I Love Bali
Indonesia, September 2010
There are very few places in the world that I've been to more than once. The Indonesian island of Bali is one of them. It felt strange listening to my husband, David, explain to everyone that this was his first visit but my fourth and I was slightly nervous that the island might not live up to my memories or David's expectations.
immaculate rice terraces that follow the contours of the steep hills
My first time in Bali I was on my own; the second with my first husband and the third with a girlfriend, who I was visiting in Brunei and we had popped down for the weekend. Each time I saw a different side to Bali and as I desperately wanted David to fall in love with the island, I realised he had to experience it all. I therefore booked us on a week’s cycling holiday followed by 2 nights in Ubud and 4 nights at Jimbaran Bay, located in the island’s touristy South.
The 7 day tour (5 days cycling) would take us from Ubud on a circular route across to the East coast and Candidasa. We would then follow the coast North to the diving and snorkelling town of Amed and then on to Lovina with its black sand beaches. We would then head inland again, over the mountains and rice fields stopping overnight in an eco lodge in Pacung. Then our final day would take us past volcanoes, lakes and forests of monkeys before arriving back in Ubud. We had a tour guide and support van and would be staying at a different hotel each night and for this part of the trip I hoped we would see the Bali that I remembered from my very first visit.
That first night in Ubud I wasn’t disappointed. Our wooden villa, set amongst rice fields, would have been idyllic if it was not for the chorus of frogs that insisted on welcoming us. That monotonous, repetitive croaking took me back twenty years to when I had to sleep wearing headphones so that my portable CD player would drown out their noise. Being a city dweller it always amazes me how much louder nature can be.
For me there are two Bali’s. In the North of the island there is the real Bali with its immaculate emerald green rice terraces that follow the contours of the steep hills, the image of which will stay with you forever. Equally beautiful are the ancient lakes and volcanoes and the chocolate brown rivers running through rainforests. This part of Bali is also an artisan’s idea of heaven and you can buy every kind of artwork imaginable from comical carved cats to intricate silver jewellery.
Each village specialises in their own art form so you will drive past shops selling almost identical hand carved wooden furniture or menageries of birds and animals. The next village will have workshops and yards jam packed with stone sculptures of all shapes and sizes and the following village will be overflowing with large canvas paintings. In the evenings you can watch local dance troops performing the Kecak monkey dance or you can enjoy another famous art form – a Balinese massage.
Then there is the touristy Bali. The sun drenched beaches of Sanur, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran Bay and the party town of Kuta with its fashion chain stores, Hard Rock Café and wild noisy bars filled with Aussies all wearing Bintang Singlets (that’s a vest t-shirt advertising the local beer for all you non Australians). I have to admit I have very fond memories of partying in Kuta with my girlfriend and now also with David.
If you look at a map of the island the two worlds are almost divided by a narrow strip of land that cuts the tourist south from the real Bali. In fact anything south of Denpassar, the capital, is commercial and noisy and everything north is artistic and peaceful.
dressed in black and white checked sarongs and given parasols to shade them from the sun.
Amazingly both live side by side on the same small island and for tourists that means you get the best of both worlds. Depending on the type of holiday you are looking for you can either stay in the South and lie on the beach all day or base yourself in the town of Ubud, if art and nature are more your cup of tea. Even better would be to book a two centre holiday and experience both.
If you prefer an energetic holiday there are many activities from diving, snorkelling and surfing to white water rafting but we didn’t see many cyclists, unless you count the school children. I have to admit the locals did think we were crazy cycling in 90% humidity and temperatures in the 80’s and we were a bit of a novelty especially when we got stuck at traffic lights. They must have wondered why we hadn’t hired a bike with an engine. Mopeds, scooters and motorbikes are the preferred form of transport and I have to admit as we were cycling (and sometimes walking) up the steepest hills I’ve ever tackled I wished we had.
However, despite the hills, cycling and Bali really do go hand in hand. It’s quiet and peaceful just like the villages you cycle through and you get to do “the” most amazing window shopping. On a bike, you can quietly stop at the side of a paddy field and watch a farmer cover his crop with nets to stop the birds stealing his rice; or take photos at the top of mountains whilst simultaneously bartering with a local artist to buy one of his paintings. Passing through market towns, you can soak up the aromas of fresh fruit, veg and spices and “high five” and wave back to the kids heading for school.
You also don’t need to cycle too far before finding an excuse to stop. Whether it is to visit a temple; hike to see a waterfall or head into the forest to sample the most expensive coffee in the world. Kopi Luwak coffee is made from coffee beans that have passed undigested through the intestines of a Luwak - the local name for an Asian Palm Civet – who looks like a cross between a cat and an otter. It may sound disgusting but at approx £50 for an espresso sized cup back home it was definitely worth trying and I have to admit it was the best coffee I have ever tasted.
Lunches and dinners in local restaurants serving freshly squeezed fruit juices and specialities such as Nasi Goreng taste even better after you’ve been pedalling hard. I also discovered that I was partial to snake-skin fruit. However, the best meal was on Jimbaran Bay; sitting at a table on a beach, our bare feet wriggling in the sand watching the sun set whilst our supper of green lobster and giant prawns was being barbequed on coconut husks.
arrive with their offerings to pray and be blessed by the priest.
If I was to find one complaint it would be that the wine was extortionate (£70 for a bottle of Pinot Grigio). Surprisingly, Bali does produce its own wine - Hatten Wines - which was very drinkable but not always widely available and although a cold beer after a day in the saddle is heavenly, there are only so many you can have and the same applies to cocktails.
I’ve often asked myself what it is about Bali that makes it so special. It’s not just the stunning scenery - it’s the people. The Balinese are “the” most beautiful people I have ever met.
There are reportedly over ten thousand temples on Bali and every house and building has its own shrine. The open air temples and statues of Hindu gods, carved from black volcanic stone, come alive on the run up to one of their many festivals. The gods are dressed in black and white checked sarongs and given parasols to shade them from the sun. Offerings made of woven leaves transformed into baskets and filled with flowers, fruit, incense sticks and personal trinkets lie at their feet and in every doorway.
Whole families dressed in pristine white shirts and colourful sarongs arrive with their offerings to pray and be blessed by the priest. To watch the old and young walk fully clothed into ancient stone swimming pools to cleanse themselves before entering the inner temple is amazing to witness. So deep in thought and prayer they appear oblivious to the tourists wearing borrowed sarongs taking countless photos. The whole feeling in the temples is that of spiritualism as opposed to religion. It’s not forced or strict or aggressive but instead calm, peaceful and beautiful. The very fact they allow tourists to witness such private moments says everything about the Balinese people.
I resisted the urge to ask David what he thought of Bali until the last day. However, I wasn’t the slightest bit worried as I could tell he loved it as much as I did. I will definitely be going back for a fifth time but for now I’m content knowing that my favourite island is exactly as I remembered it to be and I can still happily say "I Love Bali".