Weather
A food day when the fields are wet
Walk the wet fields, then cook under a roof
IDR 450.000per guest, shared class
A food day in Ubud’s wet season: showers do not close a covered kitchen, mornings are usually drier, and slick bunds call for closed shoes.
By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated First published
The short answer
Rain does not close the kitchen. The cooking at Warung Tumang Bali is under a roof. What changes is the walk: the rice bunds get slick, so wear closed shoes with tread, and choose the morning session if you can, because rain often builds after midday.
A shower does not close the kitchen
Ubud’s wet months bring short, hard rain, often building after midday. The paddies hold water in any case. A shower does not close Warung Tumang Bali. The cooking is under a roof.
The part that changes is the walk. The bunds between the Petulu rice fields get slick. Closed shoes with a tread are better than sandals. If a path is flooded, the group uses the lane instead of the mud. You still end at the same kitchen in Banjar Laplapan.
Morning is the drier half
If you can choose, a morning session meets the market before the usual afternoon build-up. The afternoon session still runs. Bring a light jacket you can take off at the stove. An umbrella is awkward on a narrow bund.
Flower offerings on the stone paths bruise in the rain and stick to wet feet. Step around them the same way you would on a dry day. They are not cleared because visitors are coming.
What to tell the kitchen
If the lane at your hotel is flooding, say so when pickup is confirmed. The ride is still about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic, and rain is part of that traffic. You are not moved to a different warung because the sky opened.
One kitchen, one pin. The afternoon is simply wetter to walk. Plan the morning session if the forecast is already dark at dawn.
Questions before the day
- Does the food day run when it rains?
- Yes. The kitchen is covered. If a path is flooded, the group uses the lane instead of the rice bunds.
- What shoes should I wear in the wet season?
- Closed shoes with a tread. Sandals slip on wet bunds, and an umbrella is awkward on a narrow path. Bring a light jacket instead.
- Does rain change the ride from central Ubud?
- The ride is still about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic, and rain is part of that traffic. Tell the kitchen if the lane at your hotel is flooding.
Plan the rest of the day
- The Ubud market when it is rainingA traditional morning market near Ubud in the wet season: go just after dawn, wear closed shoes, buy chili and coconut, and leave before the lanes flood.
- Morning session or afternoon sessionChoose the 8:30am Petulu morning (market, rice walk, cooking, lunch) or the 2:30pm afternoon (rice walk, cooking, dinner). Same kitchen, pickup, and group size.
- Petulu rice fields on a food dayA short walk through working rice paddies in Petulu near Ubud: about half an hour on the bunds, 10 minutes from central Ubud, then the kitchen at Bali 80571.