Selamat Datang Di Bali

Bali – The Prologue

“chak ke-chak ke-chak ke-chak”

The chants that had begun as a hum rose to a crescendo. We watched entranced as the bare chested men swayed their upper bodies rhythmically to the beat. The coconut oil lamp, set in the middle of the stage, flickered in glee. The orange glow of the setting sun smeared the sky with a gory hue as Sita fainted in the evil clutches of Ravana, the King of Demons. The spotlights illuminating Uluwatu’s ramparts glistened on Ravana’s specter as he bared his teeth in a demonic grin. The Kecak performance had reached its high point as we realized our Bali trip too had reached its climax.

Our Bali Plan

We had planned an innocuous getaway to the South East Asian island of Bali as a breather after a prolonged gap. All we had planned for was five peaceful days amidst the sun and sea with an eclectic mix of activities thrown in to act as a welcoming relief. Surprisingly this little holiday of ours turned into one of the most remarkable experience we ever had and left us wishing it would never end.
A big Thank You to Maithilee and the Wanderer’s team for helping us out with such a fabulous itinerary.

The Arrival

We landed in the Denpasar International terminal in Bali on a balmy June afternoon. As we walked through its ornate gateways, we were greeted with a wide grin from, Sentanu, our tour guide, and we knew we were home. He bundled us into the waiting taxi and grinned mischievously at us to find out if we were ready to taste Bali already. As we looked on curiously, we made our first pit stop at a café serving Kopi Luwak.

Kopi Luwak – The Civet Coffee

Luwak in Balinese, refers to the Asian Palm Civet, a medium-sized mammal that is native to south and south-east Asian region. It appears that these little beings are particularly fond of coffee cherries in their diet. Once eaten the seeds are fermented within the Civet’s digestive system. The seeds however remain undigested and are collected once the animal defecates. These are then processed and ground and are made into one of the strongest and most expensive Coffee – The Civet Coffee.

As we sipped in the strong beverage, the thought of the captured animals looking at us with glassy eyes bemoaning their confined conditions blurred its taste. As if reading our minds, Sentanu offered a quick diversion- A ride on the famous Bali Swing.

The Swing

The Swing was undoubtedly a liberating experience. It helped open up my vocal chords, quelled my daughter’s fear of heights and gave us a fantastic view of a deep gorge lying hundreds of feet below us. It is like any other normal Swing except you are tightly secured with some severe contraptions. The belt is pulled back several feet up and then released to allow the swing to go on its own trip.

There are two seaters as well as single seaters. We had opted for the two seaters as I thought my 12 year-old would be better-off that way. However, as the belt was released with a “Twang” I realized it was me who needed her support more, rather than the other way round. In other words, if you are a beginner to Bungee Jumping this could be a good practice session for you. Nevertheless, it was a whole lot of fun and left us both dizzy with exhilaration. It came at a whopping 300,00 IDR ($21) for two people, a bit expensive according to Bali standards, but I would say, it was a price worth paying.

Ubud, Bali

Our first night in Bali, and the following one too, was spent in Ubud. Located in the Bali uplands, Ubud is an exquisite town anointed with lush green rice paddy fields set in the midst of deep ravines. Steeped in Balinese art and culture, the town puts up an exquisite display of it in every nook and corner. Every wall of this beautiful town is a piece of sculpture. Every door an exquisite art proclaiming its heritage loud and clear.

Our stay in Alaya Ubud, the epitome of comfort and luxury was relaxing and comfortable to say the least. Friendly people, comfortable accommodations, excellent cuisine and fantastic facilities made our stay in Ubud a memory to cherish for long.

We took a cycling tour to traverse the remote villages in and around Ubud town and were mesmerized by the simplicity reflecting in their everyday life. Green Paddy fields bordering the path we rode on glistened with the freshness of a rich harvest. We inhaled deeply to fill our lungs. We pedaled till our calf muscles tingled with energy and regaled in the varied vistas that sprawled out before us. It was a day well-spent.

When Culture Seranades – Barong and Kecak Dance performance of Bali

Bali is purely for the romantics. There is music in every heart you meet and art in every turn you take. To turn on the rhythm a notch higher, we partook the pleasures of two fabulous forms of dance performances, the Barong and Kecak. Both have a deep historical significance with the culture of Bali. However, it is just enough if you ignore everything else and immerse yourself in the performances unfolding before you.

Barong is a mythical character representing the power of good. It symbolizes all that is good, strong and true in our human nature and which helps us fight the evil in the world. The flamboyantly colourful costumes, the nubile movements of the dancers and the soulful music filled our hearts. We sat enchanted as the soft notes of the Suling, an Indonesian bamboo flute, spread through our senses just like the mellow perfume of the Frangipani blossoms pressed behind our ears.

The Kecak performance, however, helped transcend us into a totally different world altogether. Staged in an ampitheatre in the Uluwatu temple, it was a surreal experience to say the least.

Uluwatu Temple, Bali

Located in the Bukit Peninsula in Bali, set atop a 70-meter-high cliff edge (Ulu) that provides a sharp drop into the Indian Ocean (water meaning Watu) lashing hungrily at its foot, The Uluwatu temple is a dream you would not want to miss. It is considered as one of the 6 holy places in Bali and is a Pura or a Balinese Hindu Sea Temple.

Steps carved out on the face of the cliff take you up and around the Temple that provides a fantastic view of the sea below. As the balmy sprinkle from the ocean moistened our faces, we trudged on holding on to our things to keep them safe from the marauding army of monkeys hanging around the place. Make sure you do not have any eatables as you are sure to be loaded with a lot of attention if you do.

Navigating our way through the troops of Macaque hovering over us precariously, we finally found our seats in the ampitheatre to enjoy the evening’s star highlight, the Kecak dance performance.

Based on the Ramayana, it narrated the part where Sita is captured by Ravana and how Rama, the brave prince fights the demon king to rescue his wife. The dancers brought the epic alive through their performance. However, the one who stole the show was undoubtedly Hanuman, the monkey god. He jumped from the walls, skidded down the banisters, moved around the crowd taking selfies and won over hearts effortlessly. His agility spoke volumes about the dedication these performers put behind every performance. The singers, almost 70 of them, performed with equal gusto through the entire duration of the show.  As Kecak has no other music than the chants of the singers, a lot therefore depends on their vocal rendition. That is what makes the show unique and enthralling. We were so engrossed in the antics that time slipped by unannounced. The Sun bid its last goodbye to the world and the sky turned a deep amber.

The lamps blazed on as Hanuman pranced around on the hot embers when his tail was set ablaze to teach him a lesson. The crowd burst out in applause. We felt a sudden warmth spread through us. Was it the heat from the fire or pride that swelled in our hearts as we witnessed the World raising a toast to an Epic, one of the greatest, that traced its origin back to our own soil? Probably the latter.

Sea Food Dinner – Jimbaran Beach, Bali

The night ended on another sublime note as we drove down the Jimbaran beach to savour some delectable sea food fare. Located on Bali’s southwestern coast, the Jimbaran Beach stretches along the strip of slim isthmus that connects the Bali Mainland and Bukit Peninsula. It is dotted with resorts and restaurants each offering scrumptious sea food cuisines. The best part being most of these restaurants are located bang on the beach with no excuse for you to miss the sea while digging into your food.

So we flung aside our slippers, dug our feet deep into the cool sand, took a deep breath to fill our lungs with the salty air and got cracking on the crabs lying spread-eagled in front of us. The Oyesters were lip smacking, the squids were cooked just right and the special sweet soya dip it came with made it all the more delicious.

Sated with good food and feelings we were already looking forward to our next stop in Bali.

Mount Batur – The Sleepy Dragon

We started off from Ubud towards yet another exotic location.  Mount Batur, one of the famous volcanoes in Bali. Batur had first erupted in 1804. It’s last eruption was recorded in 2000. As there has been no known eruptions, unlike its more active brother Agung, Mount Batur is considered to be safe for tourists to venture into. In fact, trekking trips are also organized if you are interested. We were interested indeed, but unfortunately realized that we had to provide prior intimation to get guides and make other arrangements. However, we decided to keep something for next time as we are pretty sure there will be a next time.

It was the first time we were actually looking up at a real volcano. So just being close to it gave us the goosebumps. We gazed up at its massive structure and dived into the hot spring located at its base which was deliciously warm and refreshing.

Nusa Dua, Bali – Where the Sea Meets the Sky

Finally, it was time for the sea to take over completely. We stashed our bags at the Grand Mirage Resort, Bali, eased into our costumes and dived into the cool sea waters. The water was shockingly cold but felt good after some time. My daughter being a natural water baby took to it immediately. It was difficult getting her out of it.

Located in the Southern part of Bali, this stretch of coastline is strung with a long row of upscale hotels and resorts. Our mornings were spent in the sea and the evenings were spent strolling the streets checking out the varied restaurants lining them. Each restaurant had its unique cuisine and there is something that will cater to every palate.

We had seen what we had to see above the sea. Now we needed to see what lay beneath it. So we donned the sea walker’s gear and treaded gently on the sea bed marveling at the whole new world that unfolded before us. We had seen it in Discovery Channel Shows but seeing it playing out in front of you is something completely out of this world.  

Bali is rich in water activities. Seek out a good agency and dive right in. You will be amazed at the possibilities you had never imagined you were capable of.

Departure Pangs

It seemed as if our days in Bali had come to an end all of a sudden. Before we knew it we were standing before the departure gates our bags were packed with memories, our lips still savouring the last remnants of the Nasi Goreng we had just cleaned off the plates and our hearts overflowing with a longing so deep we didn’t think we could see the end of the abyss.
However, we wish to return soon again because in Bali goodbyes are a misnomer.