It's gonna be a long entry, peppered with a gazillion snapshots. I've decided to incorporate a couple of excerpts from my handy leather travel journal as well. So, sit tight.
12 December, 17:15 hrs
On the flight to Bali
"If clothes maketh the man, then do the passengers on the plane define the destination?
I'm not exactly Miss Jetsetter, and my travels have mostly been confined to within Asia. That said, the fellow passengers on my past flights haven't been as distinctive as those who are travelling with me to Bali.
There's a certain holistic aura about them. Drawstring pants; flowers in their hair... we all look set for our resort paradise. Holistic hippies. I'm loving this flight."
Febri's Hotel at Kuta was only a five minute ride from the airport. Our hotel, though smallish, was brilliant with its hospitality. I liked coming back to flowers on my bed, and the smiling staff. I could imagine snuggling up on the window-side couch with my novel, but it never did happen. Neither did our plans to have a room service breakfast on the balcony.
We set off for a quick jaunt around the Kuta area. Verdict? Extremely touristy. We purchased a tour package to Ubud and Tanah Lot for the next day from the very jovial Andy and Monkey. Ken was bizarrely happy to see Sogo, and our first Balinese dinner of ayam panggang (grilled chicken) and club sandwich (Ken's a careful eater) at a streetside cafe was pretty disappointing.
13 December
So I don't exactly wake up to a spectacular view of the sea, but this is Kuta for you. We were up bright (and I do mean that for the sun rises at 6 a.m. in Bali) and early for our tour around Ubud.
Our guide, Newman, turned towards us in the car and said, "You look happy. Slept well?"
We laughed and replied, "Not enough sleep!'
"Honeymoon?" he probed, and with a crook of his eyebrow, I understood what he was driving at.
"NOOO!" we protested.
We are not a couple, and we so didn't have sex. It was amusingly mortifying.
Our first stop was to watch the Barong and Keris dance. It is, in short, a story about the never-ending battle between good and evil. I liked it that the good didn't expectedly triumph. Like Andy said, the Balinese believe that good and evil co-exist side by side. They believe in good, but they also respect the evil. It's very yin and yang.
Here we are at the batik-making establishment.
Checked out the wood-carving and silver and gold villages as well, and I got myself an original Balinese oil painting at one of the painter's gallery. Funny, buying my first piece of art wasn't quite the life-changing moment I'd imagined. Then again, it could be because I was semi-coerced into buying it. I actually had my eye on this very "hooga shaga" piece.
I'd like to think they are doing a sun dance, but they are probably doing a dance for rain, for the crops. It costs USD200 though, and I had to be prepared to go very very hungry if I were to get my hands on it. At the owner's persuasian/insistence, I got myself one of a mosaic sunset instead. It is pretty, really. I'm just gonna have to cultivate some sort of spiritual bond with it.
The Balinese are extremely particular about temple regulations, and only a couple of the countless temples on the island are open to the public. Check out the shot with the funky old lady.
This is the Monkey Forest in Ubud. The monkeys here are supposedly less aggressive than the ones in the other monkey forest on another part of the island. See the yellow umbrella in front of the tree (second picture)? Balinese believe that an umbrella, or a sarong, means that the tree is inhabited by people from the other world. In fact, according to our guide Newman, the Balinese actually marry spirits.
Lunch with a view. A quick fuel-stop for lunch.
And this, is Ubud Market, the first stop on my spiral towards bankruptcy. It reminds me alot of Bangkok's Chatuchak Market, 'cept that it is a lot smaller and less crowded.
Ken caught my bargaining prowess in action. Yes, I can be a cold, calculating shopper, but I'm also nice. See, the shopkeeper and I made up in the end.
The gorgeous view of rice terraces at Tegalalang.
Finally, we arrived at Tanah Lot to catch a glimpse of the famous sunset view. The place was thronged with tourists waiting to watch, to borrow the words from Cafe del Mar, God's own cinema. We were lucky for it was temple festival day, so we also got to see the long procession of locals bearing offerings.
I felt incredibly small, as I always do looking out to sea (and I don't mean Sentosa).
And finally, after almost eight hours of sight-seeing (and some shopping), we called it a day. That's us with our driver in white (gosh, I can't remember his name) and Newman.
23:00 hrs
Hotel room
"I can't quite remember what it was about Bali that had me pining for another visit the past four years. This second trip has made me realise just how sheltered in Nusa Dua I was back in 2002!
Today's tour definitely showed me a different side of Bali. Today, I saw not the facet of sun, sand and surf, but that of its art and cultural heart. While only slightly less touristy as compared to Kuta, Ubud exuded an enchanting bohemian vibe. Art galleries and quirky cafes dotted narrow streets, and self-proclaimed villas were everywhere.
I am inspired to take a sabbatical a couple of years later. Put myself up in one of the home-stays or quaint cottages and take painting lessons; or perhaps take a yoga course in Denpasar. That would be therapeutic. Or I could simply shack up at Kuta once more, but place less emphasis on shopping.
My waning energy levels spiked the minute I stepped foot into Ubud Market, and I blew over S$80 in an hour. Guess I'm not quite the alternative traveller I'd have liked to think of myself as. It is kinda disappointing to be so stereotypically female, but I'm not sorry. It'd be tough though to be a proper travel journalist if I can't even take a holiday without shopping.
When I return the next time round, I will take it slow."
14 December
Took a quick walk through Dynasty Hotel to Tuban Beach. It was low tide, and the shore was filled with a million crab holes and scuttering crabs of various sizes. I felt really guilty about wrecking the holes they have painstakingly dug, but there was no other way through to Kuta Beach.
The waters were clear, but littered with driftwood and fallen leaves. What was really heartwarming though was the sight of the locals working together to clear the beach. Their beach.
I succumbed myself to four hours of bliss being kneaded and pampered for, get this, S$56. It was extremely tempting to continue lazing in the sun after, but I was also impatient to do abit of exploring. And the rest of the evening and night was burnt zipping in and out of boutiques, as well as checking out Hard Rock Cafe.
Can I just say, the changing rooms in the boutiques are extremely spacious and well-designed. And, my biggest splurge this holiday is this RipCurl bikini. It's actually turquoise and not as green as it looks under the warm hotel room lights. S$59. Sure beats getting it in Singapore, no?
15 December
I took a time-out and spent my morning by the pool with my novel. It is the supposed rainy season in Bali but we've been blessed with warm sunny days this whole trip, so that's something to be thankful about.
Visited the nearby Discovery Shopping Mall for a bit of last minute shopping, and it still astounds me to be able to step out of the mall and straight onto the sand. It's wonderful. Kinda how Hawaii will be like I imagine. Bowed out of shopping after my wallet began to feel suspiciously light and I left Ken to his hunt for boardshorts while I retreated to a cafe.
14:14 hrs
Daily Bread Bakery Cafe
"I'd been itching for a visit ever since we passed it on our first night. Daily Bread Bakery Cafe. Who could resist a name like that? It sounds so wholesome and organic, kinda like Bali's answer to Cedele.
And so here I am, alone in the cafe, seeking refuge from the hsutle and bustle of shopping. It's interesting how I feel so comfortable and self-assured with my solitude, despite the people milling around and curious cats peeking in.
Going abroad is synonymous with anonymity, and I like it. It's a little twisted I know, me feeling all unknown and mighty here in Bali, when I am equally unknown back in Singapore. But I remember reading somewhere that being abroad encourages one to break out of set routines and moulds to do what one will usually not do on home turf. It's weird, but true.
Travelling is a liberation of routine."
Paradise isn't exactly how I'd remembered it to be, which is kinda tough for the Bali in my memories was one of perpetual sunsets, and that is scientifically impossible.
The Bali I have experienced is a tourist mecca. Touters line the streets and the flea markets aren't much different from those in Thailand, albeit quieter and less grand. In fact, with its messy streets and persistent stall owners, Bali kinda resembles Thailand.
Perhaps my virgin Bali trip in 2002 built some misconceptions about paradise. Or perhaps the 16-year-old me was not well-travelled enough to be jaded. That said, Bali still holds its allure.
The smell of the sea the moment I step out of the airport. The Balinese hospitality (that definitely beats the Land of Smiles). The intangible culture. The piousness of the locals, and their emphasis on religion. I still cannot understand how the bombers could bear to lay their hands, twice, on such holy land.
Tainted paradise, I will be back.
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