My 8 day trip to Bali was packed with many events. In effort to recount all the things I did, I will break it down day by day. But on the whole, it was of course, a beautiful island filled with tourism, culture, and nature. Even though the tourism can be overwhelming there are always areas of Bali to explore that are more local and peaceful. There is something unique about the Balinese mindset. I think it must be their devotion to their religion or just their more simplistic way of life. Whatever it is, it is thousands of miles far away from the way I was brought up in America.Upon arrival in Bali, we were bombarded by people trying to sell us trinkets, wooden carvings, and any sort of bracelet/anklet you can think of. People even touching my arm in hopes I would buy a sarong they saw me glance at. Is it desperation? It was difficult for me to initially understand but it is how many of these people make a living, but as a foreigner it can be overwhelming and annoying at times. They target you because you look different and persist because they really want your money. Anyhow, the first day was spent at the beach playing in the water, wandering the streets of Kuta and getting acquainted to our area (i.e. haggling with locals for transportation).
Day 2 - We headed to Ubud that Sunday which is located in the center of Bali and is known for its art scene. We also went to the sacred monkey forest and also visited the most beautiful rice terraces. The monkey forest was beautiful. Wild monkeys abound and at first I was sort of frightened by their boldness, not to mention their intimidating glances. But as
long as you don't touch them or provoke them, they will leave you alone. Unless of course, you are just appealing for some reason. One of two of them did jump on my friend's backpack. I was wondering how their population is checked. This forest hides gorgeous temples within where monkeys abound.Ubud was filled with so many art stores, wooden carvings, and markets where you can haggle for days. It was exhausting to say the least. I'm not the biggest fan of haggling, it's sort of a weird game and again the desperation for money is something that I'm not used to. After the monkey forest and Ubud we went to see one of the most beautiful and surreal rice terraces. The plush green of the inner parts of Bali makes me hope that this environment can be forever preserved.
Day 3 - On Monday we headed to Lovina for two days. Lovina is located at the northern part of Bali and is known for its black sand beaches due to the volcanic ash. It is also known for snorkeling sites and dolphin watching, both of which I got to take part of. The ride to Lovina was about 2.5 hours. On the way there we stopped at Bedugul and saw the temples situated in the center of Bali away from all the noise of traffic and pollution amongst the mountains and on top of a lake. It was serene, zen, beautiful and great weather up there. I hope that it stays that way forever. But it's inevitable to see the tourists and even a motorboat with western tourists carousing the water.
I did some coral reef snorkeling at Lovina that afternoon. We took an outrigger canoe to an
amazing part of the ocean filled with anemones, fish, blue starfish, and coral among so many other things. My only knowledge of marine life is based heavily on the Disney film, Finding Nemo. And I definitely saw many fish from the movie. The world down there is so large and pretty. I have never seen such big coral and cute little fish covering them. It's not as clean and clear as I may have expected but beautiful and amazing nontheless. Again, I kept thinking I hope these sorts of wonders can be preserved forever, and I wonder if my experience is actually damaging them? But as long as you don't touch anything down there or leave anything, it should be ok. Lovina is much more quiet than Kuta, with less nightlife but plenty of Indonesian cover bands.
We woke up the next morning around 530am to go dolphin watching. Heading out where tons of foreigners were, it felt more like dolphin chasing than dolphin watching. But there were so many of them, some of whom were showing off by doing flips out of the water. Once a school of dolphins would rear their heads, all the motor boats would rush over to that area. It was really nice, even though I was nauseous and tired at 6am in the morning. That afternoon, we went to Git-Git waterfall and the holy hot springs. The waterfall was beautiful and the hot springs literally revitalized me and made my skin feel amazing afterward. I was skeptical at first since the springs were green and filled with many people, some of whom were fully clothed. And even
though I reeked of sulfur after, my skin felt better, and I felt more energized and lively.Day 5 - On Wednesday morning me and two friends decided to do some surfing, a first for all of us. I felt a little ridiculous since I am from Florida and have never surfed, but I think being from Gainesville, it's a little inconvenient, especially since the waves in St. Augustine aren't the best. I was surprised we could all get up on the long boards so quickly. I was definitely the worst out of the three of us, but my rationale is that they are boys and also have been snowboarding for a long time. That afternoon I also spoke at the Rotary Club of Bali Seminyak which was great. What also impressed me was the amount of women in their club and coincidentally, they were inducting a new female member. I learned that there is a Balinese Woman Association dedicated to many of the humanitarian issues Rotary addresses as well. They were welcoming, inviting, and very relaxed.
Day 6 - My attempt to surf again was pretty weak the second day. Renting actual surfboards from a random on Kuta resulted in a disasterous day for me. I think I got up like once or twice on Thursday during the 2.5 hours of surfing. I was pretty jealous of my friends who seemed to have it down already. Even though I had a rash vest on, my body was pretty scraped up from chaffing on the board, especially on my knees. But it's so fun that you pretty much forgot about how tired you are, how much your scars hurt or how strong the sun is. I'm so envious now of experienced surfers. That evening I had dinner at the Nikko Hotel at Nusa Dua with the Rotary Club of Nusa Dua. This international 5 star hotel strip was nothing like the Bali I had experienced in Kuta. The Rotarians were of an international class and super nice and friendly. I met some who were Canadian, Dutch, German, Spanish, and American. One rotarian heard I had been surfing and manages the Rip Curl Surf School and was generous enough to set up free surf lessons for me and my friends the next day! We even had a car come to pick us up from our hotel. It was quite a birthday present. It was interesting to see the resort side of Bali, which had recently been developed within the past 10 years.
Day 7 - Friday was me and my friend's birthday. I spent the morning surfing at Rip Curl and actually made a lot of progress. I could actually stand on the board every wave I caught after much help from the teacher. It's so fun, I can't describe it. It's a little tough on the body though. I was satisfied and so grateful for the Rotary connection too. These instructors
were far more professional and helpful. That afternoon after lunch, my friends treated me to a Balinese massage, pedicure/manicure and facial. We also got a tiramisu cake along with some birthday gifts. I'm going to have to gush a little here about how nice of a birthday it was. The things they did for me was as if I were at home and some of my best friends were celebrating my birthday with me. I think we're all lucky to have met each other here and have the opportunity to share such amazing experiences together. The evening developed into something else altogether. Needless to say it was really fun and I don't think I could have asked for better people to spend my birthday with in a better place than Bali.Day 8 - Saturday was spent sleeping, eating, buying some souvenirs, and packing for home. we watched the sunset for the last time in Kuta beach that night.
I may come back to Bali throughout this next year to visit the volcano and do some hiking in other areas of the island. But as for coming in the distant future, I don't know if I want to. The island is gorgeous and the Balinese culture is beautiful, but at the same time I don't want to be part of enabling the overwhelming tourist industry. An Indonesian Rotarian told me she thought the tourism was great for Bali, since practically all of their economy is based on it in addition to crafts and material exports. But I just hope the entire island never becomes completely tailored to tourists and the true Balinese culture is preserved.
It's a little uncomfortable coming back to Singapore from such an unartificial area like Bali. But I have lots of things to look forward to, which always helps ease any fall. And I've realized that about myself that I always want or need something to look forward to, or else I get a little antsy. I attended my host club's meeting yesterday and am looking forward to some charity events coming up through Rotary and an Oktoberfest celebration here in Singapore. Reality has its high points and its low points as well. But traveling is another form of reality that gives you such a high every time you go somewhere new, and your eyes are wide open with wonderment at things you've never seen before and seeing lives so different from your own. I'm already planning my next trip and looking forward to seeing more of the world.
