27/02/2015
A Letter from Mrs Lenny from Wauchope Travel Australia
Bali for the beginner.....
Are you one of the seemingly few people that haven’t yet been to Bali?
Amongst the crowds of dedicated Bali visitors who have been there more times than they can remember, and preach avidly on the virtues of a seemingly ideal holiday, there are still a minority of stalwart , decisive “I have no interest in Bali- have no desire to go there!” people.
Well,I put my hand up as definitely being one of those people! I can’t really put my finger on exactly why I held this belief so strongly. It wasn’t just a casual “not on the top of my list of places”, it actually had some kind of “mystical” aspect to it. I’m not sure why I felt so strongly about it.
Was it the Schapelle Corby incident of harsh punishment on what appeared to be an
innocent young traveller? Was it the Bali bombing of so many innocent people so close to home? Was it the Bali Belly horror stories that seemed to spread as fast and dramatically as any good urban myth? Well, I dare say my aversion to all things Bali hasbeen tainted over the years with these thoughts.
With all these ingrained, negative thoughts swirling in my head, somehow I was persuaded by a Bali veteran to try it out...Just for the weekend. Well, I thought, that’s probably ok. I guess I’ll cope!
I do admit when arriving into Denpasar airport and standing at the baggage carousel awaiting the luggage, I did have an anxious moment. It seemed to take forever for the carousel to move and the bags to come out. I had visions in my head of Balinese police dragging me away after finding some kind of contraband in my suitcase (obviously placed there by some evil drug lord!). In actual fact there was obviously no cause for concern and soon enough the luggage arrived and we were on our way.
It was dark when we arrived in Kuta and as I dragged my unnecessarily over packed suitcase to my room, I purposely repeated the Mantra: “Do not make any judgement...do not make any judgement”. Especially as the pungent smell of tropical, steamy Bali surrounded me and the little geckos raced hurriedly away after being disturbed... The hotel roomhowever was a very welcomed air-conditioned sanctuary.
Surprisingly after a few moments of realisation that I was actually in Bali, the adrenal kicked in and I found a renewed level of excitement. It was now nearly 10pm and for some reason I felt compelled to cross the road from our centrally located Kuta Hotel and make my first Bali purchase! Seriously, that late at night and I’m shopping! Ha! And it was fun! Well, I was going to need some suitable lightweight clothing for this weekend adventure. The humidity was thick, even this late at night.
After returning with my super trendy Bali jumpsuit bought from the back of an oven –like street stall, it was straight to the frangipani surrounded pool for a late night dip. The water was as warm as a luxurious bath. Ahhh, just a lovely, relaxing end to my first day in a place I never wanted to go.
As it turns out, because of the time difference between Australia and Bali, it means your body clock is naturally set to have you up bright and early. Another quick swim before breakfast is just divine as with the bonus of daylight, you can now see the frangipanis in their full glory and the surrounding Balinese architecture just re-enforces the fact that even though you have not long left Australian shores behind, you are most definitely in a completely alternate reality.
So only having less than 48 hours to experience as much of Bali as we can, it was off to the countryside with our private driver and guide for the day. As we drove towards the scenic village of Ubud, we passed through many little villages and as our guide “Nana” explained, each village has their own speciality. One will be stone carvings and statues, one will be woodwork and carvings, and onewill be mosaics with colourful tiles covering all manner of dishes, vases and ornaments. It was like taking a journey through an arts and crafts paradise!
Our driver/guide Nana (yes that is his name- well actually it’s his nickname, but he doesn’t seem to quite understand the humour behind us calling a Balinese man “Nana”)
In Ubud we attempt some shopping at the markets, although I am sure the stall holders could sense “first-time” shoppers and prices went up accordingly. Still it was a bit of fun and the sights of the markets and the bartering with the stall holders was worth the small addition we paid.
The visit to the Monkey forest was, in hindsight, maybe not for the faint-hearted. I guess if you can walk through the paths leading around the forest,statues and temples and laugh at the antics of these crazy little monkeys, then it is a fun, quick way to see something that you just don’t see every day. However be warned..Keep everything you have close by, especially sunglasses, water bottles and hats. Some of these “little blighters” will take you on! And don’t be fooled by the cute little baby monkey...there is always a big cranky daddy monkey ready to make his presence felt!
Continuing on our “Bali for the weekend” adventure, westopped for an amazing photo opportunity overlooking rice paddy fields and our guide explained the process of rice growing and cultivating. There was also the visit to the Luwac coffee plantation. This is a very interesting look into how some of the most expensive and bizarrely produced coffee is made. I don’t want to give too much away, but the do affectionaly call it “cat-poo coffee”. Maybe you have to just experience that one for yourself!
Lunch was an interesting experience. As we sat on the beach at Sanur with sand under our feet and tropical foliage above us having our hair braided, we ate the most delicious Balinese lunch and enjoyed the passing parade of tourists as they did what could best be described as the dance of the “you buy from me”- sidestep.
The afternoon was filled with home wares shopping at the Geneva store, a Mecca for all things Balinese, and the set prices were very good value and a nice respite from the bargaining that has so far surrounded us.
And what better way to finish up a day of sights and shopping than a relaxing manicure and foot massage in a big comfy chair in air-conditioned comfort. Aaahhhhh.....
As the sun sets over a tropical Balinese Horizon we cruise from Benoa Harbour with Bali Hai cruises. With all the trimmings from an obviously slick operator, we were photographed with a gorgeous Balinese dancer in full costume, given a refreshing punch drink and a frangipani lay and boarded onto a large and well appointed catamaran for a cruise that takes in the sights of the harbour and the beautiful Balinese sunset. The buffet meal is quite adequate and the evening show following the sunset is partly cultural, partly tacky drag queen, partly muscle clad warrior showing off. Funny and entertaining and an interesting insight into the unusual mix of night-time opportunities that co-exist in Bali.
Having a “free day” in Bali is soon filled with more shopping – Ketuts fixed price clothes shop gives the opportunity to purchase so much so cheaply. You can of course go out and bargain as hard and as much as you like at hundreds of roadside market stalls, but this is maybe a slightly more civilised way of shopping. Even if that means rifling your way through big black plastic bags of clothes to find what you want.Its great value, and the free bottles of cold water I am sure entice you stay just that little bit longer.
I have to admit that one of my favourite shopping experiences in Bali was buying DVD’s. As you sit in a Bar/restaurant and await your dinner to arrive, a local will bring you a bag full of DVD’s. You just go through piles and piles of them and choose out what you want. If you can’t see what you want, then just ask. He’ll disappear for a short time and come back with a further selection for you. It’s fascinating and entertaining all at the same time.
As our time in Bali quickly came to an end, I sat in a local bar/restaurant – with my newly purchased DVD collection and delicious selection of Satay Sticks and contemplated my revised view of this previously miss-judged destination. The people we had met and interacted with, the stunning countryside that we only really glimpsed, the arts and crafts of some obviouslyvery talented people, the delicious variety and flavours of food and dining options, the great value shopping , make me think I’m really starting to “get-it”. I might just need another trip back to Bali, just to make sure!
My best piece of advice for first time travellers would be to take on the challenge by a well meaning, insistent Bali loving friend and go with them. The advice and knowledge they will be more than happy to share with you will be invaluable and will soon have you no doubt, caught up in the mystique of Bali.
