Amazing sights V. tourism of the masses

Our journey to Bali is to build and share memories of a lifetime, experience this amazing island and its climate, try and befriend some locals and of course, visit some of the beautiful sights. Making friends with the locals is proving a bit more difficult, due to the language barrier and us, despite our best efforts, moving in touristy areas. Never-the-less, we happened to befriend what turned out to be a local tour guide and have finally had the opportunity to visit Tanah Lot, an important temple for the locals further up the coast, and Uluwatu, another important temple, further down the coast. The temples here are nothing what a European is used to, i.e. huge dome, bell tower or cathedral. The temples here are delicate open structures, with beautiful thatched roofs, the most intricate and colourful wood and stone carvings and rainbows of flags and umbrellas. The whole temple is an open-air setting, with multiple little structures spread over a small or large area. Each little temple is walled in, the entrance guarded by an intricate stone gate that seems to remind the non-faithfuls not to step any further. The temple of Tanah-Lot overlooks a most amazing rocky coastline, and its various temples are spread along the cliffs. Every little temple is simply breathtakingly beautiful! The waves below were huge during our visit, and crashing against the rocks, creating the most unique spectacle, pounding the foundations of each temple. The main temple is sitting on a rock, about 50m out from the mainland and is accessible most times, except when the ocean is going wild, as during our visit. Our guide Katut, indicated the building of a bridge had been attempted over the decades, but the ocean keeps taking it way. The faithfuls believe it is the Gods way to make the journey to the temple more difficult and therefore requesting more faith and conviction. The temple of Uluwatu is just as amazing, sitting high, high up on top of some spectacular cliffs, making it hard to believe how these incredible structures could have been constructed in the 11th century, using all but raw manpower. The view out over the ocean, from this height, is absolutely mind blowing! We imagined going back 100 years, seeing these temples as they were back then and what an amazing aura of spirituality there must have been, with nothing but the lush vegetation and the pounding of the waves. You can still feel there is something special at these locations, but regrettably, we tourists love coming to see sights we do not have at home, and the crowds grow and grow and grow. We were shocked and horrified, and ashamed at what we, Western tourists, have done to these temples. Both temples welcome you with huge parking lots. The compound of the Tanah-Lot temple has shop owners selling anything, and we mean anything, along the picturesque paths, now beautifully brick paved so that, God forbid, our Adidas and Gucci footwear are not harmed in any way… And the crowds arrive by the bus load, stomping along, chatting, laughing, kids going wild, silently fighting for the best spot for a picture with the right background, a quick drink and a toilet visit, and back onto the bus. How many actually stop to admire the temple grounds as a whole? How many walk its path respecting what it represents to the faithfuls? At least at the temple grounds of Uluwatu the visitors are requested to wear a sarong or at least a yellow cloth strapped around their waists (yellow and white being the holy colours) and no shops are to be found within its walls. Sunset are the preferred times to see either temple, with the sun bidding farewell out in the ocean and colouring the temples in a golden yellow, making it an amazing spectacle. We declined to stay for the sunset, knowing it would be sheer madness, as tourists flood each square inch for a picture and trample all over what is an important sacred site for the locals. Shame on us! As we left Uluwatu, about 1 hour before sunset, making the 2-hour journey back home, driving along the tiny road, the busses, mini-busses and taxis created a never ending metal snake of possibly 5 to 8 km length, making its way up the mountain and clogging traffic to a complete standstill, whilst engines are silently pumping out exhaust fumes allowing the occupants to sit in air-con comfort. What is the alternative? Limit development and tourism to certain areas? Have a character screening for tourists and only let in who respects the local culture? Charge higher prices, taking into account the pollution we create? We don’t have the answer, all we can do is try and be respectful of the local culture, customs and habits, and leave as little a footprint of our visit as possible, trying to leave just a faint shadow of our visit, so that others like us can come to enjoy and respect these amazing sights! Thank God there was no bright Coke or McDonald sign on any of the temples!

The beach, the fish, the community

It was a beautiful, calm, sun filled day, hence no other thing to do than getting our bums to the beach, rent ourselves a day bed by the water, sit back and let the day go by. And it looked like all other tourists / visitors to the island had the exact same thought. How could you not, given the sun and beach at hand! As we settled into our daybeds, and let the sun caress our bodies, we only had one activity in mind: look out into the ocean, watch tourists waddle by, and observe the world getting on with its day. It soon becomes apparent that once you remove the layer of tourists from the scene, there is a whole different world! For one, the sandy beach is home to thousands of miniature crabs, digging their little holes in the sand, running out with a little ball of sand in their claws and placing it at the edges of an ever growing field of sand balls around their newly built home and in doing so, creating a wonderful artistic pattern, till an oblivious tourist’s footsteps sends the crabs running for their tiny home and their wonderful work is flattened by each step. When cooling off in the water, suddenly schools of fish appeared in the breaking surf, their bodies glistening as the sun rays hit their silvery bodies, a spectacle for us, a feast for the local birds, as they hover above the ocean and take a skilled plunge into the waves to emerge with their catch. Two of these feathery creatures came to rest in front of our daybeds to what looked like a quick chat about their respective luck in catching fish, and flew off in unison, one to the left, the other to the right: “You take the left side, I go to the right, see you at home!” Maybe the birds are the local’s “fish prospectors” or they just know when to fish, either way, a lone fisherman was knee deep in the water, looking for schools of fish and throwing his net now and then, which opens into a full circle and sinks into the water in matters of seconds. He wasn’t a lucky fisherman. An older local suddenly appeared and started rolling up a long invisible line that went who knows how far into the ocean, till suddenly a net appeared and fish entangled in it. At the sight of the first fish, the local boys, managing their little stretch of beach with the rental of daybeds and providing us tourists with ice-cooled drinks, started running up to the old man, helping with pulling in the net with ever more fish coming into sight. They all walked off following the old man and his net, laughing and chatting. Not soon thereafter, the old man re-appeared, his net neatly folded up, and a young surf-life saver with surf board, walking with him. The net was passed onto the surfer, who swam out into the ocean, whilst the old man unrolled his invisible line for the next fish to catch. It was a delight to see that despite the over-commercialisation of their beach to accommodate us tourists in our hunt for sun, the local tradition of fishing and community spirit seems to still exist, as we guess the locals adapt to having to hook the tourists onto their daybeds and the fish into their nets.

"To be Wi-Fied, or not to be Wi-Fied" - that is the question!

"To be, or not to be", might have been the question in the past, "to be Wi-Fied, or not to be Wi-Fied" is definitely the question of today! This blog would not be possible if it were not for free to air internet connection. Paying for it!? Are you mad!? We are budget travellers and could most certainly not afford to visit an internet cafe'... "Internet cafe"... Probably as much a dinosaur as smoking on commercial airlines, except if you live in Perth, were the term "free Wi-Fi" does not seem to have reached its shores yet, but that is another story? Frustration? Regrettably earlier this week, on our way to the beach, we saw a leaning telecom pole at the corner of our street, and on our return to our headquarters discovered the disaster: bye bye internet! Not to worry, on all our previous trips to Bali we were astonished at the ease of finding free Wi-Fi everywhere, from the swanky and fancy hotel, to the most decrepit cafe', even to our beach bar/cafe' on the sand! Wonderful for the budget traveller! Hence we adapted in the last couple of days, as we are waiting for the connection to be re-established on "Bali time", and have visited beach clubs or our most favourite cafe' on Jalan Double-Six, sipping a cup of most delicious Bali coffee, whilst using their free internet. Yesterday the routine was going to be the same, i.e. a cup of cofee, catching up on news and goss from home, updating our blog and off to the beach. But: Shock! Horror! Someone else was sitting at OUR spot!! Impossible!? Should we ask them to leave!? No, surely we will find another suitable location. Alas we defected on our friends. Off we went, hunting for another cafe' with the right combination of atmosphere, good coffee and of course the hottely desired free Wi-Fi! We found one, sat down to order two drinks and asked the usual question: "Could we have your Wi-Fi password?" It was a disaster! The internet connection slower than the drying up from the Biblical flood! The coffee was awful too! Yes, we paid the ultimate price! We ran back to the "old faithful", founding our spot waiting for us to be claimed, and so we did! Peace at last! This made us aware of how much these fantastic modern technologies have also become a dreaded nuisance! Really? Running around town so we can hook onto the internet?! Whilst in tropical paradise? We think as long as the right balance is struck between gluing ourselves on a three to ten inch monitor and real life, it is ok. For these two lads a bit of internet browsing, whilst next to eachother, is also allowing us to have our OWN time for a bit, before we giggle and chat again, whilst gazing into eachother's eyes! Having said that, we always have great fun observing and commenting on all these couples, friends and families, at a dinner table, or on a daybed perfectly located to be looking out onto the ocean: Do they talk? Do they admire the view? Oh no! All glued onto their screens! Madness! We had a row of daybeds in front of us, at this most wonderful beach club The Mozaic, and every single couple was on a device! So, once you finish reading this sentence, find your loved one, take their hand, look them in the eye, and talk!

Another day in the sun

When one wakes up to the sound of farm animals, goes working out by the beach, has healthy breakfasts and the day warms up nicely, the sky is blue; should one stay indoors or head straight down to the beach? Our answer will always be to head straight for the sand! And we did just that: A full day at the beach, relaxing, chatting, laughing and loving every minute of it!

The curse of the coq (a story suitable to childern of all ages)

Living in semi-rural surroundings is going to be fantastic, so peaceful and quiet, thought these two city lads… Well, this story actually begins in Australia. We live in an inner-city suburb, on a busy suburban street which quiets right down in the evening and for the night. We sleep on a single-coiled mattress, meaning not even either of us’ unintentional jumping and turning during the night, can disrupt our sleep. This till suddenly early one morning, a coq made his presence clear! Not that we mind a coq early in the morning… but definitely not the singing one! At first we thought we misheard this noisy coq, in inner-suburbia? Really? But as the mornings came and went, and our hearing more acute and attentive of that distinctive sound, it was clear: There is a coq somewhere near! These two lads are action men! We investigated and got proof that the local council/shire does not allow the keeping of coq in inner-suburbia. Perfect! Straight onto the phone and requesting to speak to the right person handling unwanted coqs! Regrettably we were unsure of the location, except it that it was within ear shot, and hoped we were not the only ones alerting them of this fact: NEGATIVE, we were the only ones, go figure?? Plan B needed to be thought of and fast! This meant either finding the location and/or more people that know the keeping of coqs in this area is unlawful. The Swiss lad decided to print a little piece of paper with the clear information that no coqs can be kept and the phone number to call, should one hear its call. Photocopies were made and off he went one late afternoon, walking the perimeter of the entire block and mail dropping this important information. Lady Luck struck the Swiss lad! Just as he approached a driveway with pamphlets in hand, a lady was getting out of her car. On the question if she knew of a coq in the area, the lady replied, with a most charming and accepting smile: “Of course, he lives right next door!” Pamphlets were quickly hidden, and a quick but friendly reply was muttered: “Oh how nice!” and off the Swiss lad went. The address was memorised and the mission now continued with renewed energy, making sure not to miss one single letterbox around the entire perimeter of this coq! Quick call to the Italo-Aussie lad: “Mission Accomplished! Coq located! Over and out!” The moment the headquarters were reached, the phone came out and the ranger was called, this time with exact coordinates. The days came and went, but each morning, this coq made his persistent presence known… Hmmm, heavier artillery was required. The RSPCA (animal protection agency) was called and advised of a poor coq and his female counterparts living at location Y, on premises that look fairly unkept, which raises the eternal question: “Is this coq clean?” The lady kindly advised it is law that coqs and his harem of females are to be cleaned every 24hrs! Between you and I, let me assure you that by the looks of the house, there is no way they are looked after every 24hours. Matters were left with them. These 2 lads thought once coming to our new quarters in Bali, surely, it will only be rice paddies and butterflies… On the first morning a chorus of coqs made their presence known at the late hour of 0600…, followed by barking dogs and the mooing of some very attractive if not somewhat large, brown cows! Oh well, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, we have wonderful food on our plates and these 2 lads just keep grinning at each other for the adventure of our lifetime! What-else does one want from life?

Bali Beach Clubs = absolute bliss

Imagine crisp blue water, funky music, relaxing on a body hugging daybed, and staff to attend to your every desire: Welcome to the beach clubs of Bali! The Italo-Aussie lad has sipped pineapple vodkas at a beach club in Aqaba in Jordan, whilst the Swiss lad beach club virginity has only just been taken by the Balinese clubs. Considering you can spend between A$5 to A$10 for 2 daybeds on the beach, under an umbrella, exposed to the wind, the occasional beach seller and especially you could be stuck next to an annoying, overly chatty family, breaking the peace and tranquility; why not spend nothing instead and be surrounded all day in absolute luxury? Cocoon, Potatoe Head and now Mozaic (our new favourite) charge nothing for you to plonk yourself onto one of their heavenly daybeds and drinks are anything between A$2.50 to A$4.00 (and for these prices you will get a freshly squeezed fruit juice, on top of any other drink) add another A$5.00 and you are starting to have beautiful snacks. As long as you keep an eye on how much you are ordering, these clubs can be done on a budget! Cocoon is in virginal white! The wave shaped pool is tiled in white, facing the beach, with white daybeds, white pillows, and yes, you guessed it, white umbrellas. It is located on Jalan Double-Six, Legian/Seminyak, still a fairly busy area and therefore you can get some escapees from Kuta finding their way here, dampening the mood if they get overly obnoxious. Also between the club and the beach is a fairly noisy local street, used by lots of people to drive or scoot by and you cannot walk to the beach in tranquility. But never-the-less, it is absolutely worthwhile going, as with its smaller set-up, it can have a super cool vibe. Potatoe Head on the other hand has an absolute beach location, bigger then Cocoon, two rows of daybeds in front of a big infinity pool overlooking the beach, lined with palm trees, and a pool bar for those wanting to feel like being in a resort. It is located in Seminyak and tends to be very relaxed during the daytime, but as the sun starts setting, it can get very crowded with all the tourists not wanting to miss the sunset on the beach, with a drink in hand. The club is able to accommodate a large crowd, having a huge lawn behind the daybeds and the two storey crescent shaped building is used at full capacity. Our new favourite spot is Mozaic! It is further north on Kerobokan beach, only a little path separating the club from the sand, beautiful daybeds facing the beach, behind them a pool with many interesting corners and nooks, and “cabanas” (daybeds under a little roof) along one side of the pool. The whole setting is uber-cool, it wasn’t crowded on both occasions we have been and they have a fabulous restaurant located at the back of the whole set-up, on a higher level, overlooking the whole pool and daybeds. Absolutely fabulous! We felt like kings for a day, relaxing by the pool, attended to by friendly staff and ordering a couple of drinks, whilst keeping an eye on our budget. Got a feeling we found our new best “friend”…

Lazy Sunday

Our Sunday morning started with our daily beach workout, but the sea presented itself rough, choppy and misty, leaving us to having to run way up on the soft part of the beach to avoid having an unwanted early morning bath! On our return journey home, rain showered us. On our arrival home, the skies opened and rain definitely set in for the rest of the morning. We had a lazy Sunday, exploring a temple we pass every day on the way into town (thank you Lonelyplanet) and sitting down for Bali coffee at our favourite spot (they have wifi and a TV showing Nat Geo). We spent the evening at a newish beach club, Mozaic, in front of which we run every morning. The setting is spectacular, with day beds nicely hidden away behind thin curtains, a lovely pool surrounded by a wooden deck and, of course, the beach view. We will come back to this place to enjoy it during daytime. We enjoyed a beer and a couple of nibblies, whilst watching the breaking surf shining in the moonlight. Our skin had a good rest from the sun these last two days, now we hope for blue skies for the new week.