With the not too recent executions of the Bali Bombers there is a large amount of travellers who are cautiously nervous and apprehensive about visiting Bali.
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Whenever I get a chance to get over to the island of Bali there are a few favourite places that I generally visit in the first few days to imbibe in some excellent cuisine. Kafe Batan Waru is one of them and so is Plengkung, both in Tuban. However, as a great devourer of seafood I inevitably end up going down to Jimbaran Bay for a seafood feast. The place has changed dramatically compared to the first time I went there when people used to sit on the beach in front of an open fire whilst a Balinese guy would grill the delights of the ocean as your mouth watered. Now along the length of the beachfront there is a plethora of restaurants and warungs each serving grilled seafood of numerous quality and style. Running from Kedonganan in the north to Jalan Bukit Permai in the south, diners are spoilt for choice with over fifty places.
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It was only a few weeks ago that foreign exchange markets were doing a flourishing trade and the AUD$ was up around Rp9,000 but, along came the global economic meltdown and all hell broke loose. Foreign exchange rates slumped. It is indeed a worry for those travellers who booked their holiday six months ago or more feeling confident that could go to Bali, chill out and enjoy a lot of shopping. If you are flush with cash then this may be true but a majority of tourists visiting the island are basically budget travellers out for a good and cheap holiday. Now, instead of being flash-with-the-cash and liberal in shopping it has become a matter of economising and playing it safe whilst on holidays. That is only one aspect of travelling not only to Bali but also globally.
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Burgeoning writers, published writers and those who are just lovers of literature, get your gear together and head to Ubud in a weeks time for the 2008 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. Since its beginning I have only managed to attend one of these great festivals and believe me it is well worth the visit. The creator of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival is Janet de Neefe. Who founded two restaurants (Casa Luna and Indus) in Ubud as well as the famous Casa Luna Cooking School. Janet has lived in Bali for more than 20 years. The theme of this year’s Festival is Tri Hita Karana - the Balinese concept of balancing Man, Nature, God.
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A few people have been asking on the Baliblog Forum about good and reasonably priced accommodation in Bali. Of course there are over a thousand places to choose from but at the moment with the high increase of tourists to Bali it appears this form of accommodation is at a premium. I have always stayed at the Prawita Cottages on Jalan Legian in Kuta mainly because it is a Balinese family-owned and run premises but also a friendly one. It was quite strange how Candika and I stumbled upon this place. It was in 2003 when we returned to Bali after having ten glorious and interesting years in Yogyakarta, Central Java. We stayed at a place in Seminyak at first that was owned by a friend of mine from Yogyakarta, and although it was a nice place, it was a tad expensive and far from the centre of activity. To be honest, Seminyak just wasn’t my scene. So one very hot day we started walking from Jalan Dhayana Pura and headed south checking out the various losmens and hotels along the way. By late afternoon, I was perspiring like a stuck pig at a luau and damn tired. I was just about to give up when Candika said one more and we entered the Prawita Cottages.
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Always one for a good film and especially those of other countries, I inevitably get enthused when there is a film festival on wherever I travel and starting tomorrow in Bali is the Balinale International Film Festival 2008. This will prove to be a fantastic festival with over twenty countries submitting films and I believe in all around fifty of them. Naturally, as with any cultural festival involving the arts there are workshops for those connoisseurs and film buffs alike. You can check the schedule, times and dates of films showings …
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On the road north from Bedulu towards Tampaksaring you will pass by the Museum Purbakala (worth a visit) on the right-hand side. On the left-hand side not far from there you will see the ‘Mad Buffalo Temple’ or Pura Kebo Edan. Very little is known of this temple. However, Archaeologists have approximately dated the large statue, ‘The Pejeng Giant’, as 700 years old. Urs Ramsayer wrote in his book ‘The Art and Culture of Bali’ that Pura Kebo Edan was most probably a Balinese version of the East Javanese Singosari magic temples. Interestingly these temples were built in the 12th C in Java. Containing some of the oldest statuary in Bali, one amazing and awesome example is that of a giant 3.60-meter tall figure. Quite startling is his huge phallus pierced with four pins, said to increase a woman’s sexual pleasure. Another rather unusual statue is that of a fat, crouching demon. This figure holds an inverted skull to his chest while in his curly hair is an ornament of tiny skulls.
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Without a doubt the Balinese have the best facial structures for portrait photos and, especially the children. Like most kids around the world they have their shy moments and avoid the lens like the plague, yet others are quick to pose, proudly. Then there are those that like to play games coyly as you attempt to take their photo. I remember one time up at Pura Ulu Danau Bratan I had this child’s parents in fits of laughter as their son decided to play hide-and-seek with the lens but, he really wanted his photo taken and it wasn’t until I caught him off-guard that I snapped the image. In general, you will find children will let you take their photo and you will find the parents are more than happy to allow you. If you are unsure then just ask the parents politely. Here is a few of the numerous images that I have taken over the years.
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The other day I attended a funeral of a dear friend of the family and I was happy, celebrating in the life of the deceased person and what she had ahead of her. As a practising Bhuddist this was the norm for me. But, as it was a western funeral there were tears flowing, men sobbing and the general ambience of the place, depressing. I have been to many funerals around the world and all in varying cultures, but it was this western culture with its sadness in death that blew me out. Sure, the person they loved for so many years had departed the planet but they should have been happy for this person and being celebratory in their attitude to death. There then I suppose is the difference between ancient cultures and that of the western culture with regards to death and burials.
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I have to admit then when I saw the headline of this article Coming to Bali, Bring Your ID Card, I thought to myself not more rules just to get into Bali. It’s bad enough having to pay excessive airline fees and airport charges, and, visa fees. Fortunately, when I continued reading the article it had nothing to do with westerners visiting the island. Whew! With the upcoming mass invasion of domestic tourists arriving on the island in the next week to holiday there because of the Idul Fitri celebrations and kids holidays it is only natural that officials are eager not to allow those people with another agenda on their minds entering the island. Without writing it you all know what I mean. October is not a good month for a lot of people who lost a loved one due to certain tragic events on Bali. Anyway, it’s good to see that the gateways into Bali are being covered efficiently. As the article in the Bali Discovery mentions, Tough security measures are now in place at all entry points to Bali including supplementary personnel from the police and armed forces, transportation department officials, medical teams and local community security teams.
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