So, Bali... I did not fall in love with Bali the way some of my friends have. Granted, I didn't engage in two of the most popular activities here: scuba diving and surfing. And you know by now that spending lots of time at the beach doesn't interest me. I certainly didn't hate Bali, but I suspect it will fade from my memory more quickly than some other places.
What I liked: The dance show. (I wish I'd gone out my way in other places to see some dance, especially Cambodia and Sri Lanka, I bet those would have been cool. I think the only other local dancing I saw was in Ghana.)
The parade. What a treat, especially since I had no idea something like that would happen during my stay. It was also one of the few genuine balinese traditions that I got to see. (The dance was a traditional dance, but it's performed for tourists, no question.)
The Monkey Forest Sanctuary. What a hoot.
The food (well, most of it, I had one tasteless meal). Both the indonesian food and the western-style deserts I tried were all tasty. And one can eat like a king for about $10/meal.
It was beautiful, and the architecture has so many details. With the exception of somewhat annoying taxi drivers always asking if I needed a ride, the people were courteous and mildly friendly. And they were gracious about speaking english, even when their language skills weren't so great. (Mine were non-existent, so I appreciated that everyone tried to speak english for me.) The people who worked at my hotel were super nice and helpful.
Their personal traditions. Although my new friend Ricardo observed a marked decrease in the spirituality of the people since his last trip here in the 1970s, it seemed to me that the people are quite spiritual, at least compared to Americans. Those little offerings for good luck, etc. were everywhere, and they have to be made fresh everyday. So a whole lot of people are putting in a whole lot of time making offerings. Just as I finished typing that, I turned around in my seat in the airport, and there was an offering on a plant stand behind me. And of course, the whole country quite literally shut down for a day for one of its holidays. I can't see that happening in the west.
For anyone that wants to shop, Bali is a great and inexpensive place (although shipping items back home will eat up a lot of the savings). Here in the airport, I'm surrounded by Australians waiting to fly back home. They all had enourmous bags and boxes to check in, so I bet this is a popular shopping spot. Or else they are the least efficient packers in the world.
What was disappointing: Hard to put into words, but I'd say it was the overall package. Like, maybe I only saw the surface of Bali and not something more authentic. And unlike, say, Siem Reap, Cambodia or the Serengeti, which very much cater to tourists, there's nothing particularly noteworthy to see in Bali, like an Angkor Wat or an enourmous animal preserve. I'll repeat that I did miss two of the big draws: surfing and scuba diving. But even without those, I expected something... more.
Having said that, though, Bali was very restful. This stop was just about halfway into my trip, and at the end of what was probably the more difficult half. Both my resort and the city I camped in were nice to loaf around in. So that's the upside of not having a lot to do; I didn't feel like I was missing out on much when I just stayed in, or went window shopping, or to a spa.
Frankly, I also suspect I've gotten a little tired. And not quite lonely, because people back home are staying in touch with me and I met several people here to hang out with. But I think the lack of meaningful and in-person contact with people I care about is getting to me a little bit. Neither of these developments are unexpected, so in case you're tempted to feel sorry for me, please don't. But they may have clouded my view of the place a little bit, even though I did make friends with a couple of different groups of people. Oh, and full disclosure, since I promised people I'd talk about times I felt bad as well as good... I started crying last night. Something small set me off that normally wouldn't make me cry, but I felt worn out and far from home and it felt worse than it really was. I always figured the thing that would set me off would be having my passport stolen in some shitty bus station where no one spoke english. Turned out to be something far less traumatic lol.
Back to Bali: I would not discourage anyone from visiting here. But I would warn them it's not a place with a whole lot to do if you're not interested in the beach and the water. So if a resort-type destination appeals to you, or the beach, by all means come. And I didn't dislike it by any means, I just wish there'd been a little something more to make me like it.
Denpasar's airport: This is a medium-sized, kind of folksy airport. It does not have free wifi, but has at least one free internet terminal. I suspect it's broken, though, because no one is using it. There's not quite enough seating for the number of people waiting for the plane, but I've been in more cramped airports. And frankly, it might appear to be more cramped because I'm surrounded by Australians, and they are kind of big people. Compared to the people around me, I'm now back to being smaller than average, instead of average lol. Security was, once again, not the invasive farce it is in the U.S. I had the standard x-ray and bag scan, and there was a cursory hand-inspection of all carry-on bags. But we kept our shoes on, there was no pat-down, particularly not of our naughty bits. Really, U.S.A. and TSA, the rest of the world is making you look like a bunch of paranoid perverts with your groping and your insistence on stripping us and your suspicions.
What I liked: The dance show. (I wish I'd gone out my way in other places to see some dance, especially Cambodia and Sri Lanka, I bet those would have been cool. I think the only other local dancing I saw was in Ghana.)
The parade. What a treat, especially since I had no idea something like that would happen during my stay. It was also one of the few genuine balinese traditions that I got to see. (The dance was a traditional dance, but it's performed for tourists, no question.)
The Monkey Forest Sanctuary. What a hoot.
The food (well, most of it, I had one tasteless meal). Both the indonesian food and the western-style deserts I tried were all tasty. And one can eat like a king for about $10/meal.
It was beautiful, and the architecture has so many details. With the exception of somewhat annoying taxi drivers always asking if I needed a ride, the people were courteous and mildly friendly. And they were gracious about speaking english, even when their language skills weren't so great. (Mine were non-existent, so I appreciated that everyone tried to speak english for me.) The people who worked at my hotel were super nice and helpful.
Their personal traditions. Although my new friend Ricardo observed a marked decrease in the spirituality of the people since his last trip here in the 1970s, it seemed to me that the people are quite spiritual, at least compared to Americans. Those little offerings for good luck, etc. were everywhere, and they have to be made fresh everyday. So a whole lot of people are putting in a whole lot of time making offerings. Just as I finished typing that, I turned around in my seat in the airport, and there was an offering on a plant stand behind me. And of course, the whole country quite literally shut down for a day for one of its holidays. I can't see that happening in the west.
For anyone that wants to shop, Bali is a great and inexpensive place (although shipping items back home will eat up a lot of the savings). Here in the airport, I'm surrounded by Australians waiting to fly back home. They all had enourmous bags and boxes to check in, so I bet this is a popular shopping spot. Or else they are the least efficient packers in the world.
What was disappointing: Hard to put into words, but I'd say it was the overall package. Like, maybe I only saw the surface of Bali and not something more authentic. And unlike, say, Siem Reap, Cambodia or the Serengeti, which very much cater to tourists, there's nothing particularly noteworthy to see in Bali, like an Angkor Wat or an enourmous animal preserve. I'll repeat that I did miss two of the big draws: surfing and scuba diving. But even without those, I expected something... more.
Having said that, though, Bali was very restful. This stop was just about halfway into my trip, and at the end of what was probably the more difficult half. Both my resort and the city I camped in were nice to loaf around in. So that's the upside of not having a lot to do; I didn't feel like I was missing out on much when I just stayed in, or went window shopping, or to a spa.
Frankly, I also suspect I've gotten a little tired. And not quite lonely, because people back home are staying in touch with me and I met several people here to hang out with. But I think the lack of meaningful and in-person contact with people I care about is getting to me a little bit. Neither of these developments are unexpected, so in case you're tempted to feel sorry for me, please don't. But they may have clouded my view of the place a little bit, even though I did make friends with a couple of different groups of people. Oh, and full disclosure, since I promised people I'd talk about times I felt bad as well as good... I started crying last night. Something small set me off that normally wouldn't make me cry, but I felt worn out and far from home and it felt worse than it really was. I always figured the thing that would set me off would be having my passport stolen in some shitty bus station where no one spoke english. Turned out to be something far less traumatic lol.
Back to Bali: I would not discourage anyone from visiting here. But I would warn them it's not a place with a whole lot to do if you're not interested in the beach and the water. So if a resort-type destination appeals to you, or the beach, by all means come. And I didn't dislike it by any means, I just wish there'd been a little something more to make me like it.
Denpasar's airport: This is a medium-sized, kind of folksy airport. It does not have free wifi, but has at least one free internet terminal. I suspect it's broken, though, because no one is using it. There's not quite enough seating for the number of people waiting for the plane, but I've been in more cramped airports. And frankly, it might appear to be more cramped because I'm surrounded by Australians, and they are kind of big people. Compared to the people around me, I'm now back to being smaller than average, instead of average lol. Security was, once again, not the invasive farce it is in the U.S. I had the standard x-ray and bag scan, and there was a cursory hand-inspection of all carry-on bags. But we kept our shoes on, there was no pat-down, particularly not of our naughty bits. Really, U.S.A. and TSA, the rest of the world is making you look like a bunch of paranoid perverts with your groping and your insistence on stripping us and your suspicions.
The NY Times had an article in today's paper on the Day of Silence which you may be interested in. You commented that you couldn't see the western world shuttering everything for a day, but it might if the state mandated that all transmissions be shut down and if security guards were out patrolling the streets to make sure that people were staying inside and staying quiet.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/07/world/asia/07indonesia.html