Well its been 25 years since I was last in Bali and I cant even begin tell you (or perhaps remember!!!) how its changed.
I think I owe the forum something though as I been watching this forum for the last month or so anticipating our visit.
For the record we are a family of 4 from NZ with 2 sons 12 & 14 years on their first OE!
Our sons eyes were out on storks from the moment we arrived. The beautiful heat hit us as soon as the cabin doors opened. We'd read about the waits getting a visa at the airport and we now know first hand about them! It wasnt buying the visa which took long. As soon as we figured out you could go right up between the long queuing lines up to the window(not prominently displayed) to first buy your visa before heading back into the long immigration line, we were in the running. We got there about 3.00pm and were first out of the plane but some 60 or so jumbos must have arrived before us and we quickly learnt about "'Bali time"'before we had actually entered the country. It took us about an hour and half in the queue to get through! The queuing was interesting too although that is another story and its just pot luck which queue you are in!
First impressions of Bali though were busy busy and soooo many people!!
We headed to our hotel, Legian Beach Hotel, we had 2 interconnecting rooms in the hotel complex on the 3rd floor. Bit concerned we should have booked one of the vilas in the garden, but on the whole we were very happy with them. Huge rooms and at times(luckily) we felt quite separate from the kids. Very quiet and airconditioning good. Our bathroom stank a bit but on telling reception they came up and sprayed something strong down the floor vents and Mum was happy again.
Wasnt too far from the pool to walk for us and can only think most of the complaints from Aussies in this regard, must mean they were slightly unfit or of a very portly nature! -perhaps similar to the rugby team which didn''t fare too well while we were away!!!
The hotel pool though was a paradise, huge relaxing, azure blue, never too busy with beautiful palm trees for shade alongside. Could have just stayed there for a week and chilled out! Kids seemed to spent hours there!
Anyway, Bali was an absolute blast!! We wanted a bit of a cultural experience for the kids at the same time as a bit of R & R in the sun and we got it all.
We only had 8 days which wasnt long enough but we did plenty. I hadn''t surfed in 15 years and was straight up on a wave on Legian Beach right in front of the hotel; the kids who are good swimmers were out with me on boogie boards and had a blast. The waves were small, I'll concede, but plenty big enough for me to return to one of my favorite pastimes. Best at high tide otherwise they just dumped across the whole beach. A surfboard and 2 boogie boards were negotiated for 50,000 rp per hour or should I say per surf as Bali time is relaxed. A fair rate I thought - 1st price 120,000rp!
We also got into the habit of having our happy hour drinks on the beach in front of the hotel. Bruno's bar it was called. Bruno with a chilly bin and some plastic seats. Met lots of people seating at Brunos bar and far more convivial then the happy hour at the hotel some 25 metre inland! Also compare 6,000rp for bintang cf 20,000 hotel.
We didnt waste out time though and did a lot of adventures as well as the usual shopping, bartering and eating. Waterbom Park was, as everyone before us said, a must. Spent the day there, got there early and secured a cabana and a very relaxful day. The rides are something else although both kids and I (Mum wouldn't attempt it) both thought once was enough on the vertical slide! I like a thrill but 75 ks an hour down a vertical slide feeling the joins of the slide hit your back, felt like the next one would slice the skin off my back!! I was a survivor though and I'm here to tell the story!
The Macaroni was the best and everyone should do it at least once!!
A great ride through dark tunnels up and down and quite something.Waterbom Park rules ok!! Very well run in a beautiful park like setting and something for everyone!
Other experiences. Well we had a great driver recommended, Sudira, and although perhaps not the cheapest, we were very happy indeed with him as he took us off the beaten tourist routes through local roads to get to the sites. We saw a bit of everything. A local cockfight in the middle of a remote village. That was an eyeopener being on ring side! Especially after being informed the cocks are raised for 3 years for their 5 minutes of glory if that!. The betting before the fight was intense and my boys couldnt believe it! Great photos!!
Went to a Balinese traditional dance in the country, up to Ubud, watched the preparations for the magnificant Royal funeral procession and ceremony which is to take place this week. Everyone one seems involved and we were right in the thick of it watching them make the floats and mannequins. Amazing colour with all the floats in gold glitter. The large horse was nearly completed and this is what the royal body will be transported through the village in alongside a massive mowing tower. The whole masterpiece, body included will be burnt as the funereal pyre. Just wished we could have been there to watch the procession and cermonies next week. Once in 50 year ceremony apparently. Everyone gives their time for free helping to put it together. From a western point of view its hard to see who could be project managing this awesome task, but everyone one just beavers way and seems to know what they are doing. You certainly realise how different their outlook is. It's a real community spirit. Can you imagine a western towns people giving up their paid employment on mass to contribute to a community ceremony. No one would do it and although we might have ceremonies or processions, councils would oversee them and most would be paid to help out. Not here, it's a real spiritual connection. I presume a lot of them do not have employment anyway but you can feel their pride and community spirit in what they are doing. As our driver said, most Balinese think only of living today and tomorrow looks after itself. They may be extremely poor in our terms but extremely contented in their beliefs and spirituality and we could all learn something from them.
We were also fortunate to see about 3 or 4 other different religious processions in villages and the outskirts of Denpasar. These involves processions coming to the local temple to give thanks to the Gods. They would bring huge gifts of food. The Balinese females would be dressed in all their beautiful colourful clothes carrying the gifts to the gods on their heads. They would be followed by the menfolk usually making music as they walked. Everytime there was a procession traffic would be stopped as the procession always comes first. Everyone accepts it although it makes for massive traffic jams in some areas where traffic doesn't move anyway. Cest la vie!! Once at the temple the religious ceremony would take place and everyone is always welcome, westerners included. No one can be excluded and all the food is eaten in a feast after all the religious ceremonies are finished. These ceremonies though go on for a week at a time with different villages coming to the temple each day. That's more processions and more food!
We also learnt the reason for the black and white check material everywhere, mens clothes, wrapped around tree trunks and other displays. The black represents bad, evil and the white is good, kind spirits. Its integral in their religious philosophy, that if you do ‘bad'to someone or something, it will come back and ‘get'' you later. Good deeds mean ‘goodness will be bestowed on you. Maybe not tomorrow but you will get your just deserts somewhere along the line whether its good or bad!!
Moving along....
Boys enjoyed the monkeys in the forest, eating bananas out of your hand, and then up to the top of the mountain to see the view of the volcano and Lake Batur. Quite magnificent! Shame the lunch on the cliff face with the views was so expensive and crappy!
But hey we had some magnificent dining back closer to Kuta. La Lucialo on the beach in Seminyak. wow! 375,000 Rp for for 4 of us with of course bintangs and a couple of cocktails! It doesnt get better than that but you have to book! Its a must but I'm sure if we were there for a week or 2 longer we would add a lot more fine dining experiences! The other one which in my view was even better, although cheaper, was in Jimbaran Bay. You dine on the sand, table and chairs style, and hopefully watch the sun go down. Its a seafood extravaganza and you choose you own. If you cant believe its caught that day, you have to see it to believe it. You go up, pick out whatever you want from the fishermans blue plastic chill bins with ice. Each has different seafood, tiger prawns, crab, crayfish (lobster for the uneducated!), snapper, squid, barracouta, shark etc. you buy it by the kilo although as I did you can mix and match 300gms of prawns squid and crab. Mum had snapper as did the boys. Its barbequed in this huge open air kitchen (area I should say as kitchen would be a bit glamorous). They barbeque it with some marinade or sauce as well although I don't know what., It comes all inclusive with fresh salad, rice and sauces to die for. No crockery plates all bamboo and vine leaves. Our whole meal, with drinks cost 270,00rp. Best meal I have had in ages! Beautiful setting, candles on the beach and crooners with a guitar come around to tables -your choice of the Eagles, Beach boys or Beatles for those who remember them. Our restaurant was Sharkeys but they are lined up along the beach as far as the eye can see!~
No resource consent laws here!!
Also have to mention the dreaded Bali Belly! Youngest son got it first one night with diarehha and bad stomach cramps. Couldn't face any breakfast next morning and off food all day. Came right though. Then I got it that day. Just got home from Waterbom Park feeling stomach cramps and very lethargic. Made it to the loo and just projectile vomited!! Next thing I know I woke up on the bathroom floor. Passed out in the bathroom for a few minutes. Never happened to me before!! Thought hell, with diarohha and vomiting and bad stomach cramps, that could be the whole holiday for me looking at the roof fan from hotel bed!! Luckily after a few more chucks that evening, by morning I felt better but absolutely drained. Went ahead with our touring expedition planned for the day and survived. Didn't eat anything for 24 hours but came through ok after that and ravenous the next day. We put it down to chicken we both had the night before at Kopi Pot Restaurant in Kuta but who knows. Didn't eat a lot of chicken after that!!
Also made a trip went back to Uluwatu, which was part of my reason for visiting 25 years ago when I believe I could really surf! Wow, that place as changed but still extremely amazing. Everyone should go there if only to sit in the warungs on the cliff, have a bintang and a nasi goreng and watch the surf and view below! Its a surfies paradise and the surfie chicks are there too strutting their tanned beautiful bodies!! I could have spent the whole day there reminiscing telling my boys about the tunnel I caught out there. _ They didnt believe a word of it ( but did get a surpise when they saw their Dad catch a wave at Legian!).
A couple of beaches to visit on the way out to the Uluwatu peninsula are Dreamland and Padang Padang. Dreamland has a road down to it off the main road. Its weird cos there are security guys at the entrance to this maybe 2 -3 kilometre drive to the beach head. Its probably one of the smartest roads in Bali. Nearly 2 lanes and separated by a median strip. Apparently this area is part of a huge private development, sub division and ready for apartments buildings whatever. It seems though it has stalled for lack of funds and only the extremely expensive road was ever completed. Dreamland itself though is a beautiful small beach. It has losmans and warungs perched in the hill side (right on the beach) and you can stay there. No surf to speak of when we were there but well worth visiting.
We stopped at Padang Padang a few ks further on for a swim. You walk down to it through a track, passage carved out of the hill side. Idyliic swimming. Just a small intimate beach with perhaps only a few local hawkers selling their wares. Really enjoyd it!
Also visited Benoa on the other side of the peninsula. Cant say I like it much, not a very attractive beach as sooo commercialised with parasailors, jetskis banana boats skiing etc. Went there to have a snorkel as apparently quite good fish life in places. It was too windy but the boys convinced we just had to have a parasail and a jet ski. ( I detest jetskis myself!!). The parasailing was fun though and the locals are really friendly. Great views of the peninsula from high up in the air. Negotiated 3 parasails for 300,000 rp and the boys were taken on a long jet ski ride taking turns driving for 100,000rp total.
I could go on and on. We had a great family holiday and have now returned to the cold.
Other impressions I wanted to convey is how busy Bali is. Dont get me wrong, we loved it, but I cant understand how so many pepole survive and live there. I know theres a huge number of tourists, but we drove for literally miles and miles into the country and the shops, shacks or cottage industry just doesnt stop anywhere and when you see 5 or 6 kilometres or buddha statue shacks,one after the other you just wonder whos could possibly be buying them all, then it alls furniture shops shacks. Its mind boggling!! And talk about wooden cats..., we must have seen 50+ shops, shacks, factories on the one road, not even a busy one, with what seemed hundreds or more cats stacked out the front. Who buys them all?? I guess it has to be exported in bulk. Next time I see a wooden cat at home I'll know where it came from. Why are they sooo popular??? Defies me!
And touristy shacks selling teeshirts trinkets, Turban Kuta Bali is enough to make you wonder how the all survive, unless you've seen it first hand you cant describe it, but whats more surprising it just doresnt stop it goes for 10's of kilometres into the rural areas and they're still just selling teeshirts, knick knacks etc and they're all so similar!
Good luck to them all, we loved it though, they're a friendly people with a great religious well being and we can all learn something from them.
Also the rubbish everywhere. You do get used to it but all the streets and even in the country theres rubbish everywhere on the road sides. I guess it s just so many people living there but it does take away a little of the pristine natureside you would like to think as Bali!'
Traffic, hell how can it get any worse. Traffic jams everywhere but again you get used to it as no one seems in too much of a hurry –(luckily).
Tailor – had a suit and jacket made up in Sanur. Negotiated a price for a good quality Italian wool cloth. Both suit and jacket total 1,750,000 rp. Quite a lot in Bali standards but the cloth was good. Came back for my fitting and suit was made but cloth was different! If I hadn't said anything they wouldn't have mentioned it! Slightly different colour without a very fine pinstripe I liked. On telling them they said they were sorry but couldn't get the cloth I picked!! I wasn't too happy but they seemed fine that I might not take it. You have to laugh – I just tried to imagine that happening at home when you've been in for a fitted suit and come back and they have made one with a different material!!
To be honest it wasn't made that well either so in the end I only took the jacket 750,000 rp. Not sure how that one will stand up either cos they didn't have a press and its all crumply. Took it anyway and we'll see how it pans out at home with a dryclean. I don't blame them really. I bought it on impulse and it had to be ready in 2 days. If I'd had longer we could have shopped around and been a bit more selective!
Shopping, hackling, bartering, its all part of Bali and our boys loved it. Got ripped off no doubt a few times but felt we got bottom prices on others. Its part of the game!
Thats only half of our story but its a marathon essay for me so we''ll call it quits!!
We loved Bali for everything good or bad. We'll be back!
See you next in Bali! Klop!!!
Jerry