Monday, January 03, 2005
Back from Bali!!
Kuta Bali
Dec 21-26 2004
Safe and sound... but much darker & poorer :)
Happy New Year peeps : )
Haven’t been in the mood to write lately. Maybe it’s travel withdrawal symptoms, maybe it’s end of the year blues, maybe it’s due to the Aceh tragedy...
I was at Phuket this September so Phi Phi Islands & Patong Beach is still fresh in my mind. The hotel I stayed at is pretty close to the beach and I wonder how it is now.
I was still in Bali during the quake and I sure am lucky Bali is to the south and east of Aceh. This was my 2nd trip to Bali so I didn't do any touring and was mostly by the beach learning to surf. If there was a tsunami at Bali…whoahhh...
Being new to surfing, I’ve been watching footage of pro surfers riding the big waves and thinking ‘These surfers are amazing. Is there a wave that they can’t ride?’
And what do you know… Forget Hawaii or Santa Cruz, close to home we got the mother of all waves that the pro surfers wouldn’t be able to touch. Certainly grounds you how nature can be such a powerful beast. You think you can tame it but there you go…
But I digress. Back to the story…
Btw, there won’t be much stories or pics on Bali’s tourist attractions as this is my 2nd trip and my main focus was learning how to surf : )
As I won’t have many pictures of touristy Bali, I’ll write a bit to promote it! And will insert pics from the Net. My old pics were non-digital. Too lazy to scan :)
I was in Bali in May 2002 (5 months before the bombing). To those who haven’t been to Bali, you simply must! The country is just magical!!
It’s different from Indonesia as the Balinese are predominantly Hindus - a different Hindu to the Indian Hindus. I just find it fascinating how religious they are. Their temples are beautiful and if you get to witness a burial or a special religious festival, even the better!
There is a temple in the courtyard of most Balinese homes and each day they never fail to present spirits with tiny ‘canang’ - palm leaf trays containing flower petals, betel nut, water & placed on the ground (to ward off evil) and on raised alters (for the gods). You’ll find them on the streets, on the dashboard of their cars, on temples, shops…
Typical Balinese ladies carrying offerings for a ceremony
Canang – daily offerings to appease spirits
A cremation ceremony
Pura Taman Ayun, Mengwi – one of the many beautiful temples in Bali
The Balinese believe in karma so not much crime is committed – no need to worry about snatch thiefs here. Just be careful of unauthorized money changers. If the rate is much better than those advertised elsewhere, don’t bother. Really. Saves you the energy in counting and recounting your money. I’ve been there!
Out of curiosity, my brother and I went to a shophouse offering a damn good rate. We were expecting to be tricked so we had our eyes fixed on the dude’s hands. They change your money, hand you the money to count and I can’t remember why and how, but they take it back. When you get it back, count it again - it will be short!! Alas, the transaction ended with them rudely throwing our USD on the table and us feeling POed. My brother, lover of magic tricks, was consumed with figuring out how they got rid of some of the money under our watchful eyes. He had a theory & demonstrated to me but I can’t remember now : )
Then, there are the usual aggressive vendors. Just don’t even talk back to them if you’re not interested. Don’t even look our you’ll be sorry! : ) If you are interested, bargain hard!!
Beach vendors offering massages, pedicures, manicures, hair braiding, temporary tattoos etc
The beaches in Kuta are not exactly white sands and clear water but the coastline is a long stretch and the wave is pretty damn good. Rent a boogie board and you are set for a good time riding the waves. Or better yet, go for surfing lessons!
The 'kecak' dance is a must-see! If you get to see only one dance in Bali, this should be the one you don’t miss. And wait till you see the beautiful rice fields/terraces. Simply breathtaking!
Rice fields in Tirta Gangga
Kecak Dance
If you come to Bali, remember to bring a lot of cash as credit cards are not that widely accepted. Quite a lot of things are quoted on USD so if you have USD, it’s easy but for me bringing Rupiah is still the best.
They speak good English so no worries. Heck, most of them can even speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, Italian… my tour guide spoke English, Japanese & Chinese.
The dry season can be pretty harsh so be prepared. My 1st visit was in May and it was soooo hot and dry!! I don’t drink much water normally but I chugged quite a lot there.
That said, the rainy season can be quite a damper too. This time round, it rained most evenings. Luckily it rained for only an hour or so, and not too heavily - except for the day I arrived – OF COURSE!!! : ) My poor Nikes.. thoroughly soaked!!
To be continued..
Dec 21-26 2004
Safe and sound... but much darker & poorer :)
Happy New Year peeps : )
Haven’t been in the mood to write lately. Maybe it’s travel withdrawal symptoms, maybe it’s end of the year blues, maybe it’s due to the Aceh tragedy...
I was at Phuket this September so Phi Phi Islands & Patong Beach is still fresh in my mind. The hotel I stayed at is pretty close to the beach and I wonder how it is now.
I was still in Bali during the quake and I sure am lucky Bali is to the south and east of Aceh. This was my 2nd trip to Bali so I didn't do any touring and was mostly by the beach learning to surf. If there was a tsunami at Bali…whoahhh...
Being new to surfing, I’ve been watching footage of pro surfers riding the big waves and thinking ‘These surfers are amazing. Is there a wave that they can’t ride?’
And what do you know… Forget Hawaii or Santa Cruz, close to home we got the mother of all waves that the pro surfers wouldn’t be able to touch. Certainly grounds you how nature can be such a powerful beast. You think you can tame it but there you go…
But I digress. Back to the story…
Btw, there won’t be much stories or pics on Bali’s tourist attractions as this is my 2nd trip and my main focus was learning how to surf : )
As I won’t have many pictures of touristy Bali, I’ll write a bit to promote it! And will insert pics from the Net. My old pics were non-digital. Too lazy to scan :)
I was in Bali in May 2002 (5 months before the bombing). To those who haven’t been to Bali, you simply must! The country is just magical!!
It’s different from Indonesia as the Balinese are predominantly Hindus - a different Hindu to the Indian Hindus. I just find it fascinating how religious they are. Their temples are beautiful and if you get to witness a burial or a special religious festival, even the better!
There is a temple in the courtyard of most Balinese homes and each day they never fail to present spirits with tiny ‘canang’ - palm leaf trays containing flower petals, betel nut, water & placed on the ground (to ward off evil) and on raised alters (for the gods). You’ll find them on the streets, on the dashboard of their cars, on temples, shops…
Typical Balinese ladies carrying offerings for a ceremony
Canang – daily offerings to appease spirits
A cremation ceremony
Pura Taman Ayun, Mengwi – one of the many beautiful temples in Bali
The Balinese believe in karma so not much crime is committed – no need to worry about snatch thiefs here. Just be careful of unauthorized money changers. If the rate is much better than those advertised elsewhere, don’t bother. Really. Saves you the energy in counting and recounting your money. I’ve been there!
Out of curiosity, my brother and I went to a shophouse offering a damn good rate. We were expecting to be tricked so we had our eyes fixed on the dude’s hands. They change your money, hand you the money to count and I can’t remember why and how, but they take it back. When you get it back, count it again - it will be short!! Alas, the transaction ended with them rudely throwing our USD on the table and us feeling POed. My brother, lover of magic tricks, was consumed with figuring out how they got rid of some of the money under our watchful eyes. He had a theory & demonstrated to me but I can’t remember now : )
Then, there are the usual aggressive vendors. Just don’t even talk back to them if you’re not interested. Don’t even look our you’ll be sorry! : ) If you are interested, bargain hard!!
Beach vendors offering massages, pedicures, manicures, hair braiding, temporary tattoos etc
The beaches in Kuta are not exactly white sands and clear water but the coastline is a long stretch and the wave is pretty damn good. Rent a boogie board and you are set for a good time riding the waves. Or better yet, go for surfing lessons!
The 'kecak' dance is a must-see! If you get to see only one dance in Bali, this should be the one you don’t miss. And wait till you see the beautiful rice fields/terraces. Simply breathtaking!
Rice fields in Tirta Gangga
Kecak Dance
If you come to Bali, remember to bring a lot of cash as credit cards are not that widely accepted. Quite a lot of things are quoted on USD so if you have USD, it’s easy but for me bringing Rupiah is still the best.
They speak good English so no worries. Heck, most of them can even speak Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, Italian… my tour guide spoke English, Japanese & Chinese.
The dry season can be pretty harsh so be prepared. My 1st visit was in May and it was soooo hot and dry!! I don’t drink much water normally but I chugged quite a lot there.
That said, the rainy season can be quite a damper too. This time round, it rained most evenings. Luckily it rained for only an hour or so, and not too heavily - except for the day I arrived – OF COURSE!!! : ) My poor Nikes.. thoroughly soaked!!
To be continued..
