Bali (Indonesia)
24 July - 28 July 2016
In the two weeks from when we returned from South America to when we went to Bali was somewhat dichotomous for us. We were definitely not in a painful position financially by any stretch of the imagination, but somehow ended up living a life that from an outsiders perspective would have seemed a life of struggle. As we know didn't have a place to live in Sydney we needed to look for short-term accommodation, which we found in a 2bdr house on the border of Auburn/Lidcome. Of course we didn't rent the house, we just rented a room in the house. It was small, the place itself was average and it all felt a little surreal.
In addition to our living situation both Inga & I had decided to take on some sort of work for the time we were in Sydney. For various reasons the best option for us manifested itself in the very respected art of leaflet delivering. Yes, we became your nuisance junk mail delivers, hired guns of direct delivery advertising, bringing to you weekly sales, local discounts and political hogwash. In terms of flexibility it was good, and, it also allowed Inga to negate the working restrictions on her visa. Still, what an odd situation we found ourselves in. Having flown back in from Argentina there we were, living in a room, getting up at 5:30am each day to make our way to some random train station where we would load up our back-packs with pamphlets and then we'd walk - easily 30kms-40kms a day. And when I say 30kms-40kms I'm not joking, both of us would track the distance we covered on our iPhones. Basically we'd start in an area at 8:00am and walk virtually non-stop until 4pm. These were our typical days. For a map completion we'd get $10 per pamphlet, of which we would have perhaps 4-5 usually. So between us we were getting $80-$100 a day, sometimes more for completing additional areas. Man, what an odd time that was. It was fun in many ways but odd all the same, even more so when we told our manager Shezad, 'yeah, now that we've come back from South America we'll be heading off to Bali next week, so we'll be starting work again on 30 July'.
On the way to Bali - Sydney Airport - Australia
Sunset at the Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia
For an Australian saying that you've been to Bali is equivalent to saying that you've been to the Gold Coast for a holiday. Hardly the final card to be played in a game of travel one upsmanship. Probably better not to even mention it as it has distinct associations with drunken Australian bogans doing the stupid things they normally do, i.e., getting breathtakingly drunk, being obnoxious, being culturally insensitive and generally branding us Australians as a boorish, loutish group. To somehow underline this viewpoint there was a group of three early 20 something dickheads from the Central Coast that occupied the row in front of us. During the flight they had obviously made a head start on getting through their duty free, and the behaviour that followed just made me feel embarrassed as Australia, for the stereotype was certainly being lived up to.
Our accommodation in Bali was at the fantastic Anantara Uluwatu, a beautiful hotel, located high on the cliffs overlooking Bingin beach. Yet another fantastic property by Anantara in terms of location, tranquility and luxurious, spacious accommodation. It was an absolute treat, especially with the fact that we were located on the 'sunset' side of the island. The only thing that we managed to get wrong here however was that we were always a 45 min ride away from the central location of Kuta. Knowing now what I didn't know then I probably would have selected another location, more than likely in Seminyak. Still, hard to argue with a place that was as impressive as this.
Kuta Beach - Bali - Indonesia
Kuta Beach - Bali - Indonesia
Kuta Beach - Bali - Indonesia
Kuta Beach - Bali - Indonesia
Kuta Beach - Bali - Indonesia
Kuta Beach - Bali - Indonesia
A friend of mine from Sydney, Debbie Child at set us up with the details of what turned out to be a truly lovely man, Komang Sastrawan Taira. When she had been in Bali the year before her group utilised the services of Komang as driver/guide and had a great time exploring the island. So accepting the tip we utilised his services for a few days too and have to say that we were not disappointed at all. He was just so nice, calm and ready to assist in whatever it was we were seeking to do. A true pleasure to have made his company and be taken around this wonderful island.
Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia
Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia
Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia
The first day we actually did spend in Kuta. I wasn't quite sure what my expectations were but I didn't find it all that bad, as opposed to say a place like Pa Tong in Thailand which is an animal all of its own. Of course its touristy, there's plenty of us, myself being one of them, but ok, we all want to come and experience life on the beach. I get these days that there are locations around the world being overrun by tourists, this has the propensity to completely alter many of the elements that make up the unique quality of a location. I'm not sure what the answer is other than tourist restrictions or raising prices so as to enforce exclusivity. The issue with the latter is that you also price locals out of a place in their own country.
Two Inga's in one Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia
Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia
Anantara Uluwatu - Bali - Indonesia
An additional aspect of Kuta for me were the echoes of the bombings that took place here in 2002 & 2005, Bali bombings 2002 & Bali bombings 2005. Walking in the area gave me that sense of immediacy and acute awareness of what was a despicable act. Also, I think somewhat oddly, it made me hyper vigilant, for what exactly I wasn't sure. In your min you know that there a chance than an event of that same magnitude could happen again at anytime but how on earth do you protect yourself from that? Any hyper-awareness is only really wasted energy. Of course mentally you (I) realise that, I realise that nothing can be done if you're unlucky enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time - although .... you always think that some sort of clue will be given in advance? Crazy huh!?
Bali - Indonesia
Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
Ubud - Bali - Indonesia
The next day we rode with Komang up to the town of Ubud. If Kuta is the chaos and madness of Bali gone wrong, then Ubud is its spirtual and cultural centre. A serene place of seductive beauty, the town and its immediate surrounds are gorgeous. We spent some time taking in the terraced fields of the area, which for me were the typical representation of the Balinese image that I had in my mind. Lush landscapes of almost impossible looking terraces, somehow engineered to reside one on top of the other, cascading elegantly down the hillside. These are the views that you send home in the postcard.
In the immediate area were also a few coffee plantations, which were of specific interest of me as I really wanted to try the Kopi Luwak. This is a specific, unique and somewhat expensive coffee offering from Indonesia, which basically involves farmers picking up the droppings of an animal called the Asian palm civet. The process involves the civet specifically eating coffee cherries and then defecating, as required. The farms pick up these partially digested cherries which have gone through a fermentation process during its travels through the gut of the civet. The chemical's in its digestive tract alters the composition of the coffee cherries and hence the grind is what becomes the famous Kopi Luwak. What I want to know is how and when? When did farmers start picking up civet shit with an eye to making a good coffee? Who thinks that outside if an April Fool's joke?
Bali - Indonesia
Bali - Indonesia
Bali - Indonesia
Bali - Indonesia
Bali - Indonesia
Whilst in Ubud we also spent some time at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. This is a place where crazy monkeys just chill in an environment supported by humans who in turn consider them to be sacred, I believe more for there powers of economic growth than for any religious purpose.
Outside of Ubud we also took the time to head to Nusa Dua and hit the beach for some jet-ski action and also went to the well known Uluwatu temple to take in the sites and be part of a spectacular sunset on the western coast.
Seminyak - Bali - Indonesia
Seminyak - Bali - Indonesia
In the end both Inga and I got a lot out of Bali, for me, far more than I expected. My only small regret is that we didn't stay in Ubud for anymore than an afternoon and also, that we didn't set up our stay in a place like Seminyak which only our final night in Bali had use looking for ways to manufacturer a couple of additional nights on the island.
Now, like any 'good' Aussie I'm happy to tell you, 'Hey, I've been to Bali too'.
