Hidden behind a plain-looking building at the end of Monkey Forest Street, it’s the busiest spot in Ubud before sunrise. Hours before a ruckus of motorbikes, tourists, taxis, and noisy cicadas compete for air time in the streets, women gather here daily to collect food for their families and offerings for the gods. It’s the main market.

I pulled the Land Cruiser off the highway and onto a narrow dirt road where lush trees formed a canopy over the lane.