Bali Tourism News

Bali rising: Island paradise stares down terrorism

BY DAN DAY

McClatchy News Service

Bali beckons.In the aftermath of deadly terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005, Balinese artisans and merchants are eager for the people of the world to rediscover this enchanting island.

Although the U.S. Department of State still warns Americans about traveling in Indonesia, I ventured to Bali for a few days last year with my brothers and my older son.

While worries of a terrorist attack never completely left me, I quickly succumbed to the island’s tropical charms.
We split our time between magnificent beaches of the southwest and the enchanting central mountains. Here are some of the highlights.

NATURAL BEAUTY

A volcanic island in the Indonesian archipelago just south of the equator, Bali is lush and exotic.

Along the coast at a resort in Seminyak, we indulged ourselves by watching the sun set gloriously into the Indian Ocean, the sky turning from blue to orange to crimson.

In the central mountains, we passed spectacular tiered rice paddies. In Ubud, we saw Balinese children swimming gleefully in the river running through the valley nestling our hotel.

We also toured the Mandala Wisata Wenara Wana, or sacred monkey forest sanctuary. Paved walkways took us through a jungle preserve for long-tailed macaques, cute monkeys with a hankering for bananas and little tolerance for close-up photography.

SHOPPING

Everywhere we went was a shopper’s paradise. The exchange rate between the American dollar and the Indonesian rupiah is generous, and the number of stalls and shops was overwhelming. They sell everything from beautiful batik weavings and silver jewelry to flip-flops and other trinkets.

Although prices are fixed at larger stores, bargaining seems to be one of Bali’s national pastimes. The street merchants were the most aggressive in Kuta, following us out of their stalls and pestering us to make offers on T-shirts and necklaces.

The style was much more relaxed in Ubud and surrounding villages, where we watched basket-makers at work in their shops.

CULTURE

Some of the best time I spent was wandering through the villages around Ubud, where I got a close look at the exotic architecture of public buildings and family compounds. The people are mostly Hindu, and incense offerings were placed at thresholds to most homes and shops.

One morning, I encountered scores of children walking to school, all of them in uniform and the girls seemingly all in pigtails.

We were fortunate to hear a couple of performances by gamelan orchestras, a style of Indonesian music that depends heavily on drums, gongs and other percussion instruments. We saw only a portion of traditional Balinese storytelling dance and left wanting to see more.

SAFETY

One of our last stops was at the international memorial to the victims of the Oct. 12, 2002, terrorist bombings in Kuta, which killed 202 people from several countries. Attacks in 2005 at Kuta and Jimbaran beach killed 23 people, including three bombers.

It was sobering experience to see a monument to the victims of despicable violence in such a beautiful place.

The people of Bali are trying to overcome the bombings and bring back tourists. Although security checks at Denpasar airport actually seemed less thorough than what American airports demand, our luggage and our taxi were searched before we could pass through the gate to our resort in Seminyak. At a restaurant in Kuta, security guards ran metal-sensing wands over us before we were escorted to our table.

Many of the merchants and ‘’taksi'’ drivers politely asked where we were from. They were glad and a bit surprised to see Americans back in their shops.

I look forward to the pleasure of returning someday, for their sake and mine.

GOING TO BALI

Bali is an island of incredible mystery, beauty, enchantment, culture and serenity in the southeast Asian archipelago-nation of Indonesia, south of the equator and north of Australia.

Bali’s beaches, volcanoes, lakes, temples and terraced rice fields — combined with its artistic roots and legendary hospitality — have made it one of the most visited places on earth. What you need to know, courtesy of the Bali Tourist Board:

• Geography: Bali is one of 17,508 islands that make up Indonesia. It is 87 miles long by 50 miles deep. Most Balinese live on the southern third of the island. The northeast is the island’s active volcanic region, with both Gunung Agung (Bali’s tallest volcano) and Gunung Batur.

• Population: With 245 million people, Indonesia is the world’s fourth largest country (behind China, India and the United States). Bali has 4 million people and 8 million motorbikes.

• When to go: The dry season (April to September) is when humidity is at its lowest. January and February are usually a period of unrelenting rain. June is often ‘’the golden month'’ — perfect weather and low-to-mid hotel occupancy (and therefore great discounts). Prices go up 10 to 30 percent July to September and during the year-end holiday season.

• Language: Balinese is the everyday language. Bahasa Indonesian is the official language. English is frequently used in commerce.

• Religion: Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim nation, but Bali is 92 percent Hindu. In Balinese Hinduism, marriage is compulsory.

• Participation in Banjar (the village association) is obligatory.

• Entry requirements: A visa is required for American citizens. Visas valid for three or 30 days can be applied for upon arrival at the airports in Bali and Jakarta.

CUSTOMS

• Indonesia’s Muslim population does not drink alcohol.

• Shoes must be removed when entering a home or places of worship such as mosques and temples. Some mosques provide robes and scarves for female visitors.

• The forefinger is not used to point. Instead, the thumb of the right hand with four fingers folded under is the preferred usage.

• The traditional greeting, or salam, resembles a handshake with both hands but without the grasp. The man offers both hands, lightly touches his friend’s outstretched hands, and then brings his hands to his chest to mean, ‘’I greet you from my heart.'’ The visitor should reciprocate the salam.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/

Add comment March 28th, 2008

Walking in Ubud’s magical rice fields

Janet DeNeefe ,  ,    |  Thu, 03/27/2008 12:07 AM  |  Surfing Bali

When was the last time you walked in the rice fields?

One of the most magical ways to enjoy Ubud, I believe, is on foot and there’s something to be said for getting back to nature and walking in the fields of green that surround this fabled village.

Whether you jalan-jalan (take a stroll) along the narrow streets in and around the center of town or into the picturesque bamboo jungles beyond, where the pace of life slows to a saunter, the experience is always invigorating and full of surprises.
When I need to breathe mega doses of morning air and stretch my computer-aching limbs, I take a walk along the Tjampuhan ridge, on the path that straddles the East and West Woz rivers, behind our restaurant, Indus.

It’s like a sun salutation of the tropical kind, a chance to revel in the glory of nature with all the soft, fuzzy feelings that come with the sweet smiles received from pig-tailed school girls in crimson and white uniforms and miniature Balinese farmers that you pass on the way.

A stroll amongst elephant grass, coconut trees and picture-perfect rice fields does something to the soul. If Kerala is said to be “God’s own country”, then Bali must surely be “God’s own garden”.

The glossy morning light in a fresh blue sky and the sounds of nature always slap you with an “it’s great to be alive” feeling. And isn’t that the best happy drug you can enjoy. Better still, it’s free.

Even the “whoosh, whoosh” sound of bamboo brooms sweeping the compound in the village is one of the simplest and most pleasurable sound sensations on the planet. And if you are out early enough, you will see a pearly moon hanging overhead and the dew “of angels cooking” hovering above the river. That’s what my husband, Ketut, says it is and I believe him. Because in “Gods own garden” angels must surely be living and eating by the cool waters, enjoying a life of luxury of the greenest kind. A movable, mystical feast.

You can say that there truly are health benefits to be gained by walking in the rice fields. I remember when Aristides Katoppo, founder of Sinar Harapan newspaper, attended our second Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in 2005. It was shortly after he had suffered a light stroke and the rejuvenating energy of a stroll in nature had a huge impact on his recovery.

He walked every morning and this outdoor therapy proved so addictive that dear Bapak Aristides forgot to show up to his session at the Festival. He spent the morning roaming in a field of dreams when he was supposed to be leading a discussion on journalism in Indonesia. Such is the magic of Ubud*

The Tjampuhan walk begins at the turn-off to the Ibah hotel and wanders past the school and down those oh-so-deep stairs that lead you across the mossy stone bridge to the Tjampuhan temple, Pura Gunung Lebah.

One of my favorite temples in Ubud, Pura Gunung Lebah, is said to be built near sacred caves and dates back to the eighth century when the sage Rsi Markandya came to town and claimed the site as a place for worship.

This ancient temple is believed to have a powerful dose of cosmic energy and a ceremony held in its grounds is always a majestic affair.

Beyond the temple, the walk takes you across a hillside of elegant elephant grass until you eventually reach the village, Bangkiang Sidem. The name of this village translates as “the back of the black ant”, and this small mountain certainly resembles that shape.

And speaking of drinking in nature, you can sip it in, literally, on this walk, with the juice of fat green coconuts. There is a farmer who usually jumps out from behind one of the coconut trees just before you reach Bangkiang Sidem, offering refreshments to thirsty travelers. Morning price, of course.

This cheery grandpa has adopted one of the shady palms as his makeshift shop front and, once the sun has risen, it is open for business. I am a huge fan of coconut juice. On a hot day I will guzzle the cool liquid of one or two of these, letting it dribble down my chin in a Robinson Crusoe-type fervor. I will tell you about its virtues another time.

Welcome to Bangkiang Sidem. Tidy Balinese compounds rub shoulders with expatriate homes, in a rustic embrace. Tall trees offer shade after the heat of a sun-burnt journey across the hill. Miniature paintings fill the occasional shop and Balinese dogs of all sizes defend their beloved territory.

I love the filtered light of these small towns and the velvet feeling of unpaved roads, a certain softness under the feet. And then there are the kitchen fragrances of fresh coconut oil, fried shallots and shrimp paste and the scent of steaming rice.

By now I usually succumb to the seduction of breakfast and seek a driver to take me home, pronto. Makan dulu*

But if I am feeling particularly energetic, or if my friend, Elizabeth, spurns me on, I will walk to Payogan, up and over the next hill (I don’t do it very often, sigh*).

There are other magical walks that lead you off the beaten track, past dramatic ravines, banyan trees, rambling villas, manicured homestays and schools. Sometimes I have had the pleasure of passing young folk I know as they help in gotong-royong (working together) temple activities or students as they pray together in the school yards.

Waves and cries of “Halo Ibu” break the morning silence and it is these honest pleasures that stay in your heart. There is something about the essence of village life, seeing the spirit of a community that works together and lives so humble that make these early morning walks so enchanting. If John Le Carre said “to have another language is to have another soul”, then to observe and absorb another culture is to have another voice. Lessons for living of the most compassionate kind.

In the meantime, take a walk around Ubud and enjoy the honest pleasures that this country town provides. All it costs is a little time out of your day. It’s as simple as that. But the glow on the cheeks will last for hours and the memory will last a lifetime.

Source: The Jakarta Post

Add comment March 28th, 2008