Bali

Bali conjures up tropical beaches, romantic getaways, picturesque sunsets and warm breezes.  Indeed, that is what it is for many Australians and Chinese.  In reality, my version of Bali is quite different from an idyllic tropical paradise. 

My first trip here was a total disappointment (see my Asian-Pacific Ocean cruise blog).  Traffic, pollution and ugly development have scarred southern Bali.  Most of what we saw in the city and countryside looked to be uncared for.  One could not tell the age of a building solely by the way it looked.  Many homes, buildings and temples were covered in a coat of green moss and mildew.  Tin roofs were rusted and bricks were loose or missing.  Either it is hard to keep up with nature or house maintenance is not a priority.  In order to protect the natural beauty of Bali, there is a law that prohibits any building higher than a palm tree.

We arrived in Bali in the afternoon after a bumpy night and morning.  On our portside, as we entered the harbor, we saw a very colorful neighborhood and heard the muslim call to prayer.  Bali is 80% Hindu, but Indonesia has the largest muslim population in the world.  I am not sure how Bail managed to hold out against the muslim domination of this nation (remember a hotel and nightclub were bombed by militants a few years ago).

We docked in the commercial area and were greeted by dancers.  There was nothing to see or do here without taking a taxi or a tour so we had plenty of time to kill until the evening festivities.  So for the first time in 54 days, we ate lunch in the dining room.  We spent the rest of the afternoon out by the pool as it was very warm and humid (it is now the rainy season).  I don’t know how anyone can exist here in this climate without air conditioning.  Most shops and stores we went to did not have any A/C.  It is impossible to try on clothes when the clothes you are wearing are sticking to you and soaking wet. It is impossible to shop when you can barely breathe the still and humid air.

Tonight Seabourn put on a ship-wide event at a beautiful and unique events location Taman Bhagawan.  We’ve been to many banquets, BBQ, and buffets, but nothing like this one.  The evening was sultry and we dressed in nice casual clothes as the affair was held outdoors.  Eleven buses were sitting dockside waiting to take the majority of the passengers on an hours journey to the other side of the bay.  It was a choreographic departure with the buses pulling out like synchronized swimmers.  We even had a police escort to lead us through the heavy traffic (this is a major problem here; more later).  The buses were made for smaller scale people; the Balinese people are not very big.  The aisle was probably 12 inches wide and the taller people had to hunch over so as not to hit their head.  Thankfully, the bus had good A/C.

Upon our arrival, we were sheparded to a parade ground like area, and were greeted with a Balinese parade with children, beautiful dancers, and musicians all in traditional dress.  We followed the end of the parade and were led through huge golden and wood doors into a tropical wonderland.  The entertainers continued playing while 350 guests were served appetizers and punch or wine.  The tables were set on either side of a long reflecting pool that had water spouts and lights running along the sides.  Twinkle lights in the trees were magical.  Bamboo leaves were sculpted to form arches to pass through to the tables.  The wait staff were young people dressed in native attire.  This was festive and elegant.  As dusk fell, the lights dramatically lit up the entire venue.

Being sheparded for parade

The buffet dinner was acceptable (and geared toward the Western palate), wine flowed and the entertainers performed the monkey dance.  The music was disconcerting to the western ear and the chants didn’t seem to make much sense (ta-ta-ta-ta-ta).  It went on a bit too long.  We wandered around the grounds and the humidity seemed to rise as the evening wore on.  I took a picture of a little boy sitting all by himself in a cart.  He smiled for me, but winced when the flash on the camera went off.  We did it twice, and he enjoyed seeing himself when I showed him the picture.  By this time I was soaking wet, as was Mr. I Don’t Sweat.  We headed back to the bus and some A/C.  It was a perfectly lovely evening, but there was one more surprise!

Our bus was the first one to return.  What did we see on the dock as we arrived?  The crew formed two lines by the gangplank and as we got off the bus, we were handed an ice cold wet towel and a glass of Bailey’s Kailua and cream – and as we walked between the lines of crew, they would yell out our name and cheer.  Oh my, this was absolutely thrilling and the height of feeling so special -- like one of the chosen ones.  I think they had as much fun as we did.

The greeting committee

The Next Day – the Tour

We were up, had a good breakfast and were ready to go by 8:30am.  We had a private tour and went with Morry and Hanita.  The car was comfortable and HAD GREAT A/C.  Our guide, phonetically Comend (son #3; more later), was a pleasant young man who turned out to be an excellent driver.  He told us to call him Conan, easier for us to remember.

Before I start on our adventures, here are a few facts of interest (at least to me).  Most Balinese are Hindu.  Hindu is prevalent in India and a lot of its culture came to Bali.  They practice the caste system (there are four levels), they believe in reincarnation, and the dead are cremated and the ashes spread out to sea.  There is a holiday every six months that lasts for three days.  Each village has three Hindu temples and each house has its own temple.  The religion is very entwined in the culture.  They place a black and while checkered cloth outside the entrance to the home or business for protection against evil spirits.  They spend a great deal of time praying and worshipping, pacifying and entertaining the gods.  The religion governs everything from birth (a baby’s feet mustn’t touch the ground until it is six months old), through the teeth-filing ceremony of adolescence, to marriage and death.

There are only two seasons in Bali:  the rainy and the dry.  The Balinese speak three languages:  Balinese, Indonesian and English.  We did not have any trouble reading signs as most of them were in English.  Children go to school 6 days per week and wear uniforms.  Indonesia is made up of over 13,600 islands and has a population of 279 million (3.9 million in Bali).  First born males are usually named Wayan; second born named Madie (sp); and third born named Comend.  Since there are so many with the first name, they go by their family name.  The first born girl is Elow (sp).

Driving through the city is scary and dangerous.  Most people have motorbikes or scooters.  It is not uncommon to see an entire family on one; dad driving, mom sitting behind and one kid standing in front of dad, another one wedged between mom and dad, and the fifth one hanging onto the back of mom.  Many times each person is holding a bag or two.  In the city they wear helmets (not the kids though) and in the country they do not wear helmets (no police there).  Frankly, I would put an amour shield around me if I rode one of these.  They dart in and out like gnats, on the wrong side of the road, cut in front to turn a corner – I think these people must either feel invincible or have a death wish.  Driving here is not for the faint of heart.  The roads are very narrow, with only two lanes, and there are no sidewalks, especially out in the country.  In the country, we saw women walking along the roadside with baskets balanced upon their head.  They were usually headed to temple with an offering for the gods.  They never flinched when a car or motorbike passed inches from them.  Walking on the road looks like a suicide mission to me, but we never saw any accidents.

Our first stop of the day was to see a Barong Dance. This was a story about good versus evil.  We were handed a playbill and sat in an outdoor theater that had bamboo chairs.  The costumes were quite elaborate (and I bet pretty darn hot to wear).  The lady dancers used elegant hand movements and interesting eye movements to tell part of the story.  After awhile, the music became quite annoying due to repetition and the atonal sounds.

We stopped at a batik factory and watched as young ladies dropped hot wax onto the cloth making intricate designs.  The fabric is then colored or dyed; afterward, the wax is removed leaving the areas white, thus forming the patterns.  I tried to shop, but it was so hot and stuffy inside that all I wanted to do was get out of there and back to the cool car. 

As we left the city, we passed through village after village.  Each village specialized in some form of art:  painting, batik, baskets, pottery, statuary and stone carving, wood carving, and ceramics.  There was one little store or shop right next to another mile after mile.  This stretch of road went for some 20 miles or so and is a shopper’s paradise.  I would love to have brought some of the wood carvings and large pots home but my suitcase is not big enough.

We climbed up the mountain toward the interior of the island.  This brought us to the rice terraces.  Oh, this was spectacular.  The beauty of this was breathtaking.  Parking here was a nightmare and there were little shops and huts selling souvenirs.  I really didn’t need this.  The vendors are very aggressive and get you to touch something.  If you do, they really go after you.  Bargaining is a must.  Morry bought a painting and then Hanita bought one.  Hanita bargained, Morry didn’t.  Hanita knows how to do it! 

We finally reached the lookout for Mt. Catur and boy were we lucky.  It was clear and no clouds hung over the volcano.  We had lunch at Grand Puncak Sari Restaurant and had a delicious buffet lunch where we sat staring at the volcano and the valleys below.  All the ugliness of the city was now removed as we gazed at this tranquil and beautiful scene – until we went back to the car and the vendors descended.  Westerners would spend more time looking if they weren’t so obnoxious and pushy.  I get it, they are trying to make a buck, but give us a break and stop shoving stuff at us. 

Volcano Mt. Catur

 By now it is really raining.  We saw a man walking on the side of the road using a big banana leaf as an umbrella.  Our next stop was to a coffee plantation for some sampling.  Luwak coffee is a big deal here.  What is it?  An animal (not sure what kind) eats the coffee beans and then poops it out.  It’s supposed to enhance the flavor, but no one was willing to give it a try.  We also sampled ginger tea, lemon grass tea and rosella tea.  I liked the lemon grass and rosella tea, and we purchased a bag of each.

Roasting coffee beans by hand

Up next was the Empul Temple and market.  The full name of the temple means “water from the gods;” the gods must have been very generous because it was pouring.  Little kids crowded around the car offering umbrellas for a price.  These umbrellas were huge and kept the head dry, but our feet were soaked from walking through deep puddles.  It was a very beautiful place, and very large.  We only covered a portion of the grounds.  Our guide pointed the way out, which became a maze of vendor booths.  Not happy about that.

Praying

We had a choice of going to the monkey forest or a street market.  I got out voted and we went to the street market – which was a big mistake.  Driving back into the city, we were on a street with upscale boutiques.  Not my cup of tea.  We then arrive at a market, and trust me, I have been to many, many markets all over the world.  This one stunk, literally.  Raw garbage was strewn about and the smell was just awful.  There were puddles everywhere with dirty water.  We made it up to the top level as we had an hour to kill before Comend came back for us.  I managed to buy batik and dyed shawls for gifts (so if you are getting a gift, you know what you are getting).  I thought I was really good at negotiating; I did good, but not as good as Hanita.  From now on, I’m going to let her do the negotiating.

The day was coming to an end and it was time to head back to the ship.  We passed the monkey forest and saw the little grey guys running around everywhere.  If you go to see them, you must remove any jewelry, hats, or glasses because they take the stuff and run off with it never to be seen again.  One passenger, we heard, learned that the hard way when a monkey made off with his glasses.  I hope the guy has an extra pair with him.

So you think the day was done for us?  Nope.  Tired and dirty, we showered and then went to the pool deck for the epicurean evening with the officers and crew.  This is a themed cocktail party where we sampled hors d’oeuvres from the crew’s home countries, and each department set up a display dispensing unique cocktails.  The doc was dispensing something red from a syringe.  Ooooh, no way!

At the Brig

Please don't kill me!

And still we were not done!  We were invited to a Chinese buffet dinner in Restaurant 2 by host David, who has been playing travel agent for some of the excursions we have taken/will take.  The center pieces, shown here, were made from sugar!  Magnificent.  The dinner started at 7:30pm and we didn’t get done until 10:30pm.  Oh my aching stomach.  Course after course was served, and when you thought that was the end, the main dishes came!  Six of them, served family style.  By then, I was totally done; I could not eat another thing.  I put a few pieces of food and some rice on my plate and just pushed it around.  You want something special served, all you have to do is ask. 

I need a day of rest.  As you can see, we are extremely busy and I know you feel sorry for me.  Touring, eating, drinking, schmoozing….. it’s a tough life, but somebody has to do it.