I have often been asked the question by first-timers to Bali as to the prevalence of things that slither and bite, crawl and bite, or even look downright ferocious. Great news – there are snakes in Bali and only a few of the species are poisonous, in fact about six species. That’s not many compared to Australia or other parts of the world. You will often see on your travels some of the locals offering to let you have a photo taken with their pet 20 foot Python or allow you to play with their pet hairy spider that just happens to be the size of a dinner plate whilst some grinning local snaps away with a polaroid camera. Staying calm in these kind of situations for the normal person is somewhat impossible and generally entails a shriek or a loud scream from the holder of the said animal and of course invoking all manner of laughter from the locals. In general these ‘pets’ are pretty cool and are used to being manhandled and mauled by some freaked-out tourist. But, what will you do if confronted out in the countryside by an inconsiderate snake (according to you) that has crossed your path?.
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There is one thing that I encourage all visitors to Bali to do is witness a cremation. Culturally and spiritually inspirational, Balinese cremations are a colourful and, depending on the caste level, an extravaganza to rival any funeral in the world. Naturally, over the decades I have seen many but I was fortunate in the late 80’s to see preparations and then the whole funeral procession and subsequent cremation of a person of Brahma lineage. Respect for and worship of God and ancestors is the basis of the Balinese religion. The combination of Hindu elements makes the whole process a moving experience and one that is not to be missed.
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I am always on the lookout for a good warung or restaurant that serves delicious cuisine wherever I travel in the archipelago and on my last sojourn to Bali, I discovered a great place. Sheppy’s restaurant is located on Jalan Melasti in Legian and I must have passed this place many times but never really noticed it. Across the road from the traditional markets, Sheppy’s is owned by an Australian and offers not only excellent food, but great service from a friendly staff. I particularly liked Sheppy’s because of its openness to the street making it a nice to place to people-watch, enjoy a meal or just a drink. The restaurant is very clean and one thing that really impressed me was the toilet. It was super-duper clean and not like you find in many places on the island of Bali. Candika and I ate at Sheppy’s many times after discovering the place and each time I was definitely not disappointed. The menu far is a good selection of Indonesia and western foods, all cooked to perfection and reasonably priced.
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There are several main cultural events in Bali that draw the crowds. For instance, the Bali Arts Festival, the Writer’s Festival to mention a few, but it is the Bali Kite Festival that is appreciated by young and old, whether they be international tourists or domestic tourists. The annual international Kite Festival is held in July at Padang Galak area of Sanur Beach and attracts competitors worldwide. Actually, the event is a seasonal religious festival intended to send a message to the Hindu Gods to create abundant crops and harvests. These giant and colourful kites …
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Unfortunately, I was robbed last week and my wallet expertly removed from my person. And, this was in Australia!. When I reflected back on my misfortune having lost quite a bit of money, bank cards and the ilk, I realised that in all the years I have travelled throughout the archipelago of Indonesia I never had anything stolen from me. That doesn’t mean that I was untouchable. On the contrary, there have been some sticky situations. I nearly had my shoulder bag ripped from my shoulder by a passing and speeding motorbike rider in Sumatra, lost my passport (I thought it was stolen) in Yogyakarta but one of the locals who was walking behind me picked it up off the pavement returning it to me, and there was a case of bumping into a group of rather mean-looking bikers in Semarang late one night who I thought were going to mug me for sure but as it turned out, they just wanted a chat. In Bali, I did fall foul to a scrupulous money-changer but that was soon resolved by tourist police intervention.
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Pretty much over the decades I have seen and explored Bali to the max. On my travels there are those places that have re-visited and been disappointed mainly because of the ‘overkill’, due to the mass tourism that exists now on the island, where tourists and travellers alike are being charged ridiculous prices for entry fees and then getting hassled non-stop by persistent hawkers. And, there are those beautiful, quiet places that were gems to find and these were generally off the so-called tourist track and now, as I am led to believe, are also being included on tour itineraries. So, I decided to put together a few gems that maybe some of you have already seen, but if you haven’t, then it will give you something to look forward to on your next sojourn.
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More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and, as they travel, are also aware of their carbon footprint. But it is not only this that we have to take into consideration. Ecotourism is an excellent alternative to the mass tourism that exists now in Bali and therefore we should look to utilising the resources of the locals when we choose where to travel on the island, what to see and do so that the profits are fed back into the community and not into some big bosses back pocket. This can be done in several ways. Use locally owned tour operators, or better still, those independent drivers who one often sees on the streets offering day-trips around Bali. Another is to stay in the not-so-fancy hotels but instead staying in reasonable accommodation owned by the Balinese themselves.
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For as long as I can remember on my travels I have never imbibed in seafood cuisine that contained shark meat of any kind. As a scuba diver and an environmentalist, I do have a very healthy respect for these beautiful creatures. There are those that don’t considering them the scourge of the oceans. This is not to say that I haven’t had my fair amount of run-ins with them and on one particular occasion, it was almost a fatal meeting with a large Tiger Shark. Even after that I still harbor a healthy …
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As most tourists who have visited Bali and travelled to Ubud will know, there are a prolific amount of galleries and one of the most famous being the Neka Gallery, amongst others. A stroll around the side streets and gangs will provide you with the opportunity to visit other fine art galleries. When we think of art it is, more often than not, associated with paintings. But, in Ubud there are galleries that sell other artistic items such as wood carvings, jewellery, stone carvings and silver products. One such gallery for silver items is Studio Perak. This magnificent place also specialises in silver-smithing courses.
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Whenever I visit Bali more often than not I get down to Jimbaran Bay and visit the magnificent Garuda Wisnu Kencana complex. As a cultural park, it is no doubt a centre-piece of tourism in Bali The Garuda Wisnu Kencana complex, situated on a limestone hill in Jimbaran, Bali, is an integrated cultural centre with a 140 meter-high statue as its landmark. The whole complex is the brainchild of Nyoman Nuarta, a Balinese contemporary sculptor, who raised the idea in 1992. It truly is a wonderful place to wander around and now that development has progressed over the years the park has some great facilities including an exhibition centre, villas, a group of small resotrans as well as a spacious parking lot to accommodate visitors. The complex’s 140-meter monument consists of a 70 meter-tall base and a 70 meter-tall statue of the Hindu deity Wisnu (Vishnu) astride the mythical bird Garuda. When it is fully realized, the Garuda Wisnu statue will be the tallest statue in Southeast Asia. The statue is to symbolize a harmonious relationship between human beings and the natural environment, as well as the spiritual life of the Balinese people.
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