It's not often I get to watch tanned young things surf tropical waters as my international flight comes into land. Yet just beyond the wingtip, or so it seemed, herds of young Australians cut and ride the warm waters of Jimbaran Bay as our Singapore Airlines flight glides down onto the runway at Ngurah Rai airport.
"Salamat dating," wafts the voice over the intercom. "Welcome to Bali".
Of the 17 000 islands that make up Indonesia, Bali is far and away the most popular with tourists, offering tropical beaches, great surfing, outstanding cuisine and a wonderful mix of cultures and religions.
Most travellers find their feet in the tourist hotspot of Kuta, a short ride from the airport, but once you've recovered from the jetlag it's best to escape this package-tourist-purgatory of Irish pubs and fake sunglasses. It might be your first stop, but it's also the last place you want to spend time on the beautiful islands of Indonesia.
If you want to ease into your Indonesian escape, Bali's southern Bukit Peninsula is a good bet. From Mauritian-style resorts in Nusa Dua to humble surf-shacks near the fabled left-hand break of Ulu Watu there will be something to suit your pocket.
You're also just a short taxi-ride away from Jimbaran Bay where, come sunset, the stretch of sand transforms into a stunning strip of outdoor seafood restaurants. While your lobster grills over smouldering coconut husks, wiggle your toes deep down into the sand and call for another ice-cold Bintang beer.
Many of the restaurants even offer a free-shuttle service for the quick ride back to your hotel. One of the beauties of Bali is that nothing is ever very far away.
Just 145km wide by 80km long, the main sites are clustered in the centre of the island just an hour or two's drive from the south.
To be polite, the Balinese have a 'unique' style of driving so it's best to hop on a tour or charter a taxi if you don't want to collect a few grey hairs along the way. Perama Tours has offices throughout the island and is an affordable, reputable operator.
From the south a day-tour could include visiting the dive sites of the north coast, rice paddies of the interior or the slopes of Mount Agung; the island's highest volcano at 3142m.
Many tours also stop off in Ubud, but this village in the heart of Bali deserves a few days, not hours, of your holiday. A cool retreat from the steamy coast, it is also the cultural heart of Bali where galleries and craft shops line the streets and the island's top chefs compete with artistry on a plate. Don't leave town without trying the Babi Guling (Roast suckling pig) on offer at the Ibu Oka food stall.
Ubud is also home to dozens of outstanding spa retreats; from five-star resorts to one-room operations where an hour's Balinese massage can cost as little as R60. For something a little more active, the area offers excellent mountain biking, river-rafting (in the rainy season), walking and birding.
A visit to Ubud's Sacred Monkey Forest in the centre of town is also a must. Over 300 Long-tail Macaques live in the forest, clambering over the 14th century Holy Monkey Temples to make light work of the daily offerings.
Unlike most of Indo (as seasoned travellers like to call it), Bali is a largely Hindu island and the locals make small offerings each morning, leaving bamboo-leaf parcels of food, flowers and incense on doorsteps, tables and dashboards to appease the gods. Whether irreverent or just plain peckish, the macaques don't take long to pull the parcels apart looking for anything edible.
Hinduism is woven throughout the fabric of daily life in Bali, and temples dot the roadside at almost every turn. Tours of the island routinely include some of the most spectacular, and inevitably end up at the magnificent Pura Tanah Lot.
Facing the setting sun, the temple is built on an island just offshore that is surrounded by sea on the high-tide. When the tide is out the temple monks will show you the fresh-water spring that flows from beneath the rocks, and bestow a short rice blessing. For a donation of course.
Tanah Lot is at its most spectacular at sunset, but be prepared to share it with hundreds of other tourists and touts. Off beyond the sunset lies the powerhouse of Indonesia; the island of Java.
The capital Jakarta is the island's financial hub, but the central city of Yogyakarta is its soul; home to universities, artists and some of the world's most evocative temples.
The city centre is small enough to explore on foot, but if the tropical stickiness gets to you then there are always becak rickshaws around to give you a lift.
The palace of the sultans – the kraton – in the heart of Yogyakarta is the main attraction, but the city is also famous for its batik paintings. Cheap knock-offs abound in the main market, so rather head for a smaller gallery where you can see the craftsmen at work and learn a little about this delicate art.
However, the main artistry that draws tourists to this corner of Java lies a little way outside of town. In a curious mix of religions, Yogya is home to two notable holy sites from two different religions; the Buddhist temple of Borobodur and the Hindu ruins of Prambanan.
Prambanan was badly damaged in recent earthquakes, but is well-worth a visit for its intricate stone-work and a performance of the Ramayana ballet in a nearby amphitheatre.
My favourite, however, is the lost in time temple of Borobodur.
Built over 1200 years ago, the temple lay forgotten in the jungle until Sir Stamford Raffles discovered it buried under layers of volcanic ash in 1815.
Today, it sits serenely amongst the palms and is a popular spot at sunset when tourists clamber over the two million stone blocks to admire the intricate carvings of the path to Buddhist nirvana.
Nirvana is also what you'll find on the beaches of the Gili Islands, a ferry-ride away off the east coast of Bali.
Each of the three islands has its own character; from party-heavy Gili Trawangan favoured by backpackers and student-types to the cast-away Gili Meno where nothing much happens too quickly. Somewhere in-between is the delightful Gili Air, a heavenly mix of tropical escape and island style.
After a day spent diving in the channels or snorkelling the nearby reefs, you can crawl under a palm-thatch gazebo, order another Bintang and make that all-important dinner choice between freshly-caught prawns or still-flapping Snapper.
To the west the setting sun turns the skies above Mount Agung the colour of a monk's saffron robes. As you lean back, toes wiggling in the sand of yet another perfect beach, it's easy to see how these three tiny islands are the perfect place to turn up, tune in and bliss out.
- Originally published in Garden & Home Magazine, May 2009
|
Or just a sign of commercialism heading south? Refuse to shop at Melissa's nowadays: overpriced and average
