Bali

BALI- A DREAM COMING TRUE (February 2012)

Bali- a land like not other- mindful people, amazing nature, spiritual temples, delicious food and a lot more- this is only a tiny part of all that Bali can offer.  

To be honest, it was Dimo’s. dream I wanted to visit Singapore and he wanted to go to Bali. It was a fair deal. We went first to Singapore and then we headed to Indonesia. The flight between the two is not that long, it takes around 2.5 hours.

Lili’s 5 good-to-know tips when travelling to Bali

• You have to bargain a lot – do not accept the first price offered. It is usually much higher than the real one
• The local currency makes you feel a millionaire as its purchasing power is quite low.
• Like everywhere in Asia, it is quite normal that you find small lizards in your room.
• Traffic is left-hand (like in the UK) and is very busy. Respectively, you should think twice before hiring a motorbike. A lot of incidents happen in Bali
• Do not expect that the whole island looks like the Maldives. Bali is rather a surf destination when it comes to beaches

Transportation

We decided on spending 3 days in the middle of the island (Ubud) and the rest 6 nights to relax at the beach (Kuta). Back then we were not that experienced travellers. We maybe had some sixth sense to do the active sightseeing first and then to just relax. We booked a hotel shuttle to take us from the airport. This btw is a smart solution, especially if your flight lands late.

Motorbikes are crossing the roads in chaotic (at first sight) way. You can see whole families riding a single motorbike. The road from the airport passes firstly through big towns, but heading more to the inner part of the island they are were getting smaller and smaller. The surrounding started to worry us. It was during the night and the places were very secluded. After 2 hours drive we finally got to our hotel. It seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. No other buildings around, just emptiness and silence.

Accommodation Ubud

Soon after we crossed the main door of the hotel, we fell in love with the place. Small huts located at reasonable distance from each other, green, exotic plants all over the place. The personnel was smiling at us every time we look at them. In this moment I realized what Bali is. It is not about white sand beaches and turquoise water, but more about the people and their culture.

The unique Balinese Hindu religion (unlike the rest of Indonesia where the predominant religion is Muslim) is something very interesting and different from the other Asian countries. I highly recommend this article (please ignore that it was posted by a hotel) which summarizes the most typical things for Balinese culture. You can find here an explanation about the Balinese dances, the small clumps of rice which they put every day in front of the their houses and a lot more.

We were tired and it was late at night, so we ordered something from the room service and we had a romantic dinner on the veranda.

These were the first moments when I got in touch with Asia, the natural Asia and not the perfect buildings and the sterility of Singapore. At the beginning it felt strange to see lizards on the ceiling (yes, even in the rooms)- back then I was really scared from all kind of insects, including lizards – or to have fully open bathroom under the stars. But after a couple of days you somehow get used to it. The hotel we stayed back then was a bit far from the center of Ubud, but with the speed construction goes, nowadays it is probably much closer :). Anyway, I can share only positive impressions from Sri Ratih Cottages.

Ubud

Things to do in Ubud:

1. Visit the rice- paddies

The first day in Ubud was about exploring- we wanted to go visit some nice places nearby. We went down the road and negotiated our driver for the whole day. One thing you have to be prepared for is that you have to bargain a lot- it can be annoying as you do not know the real prices of the things you are buying; but that’s reality. I recommend hiring a driver for the whole day- the locals know which are the places which might be of interest for you.

The cost back then was not expensive (around 40-50 USD for the whole day), but as Bali is becoming more popular, the prices might have risen. Our first stop were the rice- paddies- the fields where they grow rice. Amazing terraces of fields which are built in this shape to make an efficient use of water. The green color and the oval forms contribute to some amazing views. Especially when you see the locals with their big baskets picking up the harvest.

2. Taste Coffee Luwak

The next thing to do was tasting a special coffee called Kopi luwak or civet coffee- its cherries are eaten and defecated by an animal called palm civet. The coffee beans stay in civet’s stomach for couple of days, ferment and afterwards they are being naturally thrown away from its body. No need to say that this way of preparing the coffee takes time and it makes the coffee quite expensive. On the road to the Mount Batur volcano (which was our final destination) there are a lot of farms where such coffee is produced.

They combine it with coffee tasting (various types of coffee- with ginger, vanilla, cocoa, etc) and also a small spices tour as they grow different plants. Of course the locals are trying to sell you many things at the end of the farm tour.  No need to say that they are more expensive than those you can find on the markets, but the assumption is that they are produced on the spot.

3. Visit the Volcano

The most remote stop of our trip was the Mount Batur Volcano viewpoint. As we know from the events recently, the volcano is still an active one. Our guide stopped us at a very nice restaurant which had an amazing view to the area. This was the first time I was seeing the area around a volcano at such a close distance. Everything around is black, not a single tree or bush. A bit of scary, but definitely majestic.

4. Explore the temples in the vicinity.

On the way back we visited some temples- this is my favorite part of Bali. All the temples are very spiritual and you feel this right after you cross the entrance. In all temples you should cover your legs and the shoulders. In case you do not want to be given one of the clothes which they give to every visitor, you can prepare in advance.
A good option is to buy those trousers with elephants (unisex) as not only they are suitable for the temples, but keep you ventilated in the heat. Although in most of the places you will be allowed to enter only with the trousers, there are some where they would ask you to put the sarong (sarong is a special local clothing, reminding a bit of a scarf or a long skirt). Even if you do not have your own one, you can rent one on the spot.

       Here are some of the must visit temples near Ubud:

• The Elephant cave

One of the most famous one (and my favorite) is the temple located in a cave- the Elephant cave (or Goa Gajah). We were welcomed by one of the monks and he accompanied us along the whole visit explaining different things about temple. What we were impressed about is that when praying monks were entering for two or more days in the cave with no water and food (the cave is small and even if you are not claustrophobic, the thought of spending a whole day there might frighten you).

• Pura Tirta Empul

– this is one of Bali’s most famous water temples, built around a natural spring. Locals visit this temple in order to bath in the pools as the water is considered to be healing. They queue on the left side and wash underneath each of the 30 spouts until reaching the end of the second pool. We refrained from entering the water, but many other tourists did so.

• Gunung Kawi

This is where we stopped last.  To be honest at that time I was really tired from the day and maybe that is why I consider it the least interesting. I’m sure this is wrong. It is a big complex of several temples and not all of them were very popular. I was judging this by the spiders nets which you can spot on some of the entrances. As I mentioned I was really scared of spiders and this was the reason why we didn’t spend much time there.

5. Monkey forest.

The next day we decided to visit the monkey forest in Ubud. Since then I have traveled a lot, but I have never seen a place like this one. Monkeys are free to walk everywhere in the park, they can even get on top of you- yes, you have to be careful with them, but they are not as dangerous as in many other places. There are hundreds of monkeys there. At the entrance you are being warned that they like shiny objects and it is quite usual that your sunglasses or watch can be stolen by the monkeys. You can as well buy bananas and feed them.

Most of the monkeys were playful and while playing with each other, it is possible they use you as a stand. We went there before noon and it was not that crowded. The park is big enough and you can easily find some space to admire the monkeys in peace.

6. Elephant riding

I’m not sure whether I have to recommend this. Not because it is not something nice, but due to the many contradictory videos which appeared recently on social media about the cruelty when treating the elephants. Riding an elephant has never been a dream for me- it was enough just to see them and touch them. In the end we decided to take the ride, but I have to admit that this was one of the scariest things in my life.

Our elephant was a young one and when we went for the small ride in the forest where at this time there were no other elephants, it somehow felt threatened and it did not listen to the commands of the rider. It started running and you can imagine that sitting 3 m above the ground on a running elephant was scary for me. I even starting picking a bush to jump on (because if I fall on the ground, the elephant can step over me in his fear). I couldn’t wait for this ride to end.

After the ride we could feed the elephant with bamboo (or whatever they eat) and in return it put a flower wreath around us. As the entrance fee for the park (which btw was a beautiful one) and the ride itself was not cheap, I really hope that they treat the animals with respect and love. Here is the Elephant Ride place we have chosen.

7. Balinese Dances

Must-do part from your visit in Ubud are the local dance shows. We  went to this performance http://www.fabulousubud.com/index.php/eventactivity/details/667/legong-and-barong-dance (the website provides very good explanation of what each of the dances is- Legong and Barong). We bought tickets for the mini theater and watched the locals dancing (the ticket costed around 8USD per person)

8. Ubud Market

In case you have another day in Ubud, do not forget to visit the local market. As this was one of our first trips to Asia, we thought that we should bring souvenirs for all our friends. We spent 3 hours bargaining and we ended up with something like 15 sarongs (big local scarfs), elephant statues and a lot more. The locals were selling some things very cheap and it was a sin not to take them. Thankfully we were wise enough not to buy everything which locals offered as in most of the cases these things you buy are useless.

Legian/ Kuta

Although at the beginning I was quite skeptical for spending 3 days in Ubud,  I did not want to leave in the end. And especially given the fact that we went to Legian afterwards. After the spiritual Ubud with its authentic cultural experience, we went to the very touristic place. We couldn’t do anything about it, but this was a good lesson for future trips. One big surprise for me was the beach. I was always having this picture in my mind that Bali is an island with white sands and turquoise water. There are small number of such places on the island. But not around Legian.

It was surprising to see big waves, grayish water and a huge beach with no one there. It turned out that it is more a surfing place rather than the romantic image I had in my mind. Thankfully we had very nice swimming pool in our hotel to enjoy the sun and refresh when needed.

Accommodation Kuta

I can highly recommend the hotel we stayed. It was very close to the town center, but still secluded and away from the hassle (Dewi Sri Hotel ). The hotel is very close to Paddy’s Club. This is the place where in 2002 there was a terrible terrorist attack. More than 180 died because of the exploded bomb. But no worries, the destination is  safe nowadays. 

The next days all we did was relax, enjoy the massage  for a small amount of money at every corner (you have to try the Balinese massage) and taste different local dishes. Even in Legian we found places where you can still feel the authenticity and not only the party spirit.

The last thing I want to recommend in Bali is one magnificent place – Tanah Lot.

This temple is located on a rock not far from Legian. The place is especially popular at sunset as this is one of the most romantic sunsets one can see. The sunset in Bali is happening at the same time during the whole year (around 18:30).  Thus it is easy to plan your trip to Tanah Lot. As the temple is on a rock in the ocean, you can get to the temple at low tide only. If it is high tide, the water surrounds the temple and you cannot access it.

We were lucky.  You pay a small fee at the entrance which I honestly do not remember. In return they put on your face their typical remedy and give you a Jasmine flower for health and luck. The place gets really crowded, so be there on time and get a nice spot for the sunset.

 Our recommendations from the kitchen:

• The local rice has nothing to do with the one we eat in Europe- it is much better. They anyway add it as a side dish to most meals, so you will definitely try it
• Bumbu Bali- a typical local meal with rice, chicken and spicy red pepper
• Coffee luwak – the local Balinese coffee which ferments in the civet’s stomach
• You will find a lot of different fruits there. My favourite fruit is salak gula in the local language or snake fruit. This is the only place where I have seen this fruit. It raises close to the tree roots and its cover has the shape of a snake’s skin. That is the reason why people call it snake fruit. It is white on the inside and looks a bit like garlic, but with moderate sweet taste.

Even though we traveled a lot afterwards, Bali remains one of the most magnificent places we have ever seen. It is among the first choices when we recommend a travel destination in Asia. More inspirations for long haul trips you can find here.