Ubud: Private Market Tour & Balinese Cooking Class with Pickup

4.98

(130 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were barely awake when Putu showed up outside our Ubud guesthouse — she was already grinning, waving us into her little car. The roads were quiet, just scooters humming past and a few roosters making themselves heard. At Pejeng market, everything felt louder: vendors calling out prices, kids darting between baskets of chilies, the smell of jackfruit and something fried hanging in the air. I tried to ask for mangosteen (Li laughed when I tried to say it in Bahasa — probably butchered it), but Putu just winked and bargained for us. We picked up handfuls of herbs I’d never seen before. She let me sniff one leaf — sharp, almost citrusy — and told me it was good for headaches.

The drive back to her place was only ten minutes but felt like we’d left the busy world behind. Her kitchen is tiny, two burners and a window that lets in all the green from her garden. We chopped eggplant together while Putu explained how her grandmother used to make sambal — she said you have to pound the chilies by hand or “the flavor gets lazy.” My arms got tired pretty fast (she didn’t seem surprised). There was this moment when the spices hit the pan — garlic, ginger, something else earthy — and suddenly it smelled like every meal I’ve ever loved but couldn’t name.

Lunch was simple: grilled fish with chili sauce, eggplant with tomatoes, rice that tasted faintly of coconut. We ate sitting cross-legged on her floor because there wasn’t really a table big enough for all of us. She told stories about her family’s ceremonies while we ate — it felt less like a class and more like being let in on someone’s daily life. I still think about that view from her window: banana trees swaying a little, sunlight sliding across the tiles. Hard to explain why that sticks with me.