Bali, Indonesia - MOJOinINDO2013

Look how happy we are!

When people think of Bali, they think of the movie, "Eat Pray Love" and prancing amongst the rice paddies in a flowing skirt while the sun kisses your skin and birds chirp. Granted, we had only stepped off the boat, but I immediately discovered that my original perception was much different from what I found upon arriving. One reason for that could be that it's not easy to describe the aura Bali has, and so many people say it's a "special place" but then skip over the details. I will explain more about the "Real" Bali later but first here's some pictures and the stories from our time on the majestic island.

Kuta Beach is a white sand stretch of about 3 kilometers (1.6 miles) which is blessed by great waves that are ideal for easy surfing. This beach is the most famous beach on the Island of Bali as it's located in the mecca of tourist activities. It is an international tourist destination because of the plethora of hotels, bars, restaurants, night clubs, souvenir shops, shopping centers, etc. 

The first night we stayed in Bali, we had a hotel booked directly across from this beach and it had a roof top pool with an amazing panoramic view on the coast! Additional bonus, was the massage hunts set up for sunset. Naturally, we put our names on the list for couples massages and enjoyed a fabulous 90 minutes of bliss.  It was a nice way to start our time on Bali.

The next morning we got up early to surf the famous Kuta swell.  It was pretty fun; easy, consistent sets. It felt great to get up on the surfboard and Jesse got out on the board too!  When we finished our surf session, the roof top pool was once again calling our name, so we had to take one last dip before finding some food.

Lunch that first day in Kuta was so good.  We found a secret garden restaurant in the heart of sweaty city life called Poppies.  We found out that they have several locations (because we ate at another location later) and it was so good!  I ordered the World Famous Poppies Pina Colada which was carved out of a coconut and served to look like a Balinese Dragon.  Jesse ordered chicken skewers served on a miniature barbecue. I would totally recommend eating at any of Poppies Restaurants if you have the chance.

We heard that Seminyak is the ritziest place in Bali, with a lot of upscale boutiques, hotels, and eateries. So, that's were we rented a house for the next 5 days of our stay on Bali.  It was quite nice; with a private pool in the court yard and a pond built into the floor in the living room. We found the house on airbnb and we were not disappointed when we arrived.  Plus, it was perfectly located to explore all the sites!

After settling into our new pad, we made a reservation to eat dinner at Potato Head. This place has a beautiful infinity pool overlooking the beach and we got there just in time for sunset. We sipped on the most delicious cocktails for about 3 hours watching the sun go down and waiting for a place to sit.  And $60 later we scored a daybed next to the pool! A word of warming, the drinks are relatively expensive (around $14 USD for a cocktail), but you are really paying for the view, atmosphere and the world class DJ's. If you go there be prepared to put your name on the wait list for a daybed... but if you turn up early, you should be ok.

Tanah Lot Temple is a pilgrimage temple, so we (along with alot of other people) decided to go there. Tanah Lot means "Land in the Sea" in the Balinese language. The actual temple sits on a large offshore rock which has been shaped continuously over the years by the ocean tide. Tanah Lot is claimed to be the work of a 15th-century priest and is one of seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. Each of the sea temples were established within eyesight of the next to form a chain along the south-western coast. At the base of the rocky island, poisonous sea snakes are believed to guard the temple from evil spirits and intruders. We paid to see the holy snake.  Then we paid to be sprinkled with the holy water.  After that we paid to have the holy rice pressed into our foreheads... in the end, I thought it was a nice experience, but I just wanted to get back into the air conditioning, because it was HOLY HOT on that rock!

Holy Snake is hard to see, but he's there...

Traditional Balinese Dance Performance: On the island of Bali, you'll find a Hindu enclave in the Muslim majority nation of Indonesia. We quickly realized the strong presence of Hinduism when we arrived.  As Mira explains; the gods and spirits need regular appeasing and entertaining. That is why there were offerings of flowers laid out twice a day in tiny banana-leaf baskets.  On special occasions there are ceremonies of music and dancing at Temple Festivals. Apparently, these "special occasions" are so frequent that we came across one by accident.

The setting was at a large stage cut out of a rock cliff, leaving a backdrop of a 40 foot wall with one small corridor in the center for dancers to enter and exit.  We learned that every performance begins with a priest sanctifying the space with a sprinkle of holy water.  Then the Gamelan orchestra strikes up; seated cross-legged on one side of the stage, the musicians were dressed in formal outfits of Nehru jackets, traditional headcloths and sarongs.  The light was catching the bronze of their gongs, cymbals and metallophones (which is like an xylophone), the lead drummer raised his hand and they all began to play, producing an extraordinary syncopated clashing of metal on metal, punctuated by dramatic stops and starts.  Then entered the dancers; 5 barefoot young women with graceful angled hands (which almost seem double jointed), fluttering arms and wide flashing eyes looking here and there in sync with the beat.  Then a masked Barong-Rangda drama began. This is the all-important ritualistic dance pitting of the good against evil, with the loveable, lion-like Barong stalked and harassed by the powerful widow witch, Rangda; all fangs and fingernails.  With typical Balinese pragmatism, neither good nor evil is victorious, but instead spiritual harmony is restored at the end.  Whoa!  We were impressed and so excited to hop up on stage at the end to have our picture taken with the performers.

GWK (Garuda Wisnu Kencana): Mandala Garuda Wisnu Kencana, or Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK), is a 240 hectares private cultural park on the Bukit Peninsula at the southern end of the island of Bali in Indonesia. Bukit is a limestone plateau with Uluwatu to the west and Nusa Dua to the east. It is devoted to the Hindu god Vishnu, and his mount, Garuda, the mythical bird who is his companion.

Currently, the statue of Vishnu is 23 metres (75.5 ft) high, although the original plan calls for a 146-metre (479 ft) gold-plated Vishnu riding Garuda on top of an 11-story entertainment complex. The bird's wing span will be 64 metres (210.0 ft) across. When it's completed, it will be the largest statue in the world. The idea was not without controversy, and religious authorities on the island complained that its massive size might disrupt the spiritual balance of the island, and that its commercial nature was inappropriate, but some groups agree with the project, because it will make a new tourist attraction over barren land.

We went to see the enormous bust and bird friend on our way to the Uluwatu Fire Dance performance.  The statues are so big, they seem surreal... and the plan is to combine them to make the biggest statue in the world. We'll have to return to see it when the project is finished, because I won't believe until I see it.

Model of the Finished Statue

Kecak Fire Dance at Uluwatu temple: The Pura Luhur Temple in Uluwatu is spiritually important to the people of Bali, as it is one of Bali’s sacred directional temples protecting the island from evil spirits in the southwest. "Ulu" means head, and "Watu" means rock; the temple at "the head of the rock" stands atop a sheer cliff rising two hundred feet above the Indian Ocean.

The temple commands a wonderful view of the sea breaking against the base of the cliffs below, and a totally unforgettable sunset. The most compelling part of the temple complex, however, comes from its nightly Kecak and fire dance performances. 

"Kecak" is an old Balinese ritual trance dance driven by its participants' repetitive chanting. In its ancient form, the dance communicated the wishes of the gods or of the ancestors.

No musical instruments are used in the Kecak performance - instead, you find about thirty bare-chested men sitting in a circle, uttering "chak… chak… chak" rhythmically and repetitively. The total effect was trance-inducing; with repetitive voices and outlandish costumes creating a trippy multimedia experience.  In addition, the performance played out as the sun was setting and the story involves a giant fire display which is integral to the plot.

To help those unfamiliar with the story, a synopsis was handed out to all audience members as we walked into the show. The plot goes like this:

Rama, a wise prince and the legal heir of the throne of Ayodha, is exiled from the his fathers' realm. He is accompanied by his beautiful wife, Sita, and his loyal younger brother, Laksamana. While crossing an enchanted forest, the demon king, Rahwana, spots Sita and lusts after her. Rahwana's friend transforms himself into a golden deer to distract Rama and Laksamana. Rahwana then transforms into an old man to fool Sita into stepping away from a magic circle of protection set by Laksamana - thus fooling, Sita is carried away to Rahwana's realm.

Rama and Laksamana discover the deception too late; lost in the forest, they encounter the monkey king Hanoman, who swears his allegiance and goes off in search of Sita.

Hanoman, the monkey, finds Sita and gives Rama's ring to Sita as a token of his contact with her husband. Sita gives Hanoman her hairpin to give to Rama, along with a message that she is waiting for his rescue. But Rahwana's giant servants capture the monkey, and binds him to be burned. The monkey uses his magical powers to escape from certain death and bring Sita back to her husband.

Despite the historical and cultural implications of the performance, the Uluwatu kecak performance is strictly for the tourists. The fiery escape of the monkey is played up for visual effect, and the actors who play Hanoman and Rahwana ham it up for ratings. The night we watched the performance, the monkey jumped into the audience and maneuvered through the crowd until he found a bald man and rubbed the man's head, to everyone's amusement.  I would recommend seeing this performance, but you need to get there early if you want a good seat.

Fresh BBQ Fish at the Jimbaran Bay: Jimbaran Bay is home to about fifty grilled seafood restaurants, all set along the beach. Eating seafood on the beach in Jimbaran is a quintessential part of many a visitor's itinerary when coming to Bali, so we went there for dinner after the Kecak Performance. Tables were set up right on the sand and we arrived just after a light rain passed, so we had a lot of tables to choose form.  The sea breeze was cool and refreshing and the whole area was lit by oil torches since it was already dark.

Each of the restaurants has essentially the same menu (i.e. fire-grilled seafood with your own choice of various fish, crab, squid, shrimp, lobster and other shellfish + local green vegetables steamed with garlic + rice and local spicy sauces); but Mira took us to the best one as she claimed they had the best sauces to dip the fish. Everything is freshly caught as Jimbaran is still a functioning fishing village. We simply went up to the seafood tanks and choose the number and type of seafood we wanted to eat.  Customers pay by weight and the produce is grilled then and there so it's served hot. Prices at the restaurant for two, with local Bintang beer or soft drinks are in the range of Rp 200,000-600,000 ($17 USD - $52 USD) plus 15% tax and service, depending on quantity and type of seafood selected.

One thing I haven't explained about Indonesia, is that people eat with their hands.  I tried to avoid this for most of the trip, but when the fresh grilled fish was served, I joined in with my hands for the 1st time.  It turned out to be the most enjoyable way to eat this meal and I rank it was one of my favorites during the travel.  The combination of atmosphere and good food made this a memorable and delightful place to spend our evening.

Situated 700 meters above sea level, the Jatiluwih rice terraces are located in the middle of Bali near Ganung Batukaru, this attraction has also been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for preservation. The area is very rural with nothing but farming communities.  There are no tours that come here, no tourist buses, not even a regular public bus. To get here, you either hire a driver, drive here yourself, or stay at one of the nearby resorts.  It’s rural Bali at its best.

Farmers in Indonesia are still using traditional methods and almost everyone in this area is involved with agriculture, mainly growing of rice. Many of the old traditions are still maintained, even today you can see a farmer plowing his fields with water buffaloes.
When we visited the fields, it was pretty humid and before too long we were a hot mess.  But that didn't stop us from exploring the rice patties. These rice terraces are stunning. They give a new meaning to the word green. They crawl up the sides of the hills like steps leading you towards the sky. I really liked adventuring down the tiny paths, and climbing the stairs as each level offered a more beautiful view than the last.

The Sacred Ubud Monkey Forest, is a 27-acre forested plot in the village of Padangtegal in Ubud. The forest's residents are its main claim to fame: over 600 monkey's who inhabit the trees and interact with visitors.

We paid $2 at the entrance and read the warning sign telling us to:

            Keep any shiny, stealable objects like sunglasses, cameras, and jewelry out of reach and/or hidden.

            Do not smile at the monkeys - for macaques, showing your teeth is an aggressive act.

            Do not feed the monkeys; they get enough food from the villagers.

            Do not humor the monkeys.

            Don't assume these monkeys are tame: they are very wild, and will attack if provoked.

But there were vendors selling fruit to give to the monkey's but we didn't buy any. Instead, we proceeded down the footpath to the heart of the forest.  The paths through the forest were paved, but the vegetation was rather lush.  At that point, the monkey's were less seen, more heard; we could hear their chattering in the trees.  Then another tourist came past us with banana's, and suddenly we were surrounded.  These monkey's were everywhere. 

There were baby monkey's on mama monkey's and adult monkey's inspecting the fur of smaller monkey's. And before I knew it, I had a monkey on my shoulder checking my hair.  And let me tell you, this little monkey had the most surprisingly soft hands!  Later Jesse crouched down and a monkey jumped up on his knee and became his little friend in an instant... that little guy followed us for quite a while.  I wish we could have taken him home!

The house we were staying at in Seminyak was located pretty close to the famous surfing Beach called, Echo Beach. The break at Echo is favored by the big and powerful wave adventurers, and mostly suitable for advanced surfers, but we decided to give it a shot. 

When we arrived, I was taken back by the amazing panorama of the Indian Ocean.  It was a white sandy beach stretch for as far as you could see. I could tell right away this break was a favorite among surfers because the BIG rolling sets.  We rented boards and paddled out to waves breaking 2 feet overhead... it was intimidating and my tired arms reminded me how long it had been since my cousin, Dirk, taught me to surf when I was 15.  I could hear his voice in my head when I got tossed the first time, and it pushed me to keep trying to successfully catch a wave.  When I finally did catch a smoothly peeling right, I was exhausted and invigorated at the same time, riding the wave all the way into the beach and calling it a day :)

We relaxed on lounge chairs for some time before we walked all the way down the beach. Our goal was to find a hotel/resort with a pool where we could order a cocktail, and 2 hours later we found one.  In that time I had collected plenty of seashells and Jesse had a pretty rad sunburn.  That pool looked like an oasis when we finally found it, but it was well worth the walk.

On our 6th day in Bali we said goodbye to our friends and set out on our own, traveling to the Saribuana Lodge, almost 3 hours drive up the hills and into the jungle.  A self-proclaimed haven for nature lovers & for those who just need to escape from a busy life & recharge.  The lodge is located on Mount Batukaru in central Bali, and is completely surrounded by nature. Both mornings we stayed there, we woke up at sunrise and watched the rain fall.  Regular downpours in the night and early morning came and went as we were hunkered down in our little bungalow. There's something incredibly peaceful about lying in our completely open air house and watching the rain pour as the thunder crashes around us. With nowhere to go, it's hard to feel inconvenienced.

We loved our bungalow!  It was so cozy and it really felt like we were in the middle of remote jungles.

The fresh breakfast they served was always local fruits and local tea... I could of got used to it!

After spending so much time in our bungalow (reading books, taking naps and observing the nature we were completely surrounded by) we decided to go on a jungle walk with a guide from the lodge.  It was a challenging, yet rewarding trek over hills and what felt like mountains from Sarinbuana Eco Lodge through rice paddies, giant bamboo groves, traditional farmlands and over rivers. There were times that I didn't really want to follow the guide for fear of falling, drowning or having my shoes sucked off by mud.  At one point in the journey we stopped and drank fresh coconut water from a farmer harvesting coconuts.  At the end we were happy to see the lovely mountain Temple of Batukaru, but I was surprised to find a leech on my ankle who was having his fill of my blood... yuck.

On the way back we rode in the back of a farming truck which is normally used to transport cattle.  The locals laughed as we drove past and our guide explained the they aren’t used to seeing white people like us in their neighborhood, let alone in the back of a farming truck.  We thought it was funny and waved at them which enticed more laughter.     

In the evening when returning to the lodge we had a cooking class booked to learn how to make Indonesian curry.  It turned out so delicious and we scarfed it down. After a full day of activity, and a stomach stuffed with warm curry, we slept so hard! Good thing too because the next day we had plans to travel back down the mountain to our next destination, Ubud.  

In Ubud, every street boasts at least a couple juice bars offering every kind of veggie, fruit or smoothie combination (we had a lot of fresh fruit smoothies). Plus, a typical Indonesian restaurant (Warung) meal for two cost us around $8-10 and the food in Ubud was our favorite. We heard that the massages in Ubud were the best and cost less than $10 for 90 minutes, so we spoiled ourselves with a pamper session at Bliss Spa upon arrival. 

When we finished our spa treatments we went to the Royal Temple of Mengwi which is one of the most important temples in Bali. Built in 1634 by a King of the Mengwi dynasty, this impressive complex stands on an island in a river, its inner temple surrounded by a moat. Its Balinese name Pura Taman Ayun literally means ‘Garden Temple in the Water’.

Part of a network of directional temples that protect Bali from evil spirits, Pura Taman Ayun was built as a series of garden terraces with courtyards on different levels. The entire complex was designed to symbolize the mythological home of the gods, Mount Meru, floating in the sea of eternity. An eleven-tiered meru (at the far end, in the right-hand corner of the complex) is dedicated to the rice goddess Dewi Sri. The third bale on the left is believed to be the abode of several different gods. Pura Taman Ayun was enlarged in 1937, making some of its structures the most modern temple architecture in Bail.  It was my favorite temple.

Jesse and our driver Dewa

We learned that Hindu ceremonies require the blood of a chicken who died from natural causes.  Therefore, cock fights are usually the opening entertainment to these ceremonies.  The roosters used for the fights are kept in these cages until they are big enough to compete.

That night we had an early dinner with a view of the jungle and Mt Batukaru was in the distance.  It was a lovely meal but our minds were somewhere else and the mountain was a reminder that the next morning we would be waking up at 3am to climb a mountain. With big plans the next day, we continued our trend of turning in early.

Mount Batur is not the most famous, the most active or the biggest volcano in the world, but Indonesia's 1,717 m (5,633 ft) high Mountain is one of the most picturesque.  The still-smoking, spectacular volcanic caldera of Mt Batur with its deep crater lake and bubbling hot springs, is rugged with a high and wild beauty. We set off about 90 minutes before sunrise, following the rocky path which was quite difficult to walk considering that some sections felt like uphill lunging, plus is was completely dark. The guide we hired loaned us a couple of dim flashlights to help navigate the trail and at a certain point in the climb I looked up to see bobbing flashlights outlining the switchbacks all the way up to the peak of the mountain. Seeing this, was a bit enchanting and discouraging at the same time, as I was already sweating and my legs felt quite shaky.  Let me break it down for you; this was not an easy morning walk!  I did not see any retired folks rolling in on tour buses.

Throughout the 5,633 foot climb, my mind wondered back to the 11 months prior; feeling helpless in a wheel chair, Jesse carrying me the 2 blocks home from the tram when my legs couldn't make it, Physical Therapy sessions from hell.  But when we made it to the top, just in time to see the first ray of golden light creep over the horizon; that's when I was thanking my lucky stars! That rewarding moment felt like sweet VICTORY!

It took some time from me to catch my breath and gather my thoughts but soon we were completely distracted from everything except that moment. Watching the colorful sunrise was magnificent! We sat and watched as the landscape slowly was reviled in the light.  It was like the scene from the Lion King; first the green jungle in the distance, then the outline of the hills surrounding us, next the glassy lake below and last the mountain we were standing on.  Before long we were completely engulfed in sunlight and to our surprise, a tribe of tiny little monkey's came to enjoy the view (and the crumbs of our breakfast) with us.  They were pretty cute and helped mark that day as one I'll never forget.       

Climbing down the mountain was much easier than climbing up it and when we reached our Driver, Dewa, his happy face was welcoming us to jump in the van.  As we were both exhausted, we just asked Dewa to take us to the beach for a quick dip.  This is the last time I saw the mountain as I needed a nap after the trek.

When I woke up, we were indeed at Sanur Beach in the SE of Bali.  This is a gorgeous beach with white sand and a footpath / boardwalk which passes all the cafes, shops and vendors.  This was when I got a little annoyed at the hecklers trying to sell us goods and souvenirs. These 2 ladies walked side by side to us telling us how great their shop was for about a mile.  When we finally convinced them that we weren't there to shop, the ambiance of the beach was ruined for me. But Jesse convinced me to dip my toes in the water and check out the colorful painted fishing boats on the sand.  Nonetheless, we didn't stay much longer, but next time I go to Sanur beach I'll stay away from the boardwalk.

Uluwatu was the next stop on our agenda. For those fanatic surfers out there, I probably don't need to describe Uluwatu for you. This is likely to be a beach most surfers have on their wishlist. Uluwatu beaches offer an incredible, perfect paradise for surfers. Besides the wonderful scenery accompanying the waves in this lovely place, we also found many small local cafes with amazing views in addition to a small massage studio.

So, our driver took us to our hotel and said farewell, as we wouldn't need his services in the scooter friendly area. And when I got my first taste on the back of a scooter, it was awesome! Plus there is something to be said about throwing caution in the wind and letting your hair loose while observing the panoramic views of the coastline.  We took our scooter all over Uluwatu discovering beaches, restaurants and a bomb infinity pool (more on that to come).  Petrol (or gas for all you fellow Americans) is sold in empty Absolut Vodka bottles from the little shops along the street... hopefully this helps paint the picture of how things work there.

As the moon was full during our 3 days in Ulu (and final days in Indo), the surf was looking really big and way too advanced for me.  Bali, with its position so close to the equator, has a very different tide pattern to anywhere I have visited before.  Instead of surfing, we explored the many cliff carved stairways down to the beaches. As I was walking down, I felt a bit of vertigo.  It's pretty steep and as you get closer to the beach, you descend into a cave with water dropping on one side due to the high tide the night before. It was beautiful! AND HOT!  We needed to cool down but it wasn't really an option to get in the ocean where the waves crashed against the coral and cliffs, so we zipped over to the Blue Heaven infinity pool.

This place was unreal.  We walked in and negotiated the price to use their pool, settling on free entry if we bought at least 2 cocktails (EASY!). Jesse and I watched the surfers down at Padang Padang beach from the edge of the pool and blissfully enjoyed our last day in the Indonesian sun.  We had the place all to ourselves for the duration and we exceeded the cocktail ordering expectations by 4.  It was really hard to leave, but as the sun started to dip down we reminisced about our trip and all the fun we had.

In a nutshell, we are so lucky to have had the opportunity to explore the famed Island of the Gods. It has more natural beauty to offer than there is time to explore. The culture and traditions are so interesting, plus it's inhabitants, the customs, the taste, the smell are totally unique to Bali. I would return to Bali in a heartbeat if I had the chance, and I encourage anyone who wants to explore this amazing island to go sooner than later.

In the end, I walked away loving Bali, but I was skeptical at first because it was so different from what I had built up in my mind.  Here's some of the things I learned; so don't say I didn't warm you :)

First off, I knew that Bali would be a bit more touristy, but I didn’t realize how many Australians would be there; Definitely no shortage of weekend travelers from the land down under in their Bintang tank tops and flip flops... it’s like their Vegas.  And it didn't help that our first night on the island we were staying in Kuta, which has a similar vibe to Cabo during Spring Break (Drunk Aussies are really funny). 

Second eye opening observation; There are stray dogs everywhere. Some are friendly and followed us around, some (I’m pretty sure) had rabies and grossed me out. Regardless, there were tons of dogs just running along the street or the beach, looking for a friendly hand to feed them but we tried to avoid them.

Third; In Kuta/Sanur, there are hawkers everywhere. You can’t walk 5 feet on the beach without being bombarded by people asking if you want a massage, a sarong, jewelry, a beach chair, etc. And things aren’t as cheap as you would think, especially on these very touristy beaches. Mira told us to offer 1/3 of the asking price when bartering and it always worked out in our favor.

Additionally, Bali is way bigger than you think. For some reason I assumed that we'd be able to walk most places and to all the different beaches. This is false.  Lucky for us, Mira's mom had arranged for us to have a private driver to take us EVERYWHERE!  It's the only way to go when exploring the many regions of the island.

Last, we found ourselves enveloped in Hinduism; in the architecture (temples are everywhere), the people and the atmosphere. There were little Hindu offerings everywhere on the streets, on the sidewalks, in driveways, in podiums. It’s refreshing to see how spiritual people are in their own ways. And the offerings are quite pretty, usually including coins, colorful flowers, and incense with a smell that fills up the streets, so don't be surprised by this or confuse it with garbage.

Overall, we came away from our trip knowing without a doubt that Bali is absolutely gorgeous and it made us so happy. There's something special about this place that is so completely unique and mesmerizing.  We honestly had a hard time removing the ridiculous grins from our faces. Maybe that's why the call it "The Island of the Gods"?