Hunting Books in Bali Part II

Two years after Hunting Books in Bali Part I, I finally able to sit down and write a decent entry. Ubud as the art, culture and spiritual center of Bali has the best selection of books in the whole island. Travelers actually go there to read and contemplate, in between their busy schedule of meditation, yoga and aura reading classes. The annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival also help to spark the literature virus to the small town. In no particular order, here they are.

Pondok Pekak Library and Learning Center

Aside from being the best library in Bali, where you can borrow books with all sort of genre during your stay in Bali, Pondok Pekak also offers art classes like Balinese dance, carving, painting and music. They have a very comprehensive collection for Indonesian interest. There’s also a special section books for sale with a very good price. I found some real treasure there (Frida Kahlo’s biography and The Memory Keepers Daughter). Deposit is required.

Ganesha Bookshop

Definitely my favorite used book shop in the island. There are many others but you can always count Ganesha for some sophisticated and interesting literature selection. Ubud sure does invites well read travelers from all over the globe. Prices started from 50,000 – 100,000 IDR and you can trade back for half the price. They recently put on an AC inside and thoughtfully provide wooden stool for a comfortable book browsing. There is also another Ganesha in Petitenget, housed inside Biku (tea house and a bookshop!) with comfy leather chair and romantic reading light.