Crazy as it may seem, you can get lost in Bali. Sure, you might say it’s only a small island and you are not far from the nearest town or village, but, it does happen and I can vouch for that. Albeit a bit worrying in certain aspects it can be heaps of fun and the things you discover and see are simply amazing. For those of you that hire a driver, you will not have these kinds of adventurous problems, however, if you hire a vehicle and drive around the island then getting lost is possible. I was in the north of Bali and armed with my trusty Periplus Bali Road Atlas, the thought of getting lost was laughable. We had just finished visiting the Brama Vihara Arama Temple located near Dencarik, not far from Pengastulan. I noticed in the mapbook that there as a shortcut south to Munduk where we could connect to the main road leading to the lakes of Buyan and Tamblingan. No worries, I thought, and we set off but soon found this road narrowing and climbing when we should have been heading south.
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So often when my stomach reminds me that it is time to eat, I ponder for at least half an hour in making a decision on a destination for my choice of repast. Of course, in the main, I am never disappointed with my final choice. When I at home in Yogyakarta it is easy because I hit the street stalls of which there are many. But, in Bali one is spoilt for choice. Do I eat upmarket, warung or from the kaki lima. I was pleased to read today that a culinary map is due to be released and will be available at most places. This is an excellent idea for first-time visitors who are often bewildered by the island’s number of eateries and where to go. But, it’s not only the greenies that will benefit. Often people have said to me ‘Have you been to such-and-such a place. It’s near that other place’. Now all I have to do is look at a map!.
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When you talk about pure luxury in a resort then you can’t go past the newly opened boutique property Anantara Resort in Seminyak. This place eclipses most of those flash places in Nusa Dua. Actually the resort was designed by Anthony Liu of the TonTon architectural firm, responsible for the Bale Resort in Nusa Dua. Located on absolute prime beachfront at the end of Jl. Abimanyu, the resort has 59 suites each with plasma screen TVs, contemporary Asian-inspired furniture, broadband internet connection and spacious baths. But it is more than just another resort. The Anantara has everything you would need without even having to leave the place unless of course you wanted to cruise around the area checking out the locals. Heck, you can do that from your balcony overlooking the beach.
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A helicopter carrying tourists has been forced to make an emergency landing on the resort island of Bali. You see them all the time during the day, helicopters ferrying tourists on a bird’s eye view of the island. I have never actually had the desire to fly in one although I must admit I do harbor a desire to do so. Perhaps it’s the worry they might drop out of the sky!. It had to happen eventually and the Indonesian news website Detik.com said the Bali Air helicopter was forced to land at Lebih Beach, in Gianyar, in the island’s south east about noon local time today. It wasn’t a helicopter crash but only an emergency landing. According to a Bali police spokesman AS Reniban said the five passengers, thought to be American and one Indonesian, escaped with only minor injuries. These were mostly bruises and suffering from shock.
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A majority of tourists that go to Bali seldom venture off the well-worn ‘tourist tours’ tracks when they go into the countryside and there are even some that never venture out of the Kuta Strip. My advice to anyone planning a trip to Bali is to find yourself a good driver (or hire a jeep) and go off these tourist tracks because you will be amazed at what you encounter. Breathtaking panoramas of astounding beauty and even remote villages that rarely see the likes of tourists or travellers. Few visitors to Bali are unaware of the natural paradises. One of my favourite places is the Bali Barat National Park and Marine Reserve. It is located on the north western side of Bali and its size is amazingly large being 10% of the island’s land area. The animal and bird life will amaze you. There is an estimated 160 species in the national park and is the refuge of the very rare and critically endangered Bali Starling.
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Bali’s major arts and culture centre, Ubud has developed a large tourism industry and is located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the island’s central foothills. The town sits centrally among a group of villages - Padang Tegal and Nyuhkuning are to the south, Peliatan and Kutuh are to the east, Campuhan, Penestenan and Sayan are to the west and Sanggingan and Kedewatan are to the north-west. There is an abundance of accommodation to suit any budget, but if you can afford to lash out a few extra bucks then there are some great value-for-money resort villas in the area. Slightly out of town is Penestenan, you will find the Waka Namya Resort and Spa - a luxury Balinese architecture with a beautiful spa treatment available for every guest staying there.
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Indonesia currently has 16 or more species on the verge of extinction. A further 30 are classified as endangered. On the critically endangered and endangered lists are the Sumatran tiger, the Bali starling, the Javanese wild dog, the orangutans of Kalimantan and Sumatra, the Sumatran gibbon and the Sumatran elephant. Some claim the number of Sumatran elephants remaining in the wild is around 1,500, while the more conservative believe 1,000 is more likely. A further 900 or so are found in Sumatra’s elephant camps; once known as elephant training centers, the camps are now called elephant conservation centers and are designed to save the species. However, these camps have become death camps for far too many elephants, according to elephant conservationist Nigel Mason of the Elephant Safari Park in Taro, Bali.
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There are literally hundreds of day trips you could embark upon on your visit to Bali, but I have always found it best to get off the main tourist routes and do some exploring. Recently I spent a few days in the north-east of the island. It is a beautiful area of Bali and less frequented by tourists but no doubt in due time, this will change. Of the three main roads heading up to Kintamani we started off my using the road direct to the village of Kertabuana and by doing so avoiding the road tax payable on the main tourist route coming out at the T-Junction near Kintamani and, all the associated hassles. That in itself is a rip-off and should be banned, but, that is my personal opinion. If you wanted to enjoy a few nights around Gunung Batur then a trip down to the base of the crater lake is one that I would recommend. (Nick and I did this a few years back and stayed in Pekalongan. From here you can get over to Trunyan [for what it’s worth, at the moment] or just chill-out and relax, hiking.)
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My favourite area in Bali would have to be in the areas to the north of Lake Bratan. Here the mountains rise from the depths of jungle terrain and rice-terraced hills, and, lakes. After visiting Danau Bratan, take a drive north to the Munduk turnoff and then head to that town. Just pass the turn-off the first delight you will encounter is Lake Buyan (the lake is located around 55 km north of Denpasar). Further on is Lake Tamblingan. These two lakes are two of the four lakes on the island of Bali which have become tourist attractions. There are areas along the Munduk road where small parking places enable you to view both the lakes. Of the two lakes, Lake Buyan is the bigger with an area of some 4.93 sq km wide.
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Arriving in Bali the transport situation may seem like like a madhouse but there are logical options to help you get around. Figuring out how to get your own transport will propel you into another reality and you’ll see another side of Bali.
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