I admit: I jumped on the Bali-bandwagon soon after reading Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, Eat, Pray, Love and again, when the movie starring Julia Roberts hit the big screen. While Bali has always been a prime tourist destination for Easterners, a flurry of single, middle-aged women hoping to experience their own nirvana has been flocking to Bali in large part due to the Eat, Pray, Love phenomenon. While the latter doesn't apply to me, I had always regretted that Jason and I had not traveled to Bali during our last assignment in Singapore. When we learned we were moving back to the Orient, I made booking a trip to Bali a priority.
So we took a weekend trip to check out this Hindu island in Indonesia--a short two-hour flight from Singapore. With only two full days to delve into as much as we could, we opted to stay in a remote, traditional Balinese village tucked between the tropical jungles and lush rice farms of Ubud, the cultural mecca of Bali.
Arriving after dark, we were a bit skeptical. The villages seemed a tad sketchy--poorly lit dirt roads, convoys of weaving and speeding motorcyclists, and packs of starved dogs darting into our driver's path (fortunately, no dogs were hit)--not necessarily the warmest welcome you would expect in Bali. Suffice to say, when the resident chickens crowed and the sun ascended upon the verdant rice fields across from our villa the next morning, Bali came to life.
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| Local life in the hillsides |
Balinese Barong Dance - Batubulan Village
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| Our first stop of the day was an early morning Barong Dance performance at a neighboring temple. This Balinese act portrays an eternal fight between good and evil spirits and is accompanied by a gamelan--ethnic musical ensemble. |
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| An Indonesian gamelan usually consists of drums and gongs, bamboo flutes, strings, and xylophones. |
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The Barong is the central mythical figure used in this Balinese dance. The lion-like character is said to be the king of the spirits, capable of guarding an entire village and driving away demons.
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Traditional Balinese Private Residence with silver/goldsmith business
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| Each building is a considered a different room and each is strategically located in a direction dictated by Hindu tradition. Each family compound has their own separate temple as well. |
Balinese Artisans
Each neighboring village is home to different communes of artisan families honing and selling their craft within their compound. We toured the woodcarving, silver/gold smith, and art colonies.
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The top picture is the storefront for the jewelry shop and within the same compound of the traditional Balinese home we toured in the previous photos.
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| Woodcarving family |
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| Art colony |
Mount Batur Volcano in the Kintamani Region
There are over 150 active volcanoes in Indonesia, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and a hotbed for seismic activity.
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| Mt. Batur is still an active volcano with flowing black lava. |
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| The volanco rises above 5,000 feet. |
Rice Terraces
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| Each seedling is planted and harvested by hand. |
Spice and Coffee Plantation
Most Expensive Coffee in the World?
Ever heard of Luwak coffee? Neither had I. My husband on the other hand, knew all about the most expensive coffee in the world and the uncanny process undertaken to serve up a cup of this exotic, native brew (thanks in part to another American movie, The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson). He wasn't shy about volunteering his taste buds either for $5 Indonesian Rupiahs.
Warning: the process for harvesting the beans for Luwak coffee may leave your stomach churning... Luwaks (mongoose) prowl coffee plantations at night for the tastiest and ripest coffee cherries/beans. Once the animals digest the cherries, the coffee beans are expelled from its feces usually within 24 hours. From there, the beans are collected, sorted, cleaned, and dried to be prepared for roasting and consumption.
It is said a cup of Luwak will set you back anywhere from $50-90 in New York or London. Would you pay that much for a cup of specialized coffee, muchless a cup processed in this manner? For what it is worth, Jason said Luwak coffee is very rich and tasty--go figure!
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| Coffee tree and unripened cherries. |
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| The mongoose mainly sleep during the day, and berry hunt at night. |
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| Graham and Kana, our wonderful and endearing tour guide. He was the best! |
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| We sampled some of the other more conventional coffees from the plantation. All were wonderful and this coming from someone who is not a coffee drinker. |
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| Jason about to try the Luwak coffee. |
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| Kana and Graham quickly became buds. Kana would tote Graham around, so Jason and I could enjoy each stop.. .typical of all the friendly Balinese people we encountered! |
11th Century Elephant Cave/Goa Gajah
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| Sacred Hindu site/cave/temple/fountain |
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| This cleansing area was only recently discovered during a 1950's excavation. |
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| Jason had to wear a sarong before we could enter these sacred Hindu grounds. We shared a good chuckle over this. |
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| Inside the 11th century cave |
Central Ubud and Ubud Market
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Bali is often referred to as the 'Island of 1,000 Temples'. Because of its strong adherence to Hinduism, these red brick shrines adorned with ornate carvings and sculptures are as numerous as the stars.
Outside of this region, Muslims account for roughly 90% of the population in Indonesia, Christians 8% and Hindu the remaining. |
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| Devout offerings are made throughout the day in the form of flowers, food, and aroma sticks to the Hindu gods and to ward off evil spirits. These offerings are found inside local shops, on doorsteps, outside temples, car dashboards, and along sidewalks. |
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| Our personal favorites were the jack fruit and rambutan. |
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Spiced sate was one of our favorite staples in Bali--minced beef, chicken, or pork on a stick. And, rice is a Balinese staple with every meal...even with desert. We both sampled the black rice pudding one evening and Jason enjoyed the local beer, Bintan.
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We wandered through this Batik shop in Ubud. Batik is an age-old art and craft of decorating cloth or fabric using hot wax and natural dyes. I found one particular motif that I really loved and will use it in our home in Holland.
My Two Monkeys
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Though our stay was short, we enjoyed our introduction into this fascinating culture and got a taste of Bali--literally. The Balinese way of life may not all be post-card worthy, but life is simple and harmonious here. Its people are the crown jewel of this enchanted island. Smiling villager after smiling villager, each appreciates life, food, culture, and even an American stranger too (so says Kana).
Bliss in Bali.
