Bali Review
Bali was the fifth stop on our world tour, behind New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Hawaii. Bali is one of many islands in the country of Indonesia. It is quite small in comparison to other Indonesian islands like Java and Sumatra, but is densely populated with more than 3.5 million people. Balinese people are incredibly kind, honest and humble. Located in the tropics, Bali is covered with foliage and has warm to hot weather year-round. Green is everywhere and there is never a shortage of food to eat.
Holding more than ninety percent of the population, the dominant religion in Bali is Hinduism. The Balinese have a slightly different flavor of Hinduism than that found in India. The next largest demographic belongs to Islam with less than five percent of the population. Christianity and Buddhism round out the secular list. Because most Balinese are hindus there are an incredible number of temples on the island.
The island of Bali was formed by a series of volcanoes with the most recent eruption happening in the 1960’s at Mount Agung in the east. Being formed by volcanoes, the island is rather mountainous with steep slopes over most of the island and relatively flatter land in the south. The soil is rocky in most places and the Balinese people cultivate the dark volcanic deposits from a number of rivers to be used in brick construction.
We started our travel day in New Zealand with an early morning flight to Sydney where we had a layover of about five hours and an airline change. This required us to pass through Australian immigration and customs again. When we visited Australia two months prior we discovered how expensive it was so you can imagine how expensive the airport was in relation. Ten dollar sandwiches and six dollar coffees mixed with the Jetstar purchased airplane meals made for a budget busting day. We (wrongly) assumed that international flights served drinks and meals included with the cost of the ticket. Another travel lesson learned.
We flew into Bali near the capital city of Denpasar with a rather dramatic landing. Because the runway begins very close to the shore, approaching aircraft appear, to the passengers, to be landing in the water until the last ten seconds of flight. After getting our bags and shuffling through customs, we needed to purchase two $25(US) tourist visas. The only barrier to doing this transaction quickly was that five or six hundred other people had arrived concurrently which put us in line for a good hour or more as we were processed through Indonesian immigration.
Aside from Fiji, this was the only other destination, so far, where English was not the primary language so everything was exotic and foreign to us. Luckily, English is the de facto language for foreigners so we were able to make our way around without much trouble. The Balinese people usually speak a minimum of three languages, especially if they have to deal with tourists. There is the official language of Indonesian, Balinese and then English. We also heard a number of other languages being spoken around the island including Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, German and French. With its close proximity to Australia, Bali is the favorite cheap vacation destination in much the same way Mexico is for Americans. This is especially true for the many surfers that come to surf the world famous Ulu Watu. More on this later.
We had booked a hotel in Sanur called Pondok Ayu which included a pick up from the airport. It’s a very welcome relief to see your name on a sign held by a local driver after a long day of travel, especially when visiting a foreign land. It basically means that you can relax once you get to the car as everything is taken care of between the airport and where you rest your head for the night. Pondok Ayu is a small, five-room hotel, but it felt more like a homestay with an extremely attentive and gracious staff. We were spoiled every minute of our four-day stay with scrumptious breakfasts, a beautiful pool area and a large room and bathroom. Internet access was reasonable and we took advantage of it to research the rest of our stay in Bali.
Similar to Fiji and Hawaii, there were Geckos everywhere. They came out mostly at night (mostly), clinging to the walls and ceilings like they were painted there, gobbling up any small insects unfortunate enough to land nearby.
Sanur is a bustling beachside city with modern conveniences, plenty of shopping areas and fantastic gastronomic haunts. Along the beach walk there are beautiful women offering to give you massages, vendors hawking toys and other hand made items and ocean view restaurants with tables in the sand. From one of these small storefronts we purchased thirteen DVD’s for 100,000 Rupiahs. This converted to just under eleven US dollars. We assumed they were bootlegged movies but also realized that this was the only way we were going to see some of the titles we purchased while traveling. A couple were either broken/had missing content, or started half-way into the movie. Of the remaining selections, we saw some in the theaters in America, or we liked enough to merit a purchase of a legitimate copy once we return home. For most people in Bali, I imagine that this is the only way they could see these movies as theaters were nonexistent in the cities we visited and legitimate copies are difficult to find and are cost prohibitive.
While in Sanur we took a half day drive down to Ulu Watu in the south to see the beach and a Hindu temple. The beach there is incredibly beautiful and is home to a world famous surf spot. We knew that we would have to come back before we left Bali. Before sunset we toured the cliffside temple. The temple is home to hundreds of monkeys and a few dogs. The monkeys are fairly aggressive with the tourists and will grab things that interest them like glasses, earrings, necklaces, etc. Basically anything with shiny stuff. Just before the sun finally set we, and hundreds of other tourists, made our way to a small, circular, outdoor theater where we would watch the Kecak (catch-ak) and fire dance. The performance is accompanied, if not dominated, by fifty shirtless men chanting and making all kinds of interesting sounds. There were no musical instruments, just these guys who are as much a part of the performance as the main dancers. It’s an fantastic thing to watch and should be experienced if you find yourself in Bali.
Leaving Sanur and heading east along the coast we stayed a few days in Candidasa (chan-dee-da-sa) at a beach front hotel for about $35 a night. From our room we could see and hear the crashing waves, see a couple smaller islands, the passing fishing boats and unbelievably gorgeous sunsets. While in Candidasa we hired a boat to take us to a reef where we snorkeled around for a couple hours. The reef was not as vibrant as what we saw at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but still very beautiful and full of marine life. There was a cleaner fish that particularly liked Faizah and I. I saw it swim up from the bottom of the reef and start ‘cleaning’ Faizah’s skin. When I alerted Faizah to this she started to become ticklish from it’s attention, which is not so good when you are snorkeling. When I tried to shoo it away the fish merely moved to the other side of Faizah’s body. Eventually I was able to get it to leave her alone but then it turned its attention to me and it was indeed very ticklish.
We mostly relaxed and enjoyed our time alone while in Candidasa as it is a quiet little one-road town. Our journey to our next destination would take us north through the middle of the island. We went to the Mother Temple, or Besakih, not knowing how incredible this place is. The compound is huge and contains hundreds of structures over many acres. Not all of the areas are accessible by tourists as it is a functioning Hindu temple. The main building component for the structures is volcanic rock so the predominant color is a dark grey/black which makes the splashes of color very vibrant. The pagoda style buildings are especially beautiful as they are adorned with gold and red ornamentation at each and every level. Besakih is a stunning place and is also on the must visit list for Bali.
Between Besakih and our next destination of Lovina is a currently dormant volcano and lake of the same name inside a large caldera crater. Mount Batur and Lake Batur are massive in size. You can still see the lines where the lava was flowing down the sides of the cone in the middle of the crater. We had lunch at an expensive (for Bali) restaurant that has a picture postcard view of the crater and lake. We noted that our driver chose the restaurant and that he received a free lunch by taking us there. Driver kickbacks are quite commonplace in heavily touristed areas.
It’s possible to rent a vehicle in Bali but not advised as there are so many cheap alternatives. Hiring a driver to take from one side of the island to the other is preferred so you can take in the sites. Once you get to where you are going, taking local taxis, or catching a Bemo is a cheap way to get around to local spots or you can hire (rent) a scooter. Riding a scooter in Bali will put you in the majority as most people in Bali seem to ride them. Only a small percent drive cars or trucks. They drive on the left side of the road in Bali, most of the time. At other times they will drive wherever they feel like driving which is a bit of a shock when you are accustomed to a particular manner of driving. Overall it looks scarier than it is.
Our hotel in Lovina was lovely. It had a great pool, was right on the beach and the restaurant served decent food. Mosquitos were a bit of a problem but this was normal for Bali as they were everywhere. The good part was that they only came out at night in most places and the bites would not last too long. While in Lovina we managed to find a few really great places to eat and met a nice American couple with whom we joined for dinner at one of these places. It was located right on the beach, served great food, Arak drinks and had a great, three-piece, live band. Arak is a clear to cloudy liquor produced in Bali. It is similar to vodka but with a unique, more palatable flavor. As soon as we get back to the states we are going to look for it or a way to import it as it is delicious!
While in Lovina we opted for an early morning boat ride to hopefully see some dolphins. What we didn’t count on was that hundreds of other people opted to do the same activity that day. It was a bit of a zoo and I felt bad for the dolphins who must have felt like they were being hunted as whenever they would surface all boats would converge on them like some kind of maritime feeding frenzy. When the number of boats thinned a bit, we were able to see some of the dolphins playing and jumping out of the water. It was a nice way to start the day and end the dolphin trip.
Bali has rolling blackouts that render small areas of the island powerless for two to four hours. The larger hotels and some restaurants had diesel or gas powered generator back-ups. The Balinese take this in stride and no one seems to get upset about it. We learned to do as the locals do as we experienced a dozen power outages over the three week stay. There seemed to be an effort happening in some of the major cities to upgrade or expand the electrical infrastructure so it’s possible that the blackouts will soon be a thing of the past.
After Lovina we decided to stay in Ubud for about five days. On our travel day between these locations we visited Munduk Waterfall, a few lakes, Ulun Danu, some beautiful rice fields, and Tanahlot. Munduk is a lesser visited waterfall that requires a little more walking than the more popular waterfalls but it makes up for this with the absence of a crowd. In fact, when we visited Munduk there wasn’t anyone else there. Returning up the path we passed four other people on their way to see it. Munduk is a beautiful spot carved out of the hillside with the falls on one side and lush green foliage that ascends vertically up the cliff face. Ulun Danu is a location where a Hindu temple, a Buddhist temple and a Islamic mosque are all within a couple hundred meters of each other. The Hindu temple is lakeside with more pagoda-style structures. The Buddhist temple is quite small by comparison but is no less respected and the mosque is across the main road with a towering minaret. The rice fields were incredibly beautiful and serene. The emerald land buts up against the mountains and stretches out as far as you can see. When we were there a storm was hitting the mountains which made for a fantastic backdrop. Lightning, thunder, a little occasional rain and a TV show. Yes, a cooking show was being shot while we were there. The rice fields are yet another “can’t miss it” tourist destination. Finally, we made it to Tanahlot before heading to our hotel in Ubud. Tanahlot is a highly photographed place with a temple located on a rock cluster cut off from the rest of the island. It is arguably the most visited attraction of Bali.
Our arrival at the hotel in Ubud was breathtaking. Kebun Indah is a small, eight suite hotel that requires a bit of a trek down the path from the main road but is so very worth it. We were greeted with fresh squeezed juice, a fresh fruit basket and a view of the rice fields and a beautiful refreshing pool. It was absolutely fabulous and the staff were incredibly kind and thoughtful. We were served breakfast on a deck just outside our room door as part of our accomodations.
Ubud is possibly the most expensive city in Bali as most things seem to cost about 10-30% more than the other places we stayed in Bali. Ubud is known as the cultural arts center of the island as so much is created or performed there. While in Ubud we were lucky enough to be shown around by a local. We got to see the studio of a world class jewelry company called PamelaJames. After that we were taken to a typical Balinese home and finally we dined at a famous restaurant that had moved to the owner’s home because the restaurant was being used for a wedding.
A couple friends (Andreas and Katja) we first met in Fiji came to Bali at the same time we were there so we met up in Ubud and spent the day together eating at some fantastic restaurants and walking through the Monkey Forest. The Monkey Forest is located at the south end of Ubud and encompasses many acres of giant Banyan trees and small creeks making it an ideal place for Monkeys to literally hang out and assault the tourists. For a small entrance fee and a little more for bananas you could enter the park and suddenly become the main attraction for the resident Macaque Monkeys. They will attempt to pull anything out of your hands that looks like food or something fun for them. One even climbed onto Katja’s shoulders and would not leave without some necessary persuasion from Andreas. Instead of jumping down from Katja’s neck to the ground, the monkey took the action as a suggestion to climb onto Andreas. Eventually he was able to shed the furry freeloader. The baby monkeys were adorable especially while eating and posing for tourist shots.
For our entire stay in Bali we hadn’t seen a single snake, until one very hot day in Ubud when we saw three in less than an hour and all within 100 meters of our hotel. The first was just a few steps from our room on the stairs leading up the side of the property. I nearly stepped on the two foot serpent as Faizah jumped back in shock behind me. Luckily it was not in the mood to strike at me or I would have been making a trip to the hospital that day. Instead it quickly made its way past us and into the bushes. The second snake was just two more staircases up but much small at a mere seven or eight inches in length. This snake had no interest in us either and any gesture toward it would cause the critter to slither in the opposite direction. The third snake was the scariest looking one but was the furthest away. We nearly made it to the street when we spied a large four or five foot black snake quickly making its way up the path to avoid us. It was clearly avoiding us as it’s initial course was in our direction. I attempted to take some photos but it had escaped too quickly up a small concrete staircase and into a vacant yard. From that point on we were VERY aware of our footsteps but we didn’t see any more snakes for the duration of our stay.
We cut short our stay in Ubud by one day so we could enjoy that time at our next and final destination in Bali; Ulu Watu. Ulu Watu is a magical, beautiful village of shops, restaurants and a surf spot built into a steep hillside with breath taking views and a constantly revolving population of surfers, tourists and locals all staring out to sea. Accommodations are very polarized with a super expensive villa style hotel at the top of the cliff and the expense chart, and a small four room bare-bones place located half-way down the bluff. This latter location suited our budget and our style. The view from the shared balcony was right out of the hundreds of surf movies I’ve watched since I was twelve. We had made it. Within an hour of arriving I had changed into my boardshorts, doused myself with sunblock, rented a surfboard, descended the stairs to the sand and started paddling out into the eighty degree water.
Ulu Watu was kind to me that day as it was just about head high conditions. I hadn’t been out in the water since Hawaii several months prior so I was a bit out of shape and feeling it. The first things you notice while paddling out are the rock and coral reef that lines the ocean floor there. Once you find a safe channel to paddle through you have to fight the incredible current that wants to pull you around the point and into larger rocks along the western edge of the shore. The lineup at Ulu Watu is packed with locals and foreigners that surf very well and know the spot much better than some JOJ (Just Off the Jet) white boy from California. I managed to get a few decent waves but nothing I was all that proud of. Still, I went out and surfed Ulu Watu and I was happy.
As for the rest of the island, west Bali is dominated by a national park and it takes quite a while to drive out to just a handful of very small towns so we chose not to go that direction. We also steered clear of Kuta, the tourist center of Bali for a variety of reasons.
Our three weeks spent in Bali was sufficient time to see most of the island, experience a healthy dose of local culture and cuisine and savor the many beautiful sites offered in this tropical paradise. We were able to stay within our tiny budget and still lived like royalty. The food was varied, plentiful, and full of flavor. The Balinese people are kind, warm and have earned our respect and adoration. Without a doubt, we would most certainly return to Bali when the opportunity arises.
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