their baskets and shopping bags along to carry all of their goods.
My mum and I bought fruits like mangoes, Salak and oranges back to our hotel as we wanted to bring them back to Singapore. The fruits and vegetables were sold by kilos and most of the fresh produce are about $2.50 per kilogram and below.
There are also some stalls selling cooked food like rice and congee which are some of the typical breakfast items eaten by the Balinese people.
We also tried the Jual Loloh which is traditional Balinese herbal drink that has spices and herbs added to it. It tasted very refreshing and it may not please everyone’s taste buds.
After we conquer all the frenzy in the local market, we headed back to our hotel for breakfast. I highly recommend that you make a short trip to the local market where you can taste some of their local street food which is prepared by the locals there. After 9 am, all the local stalls will be cleared away and the stalls selling souvenirs and clothes will be up. However, the prices wouldn’t be that reasonable and you have to exercise your bargaining skills.
Have you visit Ubud Morning market? What were some of the interesting sights and sound at the market?
