Saturday

Bali: Isle of Gods (1)







Lush and tropical, Bali is rich in traditions of spirituality; where the ancient Hindu culture blends seamlessly with nature and daily life. 

I had no expectations of Bali, but the serenity in some places was startling, for us city folks. We spent an afternoon at Biku, a place run by members of the royal family of Ubud. This restaurant occupies a 250yr old hand-carved wooden house from Java, and is located amidst rich green paddy fields. We were there for lunch followed by high tea, a wet rainy afternoon, cocooned in tranquillity; this day was an education in local and international leaves. The brew is served with Ritz-worthy finesse and is accompanied by strawberries and cream, scones, finger sandwiches, and homemade cakes and pies. A corner of the restaurant is occupied by Ganesha Bookshop, which has a fine selection of page-turners for the beach. Not complaining about the serenity, come evening we were kinda restless for some much needed distractions. 

The best beaches in Bali are in Kuta, Jimbaran, and the Bukit Peninsula. Kuta is particularly busy,we didn’t spend no time there. We dropped anchor at Jimbaran: great sand, no big crowds, an uninterrupted breath-taking sea view, private space to relax and unwind. Most of Bali’s lovely beaches are good for swimming, surfing, or just lounging on the sand. The hotels and villages are responsible for their heritage and hence one sees them provide daily clean up and grooming of beaches.

The quality of a beach changes drastically between seasons, depending on the location of the beach and the direction it faces. Our hotel beach was rocky, but about 50 meters away towards the beach cafes, it was heaven. The barbecue restaurants are great at night for simple non fussy food with the pleasure of toe diving in the sand.
Hospitality is an integral part of the Balinese culture and religion. Everywhere you go, you are made most welcome and most special. It is so geared to tourism. Lines of shaded trees along the roads, a stretch of beach for sunbathing, a strip of shops for shopping, a variety of  restaurants for wining and dining, the options are endless.

We visited a buzzing market place, teaming with people selling their wares. The smell of petrol fumes and cooking meat was thick in the air and it reminded me a little of China town in KL. We kept our money firmly in our pockets and didn't take our hands off it. Our driver insisted we try what he had bought for us once we were back in the car. A Balinesian speciality: rice with brown sugar and honey cooked until brown. With syrup drizzled all over it, in a banana leaf and served with a spoon made from the same leaf! The taste was lush.

Another food that is worth mentioning  (for the uninitiated)  is the Kue Lapis, basically a multi-layered cake which is meticulously made by hand in Bali by first, spreading a very thin layer of cake mixture recipe onto the baking pan. This is then placed in the oven and carefully baked under low heat until it solidifies. Then, another equally thin mixture made of a different flavor is spread over the first layer. The baking pan containing 2 layers is again placed into the oven under low heat. Once it solidifies, a 3rd layer is added. This process is slowly and painfully repeated for about 20 times until you get the Bali Lapis Legit — The Layered Cake. The taste is heavenly.  Smooth textured combined with pure decadence. Gotta indulge in small portions to slowly enjoy it’s full impact.

We celebrated the birthday in a classy Australian restobar which has maintained its status as the island's most glamorous spots. What a dramatically spotlighted bar, private pavilions, terraces, waterside deck, an eclectic cigar menu, an interesting wine list with selections from California, Chile, France, Italy, and New Zealand to complement the Australian vintages - a swanky private club if you will. SO, if , you want to people-watch while dinnering, this is the place to be, when the blondest, tannest crowd west of the Santa Monica Pier gathers at Kur.

During our daily wanderings, we saw some Balinese music,  an art gallery or two, plenty of typical tourist souvenirs on sale, genuine creativity amidst wood carvers. In our limited experience, the Balinese dont seem as effusive as the Indians or Sri Lankans, who merrily will cross the street with a big smile just to say hello, or pose for a picture etc.  But when you do connect with a Balinese person, the connection is strong and meaningful.  We befriended Lina, a quiet young man who worked at our hotel, and when it was time for us to leave, he spent the entire day with us traveling to our next destination, on his only day off for the week, at no extra charge, with no ulterior motive.  When we suggested that he might want to do something more fun on his day off, he responded that he would prefer to spend some more time with us, his new friends.  We were touched.

A few sub notes  - an admission if you will. It took me to reach Bali to realize how rice is farmed. A tour of the rice paddies around the Tea Garden made me feel so ignorant. Whilst I’ve seen lots of pictures of rice paddies, I never knew exactly how it was grown, and was amazed that rice grows like a wheat sheaf, with approx. ten grains of rice from each sheaf.  Picking can only be done by hand, and I was amazed at how labour intensive rice farming is.

A heads up if you will: Bali people do NOT believe in air-conditioning. Am all for natural living but hell, it’s hot and bothersome there!  So many restaurants, bars and nightclubs but no ac, at most a fan. Not a comfy situation.  

16 comments:

melinda said...

I loved it!!! And with the *(1) I am waiting for more delightful stories. Give it to me babayyy!!!:DD

sheila said...

This layered cake sounds a lot like Bebinca:DDD...Since I cannot afford Bali for now, maybe Goa will do happily for now:)) Lovely post Mee

Jim said...

Terima kasih Mee. Lovely capture! I'd have to agree completely with your post and ad that it’s really not possible to describe just how shatteringly beautiful the scenery is in Bali. I have been trekking and cycling mostly from Java to this end, the lungs and heart swell with such natural splendour.

Mike said...

Mee, you must make a trip next time to Northern Bali. I was completely punch-drunk from the beauty of it all. Every time I thought it couldn’t do any better, I’d turn a corner and it would. Who needs beaches and barbecues. Bali’s northern beauty goes beyond anything I’ve ever seen. And all you need to find is a $4 scooter. Bali, terima kasih.

Mystuff said...

As I read ur blog I feel as if I'm in Bali can imagine the restaraunt and cake. The way you have defined that cake is awesome. I just can't wait to go there and taste it myself...
Don't know how delicious that cake was but this post has made it worth checking :))))

R Niranjan Das said...

Thats a lovely aticle on Bali. Nice photos too.

www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

Anon said...

My time in Bali this trip was nothing short of magical.

I discovered new dimensions of my own heart and soul, and in many ways, I feel I became more of a woman during this trip. Being surrounded by 17 amazing souls from around the world made me step up my game. Each of them was a God or Goddess in their own right and I was honored to be their yoga river guide.
Dshama Kona, yoga teacher

Anon said...

People say that bargaining in Bali is a necessity, and it is. At first I was a little hesitant to bargain for a taxi and souvenirs. my friends even bribed a poilice officer from sentencing him for 4 months in prison because he went half a foot over a white line at a stop light. Bargaining is a huge part of their culture, and they have gotten used to foreigners bargaining with them. However, that being said, they still take full advantage of the fact that you are a foreigner and that you have no idea what price you should be bargaining for. One time at a flea market in Seminyak, I wanted to get two bintang towels and two singlets and her offering price was 700,000 rupiah (which is about $73 USD). After a lot of bargaining, I got the price down to 140,000 rupiah

Jhanah Young

Shweta said...

Imagine yourself leaning back, feet propped up, sipping on a delicious cocktail while watching a beautiful, colorful sunset over the glistening ocean. Grooving tunes fill the air, you deeply breathe in the fresh smell of the ocean and find yourself melting further into your comfortable daybed. You feel like you could stay there forever. Yes. Tats beautiful Bali. And my lovly, you've posted a lovely post on Bali:DD

One of my happy places in the world and it’s exactly how I feel when we visit our favorite venues in blissful Bali.

Anon said...

Fantastic stuff.. Loved it!
Preetham

Anon said...

Great post as usual M! Great to see that you have written a longer post this time - gives us rich info. about the place!

By the way - what is that syrupy rice dish with honey and brown sugar that you mention called?

Ajoy

Anon said...

Always a treat
Missed the pics though
Ani

RavneetSingh said...

Hey didn't you guys visit the local arts crafts and temples of Bali? No mention here?

sanjiv said...

2yrs ago we visited Bali during New Year time. Was a terrible experience. Packed to the gills with tourists, everything was double if not 3times the rate, roads were badly traffucked like Bombay during peak hours, unholy mess! Highly forgettable

weisel said...

very cool blog like u jus wana b ther!!

Hai Baji said...

I liked your post.I liked the photos too.Thanks a lot for sharing the post.Its really nice post.Bus Ticket Booking just a click away.