Experiencing Bali

I was in Bali with Kenji for 10 days sometime in October last year. We were there for a couple of reasons actually but mainly it was for Kenji who badly needed to surf (or else he will die, you know that sort of thing).

In case you might want to know, our 10-day vacation in Bali turned out pretty well. In fact it was better than how we had expected it to be.

Read on...





KUTA

We arrived in Bali after only 2 hours of flight from Singapore. The flight was good and we landed extremely well. For the first time ever I couldn't tell that the plane has hit the runway - did I ever mention to you that I have always preferred white pilots to Asian pilots?? Yeah, anyway, the moment we cleared customs and collected our luggage at the Ngurah Rai Airport, we were picked up by a very young, good-looking Balinese man who was also a staff of a travel agency we delegated some parts of our travel in Bali to. The same man then ushered us to a van at a car park, and without delay drove us to our booked hotel accommodation, which apparently wasn���t very far from the airport.

The booked hotel accommodation that we stayed in in Kuta was called J Boutique Hotel. It was the first boutique hotel I was staying in ever in the entire of my life. The hotel was of midrange and very quiet, and outside the hotel was a busy road, which was also incessantly littered by walking stray dogs. The following morning though, I remember waking up to a very bright day and found Kenji already out of bed. Un-showered, we headed down for breakfast and then explored the pool section of the hotel before returning to our room to prepare to leave for our next destination, Seminyak.


Kenji having his complimentary brekky at J Boutique


A man riding waves at Kuta beach


Part of the Sari Club site that was totally destroyed in Bali bombing 2002. Seen attached on the gate are love notes for the dead.

SEMINYAK

Seminyak was ���cool���. If I was ever given the opportunity to live in Bali, I would want to live in Seminyak. Seminyak is an area uptown of Kuta and Legian with fewer shops on its streets but an area that is very famous for its exclusivity. In Seminyak we stayed at one of its fashionable villas called Heliconia Villa.

Heliconia Villa was beautiful! We were lucky we got a 2-bedroom villa instead of the 1-bedroom villa we asked for weeks before we left for Bali. Apparently the only 1-bedroom villa they had left by the time we arrived was occupied by the then patrons who requested to extend their stay there. So the villa we stayed in was actually meant for 4 persons. And so it has bigger pool and an altogether bigger compound but we got them all to ourselves and at the price of a 1-bedroom villa. So that was good!

In Seminyak we didn't stay any longer than 5 days. So we were there for only 4 days and 3 nights. But throughout our stay there we had the joy of having our favorite halal Indonesian cuisine from our favorite halal restaurant in Legian delivered right at our doorstep almost every time we asked for it. Can't believe how luxurious it all was!


Jalan Oberoi in Seminyak

DENPASAR

On our third day in Bali, we went to explore the island's capital. So on that day, Kenji and I cabbed 10km eastwards from the street outside Heliconia Villa to the "overcrowded" city in Denpasar. Denpasar wasn't too bad, I thought. There were many offices, schools and houses and I was told by a cab driver that it is one place simply well frequented by local people. In Denpasar, we had lunch, visited Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali and saw the ever busy Kumbasari market. All was good except the taxi driver who volunteered to bring us around and promised to stop his meter each time he waited for us kind of cheated. And the guy who voluntarily guided us around the museum requested for Rp60,000 tips at the end of our visit. So the taxi driver was later firmly told by me to keep to his promise and the guy at the museum was given RP30,000 instead as tips for his job well done. Ahh, typical of those people coming from Third World countries, I thought...


Some local guys tried selling old newspapers on the road. One of the guys actually asked Kenji to buy an old female Japanese magazine from him as we waited in the car for the red light to turn green. But of course he failed in getting Kenji to buy it because Kenji doesn't read female magazines at all, much less buy them.


Bali houses for sale/rent

LEGIAN

Legian was good. I liked Legian a lot. Legian is a town extended of Kuta. So it has rows of shops just like that of in Kuta. Speaking of which, I can't even tell where Kuta ends and Legian begins. Anyhow, I find Legian a fun place to be in and I enjoyed walking along its streets best. The first time Kenji and I went to Legian was on the same day we visited the Bali Propinsi Museum in Denpasar. On that day however, we didn't explore Legian much on foot. Instead we got the taxi driver to drive us around as we looked for a clinic Kenji knew about from work. Once we located the clinic, we dropped off the cab and visited the clinic to meet its staff and their two doctors. Kenji got very excited at the clinic as he had spoken to some of the staff there before. As for me, I just got intrigued by Legian, the place. So ever since that day Kenji and I made efforts to visit Legian whenever we're free - me to walk down Legian and Kenji to drop by the clinic again. In fact the very first thing we did the next morning was to cab back to Legian for a second time! In total, I don't know how many times I went to Legian, but it was definitely many times.


Along Jalan Legian where Aussie influence is evident (and abundant)!

JIMBARAN BAY

We had seafood for dinner with Dr. B at Jimbaran Bay on one of the evenings that we were there. Dr. B is a doctor who also owns a villa accommodation in Seminyak and has an agriculture plantation somewhere up in the mountains. It wasn't the first time I met Dr. B though. Still, we talked about his involvement in assisting the aftermath of the Bali bombing 2002 tragedy like we did the first time we met. Meetups with Dr. B has always been honourable moments to me. And I am definitely looking forward to seeing Dr. B again whenever and wherever that may be.


Jimbaran Bay at sunset

SANUR

The last town we stayed at was Sanur. Sanur was all right to me despite the many disapproving comments I came across in readings and from individuals. Some reviews from past tourists described Sanur as a prostitutes-hub while people like the Italian man I met in Seminyak, frowned at me and asked me repeatedly with a tone of great disappointment, ���why?��� when I mentioned to him that I was leaving Seminyak for Sanur. Well, I don't know. As for me, I didn't see any prostitutes or 'negative things' around when I was there (or maybe I just couldn't tell who's who and what's what). But I was definitely greatly disturbed by the significant amount of white oldies scattering along the long Sanur beach in the first few hours of my stay there. Those white oldies weren't disturbing because they were white and old actually, but it was because they were very fat and dirty-looking (plus, they were white and old, of course). What's worse was that they were all dressed in swimwear! I mean, of course those white oldies were dressed in swimwear because they were at a beach. But they looked really horrible in it they just didn't know that! *Some of them were even no longer white in colour, their skin became so red they looked just like grilled pigs* Anyway, those oldies made Sanur look like a great escape for people like them, which was a total insult to people like me and Kenji!


Breakfast on a deck and a sea view


Sunrise in Sanur

UBUD & AROUND

Kenji and I visited Ubud on our 6th day in Bali. We travelled around Ubud with a tour guide and a local driver. In Ubud we saw the ever famous art galleries as well as batik and jewellery factory. We also went to see one of its many wood-carving, painting and handicrafts shops, all selling items produced by the local people. Things were all good and towards the end of the Ubud trip, we shopped at the town's bustling market and visited Padang Tegal's sacred monkey forest sanctuary. Nothing much happened here really, except for the part when Kenji got a monkey climbing up his arm at the time we were in the forest. That was scary!

Following the monkey forest sanctuary though, we drove to Tanah Lot where our guide joined us to check out Tanah Lot's beautiful sunset. The sunset was alright I thought despite the fact that it appeared less beautiful than usual (according to local people who think it was because the Northeast Monsoon was nearing). But to me, what was more disappointing was the abundant tourists that were walking around Tanah Lot cliff area because I thought those tourists made Tanah Lot appear really unattractive than 'what it was supposed to be'. So on that day, I just thought the sight at Tanah Lot was kind of disappointing but the rest of the places were quite alright.


Part of a temple


A pool view in Ubud

EAST BALI

It was our 7th day there when we explored East Bali. East Bali looked very Indonesian, I thought. In East Bali we visited a salt-making village in Kusamba, climbed Mother Besakih Temple in Gunung Agung and visited the supreme court of the Klungkung kingdom in Semarapura. It was all fun. On our way back to Sanur though, we passed by the home of jailed Australian, Schapelle Corby. Overall I quite like East Bali. I find it quite an interesting region.


Our guide, Mr. Ari, and Kenji at a temple. Kenji had to put on a kind of sarong there.

CENTRAL MOUNTAINS

On our third last day in Bali, we went up the rim of Gunung Batur crater. Gunung Batur is a volcanic caldera that last erupted in the year 2000. However before we drove all the way north from Sanur to the central mountains region, we dropped by Batubulan for an hour of Barong dance and visited temples at Goa Gajah and Tampak Siring where we witnessed more ceremonies that were going on. It was then that we drove north to Gunung Batur where we had lunch at a restaurant located on the south-western rim of the Gunung Batur crater, and let me tell you, the view of Gunung Batur from the restaurant was simply magnificent! It was also the first time ever I got to see a real live volcano and its crater. And I remember telling Kenji not to worry about me just in case he saw me in tears at that time. Anyway, lunch that day was short and sweet, and after that we carried on our journey to a coffee and cloves plantation before ending it with a rice paddy view in Tegallalang.


Gunung Batur - Kenji was hoping for some geological actions from this active volcano. Unfortunately, nothing happened.


A real person at a coffee plantation park

Our 10-day vacation in Bali, as you can see, was spent touring some of Bali's famous places and living in three different towns of south Bali. On the whole though, I find Bali somewhat 'cool'. It was a place easily likeable. With its people so friendly, food very delicious, and life that seems to go on so smoothly, Bali is like it says, a Paradise Island. I would really like to go to Bali again someday. But I will definitely have to start saving very soon.

10 Extra notes on Bali

#1 Fresh fruit juice apparently make up one of the more common beverages served in Bali's restaurants. Just try not to ask for orange juice (jus jeruk in Indonesian language) or they will serve you cordial orange drink (I don't know but this happened to me many times), which may be perfectly fine for you but not for me.

#2 I realized I could be easily mistaken as a Balinese. In fact, many people in Bali thought I was their local girl. This reminded me of the other visits I have made to the other Asian countries. However not all who thought I was a Balinese were Balinese themselves. Some were white expatriates who have been living in Bali for a long time. Those expats asked me if I was ���from here���, then they guessed Jakarta before guessing Indonesia whenever I shook my head. It was for the umpteenth time in my life that I was asked of my origin. It definitely felt as though I have lied to them of my birth place, or as though they know my roots or ancestors better than I do. Honestly though, I am not sure if being mistaken for a local is a good or a bad thing.

#3 Local people involved in tourism spoke really good English (and other languages for that matter), I thought. I was really surprised to find out that most of them actually learnt the second language on their own.

#4 Bali has one of the more harmonious societies I have seen in my travel.

#5 I thought the Hindus in Bali spent a bit too much time on religious/cultural things such as ceremonies, prayers, and the building of temples. I wondered if they have nothing else to do other than devoting themselves to their religion.

#6 If you're traveling in Kuta and Legian for the very first time, you might want to use Fukutaro (a famous Japanese restaurant in Legian) as your landmark when directing taxi drivers to the area. This is not only because Kuta and Legian has no landmark but also I find Fukutaro a good spot for the start of Legian-Kuta walk especially if you want to see the rows of shops in Legian and Kuta before finally reaching the Kuta beach. In fact Kenji and I never failed requesting taxi drivers to drop us off at Fukutaro each time we cabbed to the town. It worked really well for us.

#7 Bali���s got quite a lot of Australian influence throughout (minus the residential towns I presume). I saw Commonwealth banks and familiar shops like Just Jeans (you would know them if you have lived in Australia) here and there. But Bali also has strong European influence elsewhere. It's a white's world to an extent. And for that, I did not hesitate to think that it is perhaps one reason why Bali got hit by the bombings and what not.

#8 In Bali, Kenji was well identified as a Japanese. No one mistook his Japanese identity, unlike in Singapore where he commonly gets mistaken for a local, a white, an Arab, an American, a Malay, a local Chinese or even an Indian. But I guess I kind of missed that mistaken identity of his in Bali because it got very irritating to me when local touts started coming up to us and spoke very fluent Japanese to Kenji (once they found out that I am not Japanese), all were just ways for them to try earn some money from him.

#9 I cheated many Balinese when I put on a different attire. Most of the time, I succeeded in making them think I was a Japanese just like Kenji. So they got really surprised at my ability to speak Indonesian. They said my Indonesian was very good. Haha! But of course, my disguise didn't last very long at all.

#10 Bali appeared very much like a male-dominated society to me. I think it would be hard for me to work and live in a place like that since I am used to living in Singapore where male dominance hardly ever exists.

PS. This post is the same post published on Monday, 5th November 2007, entitled 'Snapshots in Bali'. Hence the 4 comments below. Just in case you are wondering, I just decided to re-write and re-publish it. That's all.


References:

Map of Bali, MapsBali.com, Bali Tourist Maps, Available [Online]: http://mapsbali.com/, 28/01/08.

Location of Bali in Southeast Asia, Bali Map and Satellite Views, Available [Online]: http://www.bali-indonesia.com/maps/index.htm, 30/01/08.