The Travel Bug 2- Bali
April- saw me in Bali with my good friend Lisa who was visiting from India. A 4D-3N package that included the flights on Garuda Airlines via Jakarta and stay in the Mercure -Kuta Beach Resort. Very close to the Bali bombings that happened in 2002. The recovery is amazing and there are no traces anymore.
The first day was spent in exploring a portion of the island of Bali. Bali is pre-dominantly Hindu, so the minute they know you are a Hindu they are quite curious to know more about how we practice the religion. So the day started with dance recital of an obscure incident from the Mahabharatha. The costumes were fantastic with elaborate head gears, masks and the like. The background music was provided by different types of percussion instruments that included hammers! Couldn’t really follow the story but it was quite entertaining in any case.
Bali is renowned for its handcrafts and they have villages dedicated to a particular craft. So we visited a village that has skilled craftsmen employed in creating handmade silver jewelry. We visited a showroom that sold these pieces of art. I am sure they wished we didn’t. Being Indians who frequent the Linking Roads of India, we halved most of the prices and they agreed reluctantly. Though I think they still made a good profit.
Ubud – is the area that these villages occupy. We went to a wood carving village as well that had these sublime Ram-Sita busts with the most beautiful serene expressions. If only I could afford it. The sculpture is firmly etched in my mind and it’s one of the best expressions of love that I have ever seen.
From here we went to Kintamani that are highlands near the volcanic region of Bali. You can even see the steam rising from the active volcano. In the pic, you can see the glassy lake surrounded by these peakless mountains. Nature does have a way of sweeping you of your feet!
On the return journey we went to Goa Gajah- a cave temple dedicated to the Hindu god-Lord Ganesha. There were also lingas denoting the trinity of Indian gods- Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Before you enter you are supposed to cover your legs with a sarong provided by the temple and also wash you hands in the tank that is fed by a fresh water spring.
The next few days are a blur since we spent them all on the beach, in the beautiful blue green waters. Kuta is a surfer’s paradise and I was even willing to try it if only I knew how to even float! For lunch one afternoon, we sampled all the local fruits that the hawker had dipping them in fresh red chilly paste. The names were quite interesting too, snake-skin fruit, hog plums!
One place to avoid in Bali- the Hard Rock Cafe. They had an excuse of a band with the lead singers just screeching into the mike. The food sucked, the cocktails had a sprinkling of alcohol and as the night progressed it started turning into a pick-up jointe for lonely tourists!
Bali is THE tropical paradise it claims to be and has co much to offer besides its famed beaches though I just can’t get enough of these very beaches. Maybe another 10 visits for the beaches and an additional 10 visits to explore the rest of Bali. That should suffice for this lifetime!
The first day was spent in exploring a portion of the island of Bali. Bali is pre-dominantly Hindu, so the minute they know you are a Hindu they are quite curious to know more about how we practice the religion. So the day started with dance recital of an obscure incident from the Mahabharatha. The costumes were fantastic with elaborate head gears, masks and the like. The background music was provided by different types of percussion instruments that included hammers! Couldn’t really follow the story but it was quite entertaining in any case.
Bali is renowned for its handcrafts and they have villages dedicated to a particular craft. So we visited a village that has skilled craftsmen employed in creating handmade silver jewelry. We visited a showroom that sold these pieces of art. I am sure they wished we didn’t. Being Indians who frequent the Linking Roads of India, we halved most of the prices and they agreed reluctantly. Though I think they still made a good profit.
Ubud – is the area that these villages occupy. We went to a wood carving village as well that had these sublime Ram-Sita busts with the most beautiful serene expressions. If only I could afford it. The sculpture is firmly etched in my mind and it’s one of the best expressions of love that I have ever seen.
From here we went to Kintamani that are highlands near the volcanic region of Bali. You can even see the steam rising from the active volcano. In the pic, you can see the glassy lake surrounded by these peakless mountains. Nature does have a way of sweeping you of your feet!
On the return journey we went to Goa Gajah- a cave temple dedicated to the Hindu god-Lord Ganesha. There were also lingas denoting the trinity of Indian gods- Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Before you enter you are supposed to cover your legs with a sarong provided by the temple and also wash you hands in the tank that is fed by a fresh water spring.
The next few days are a blur since we spent them all on the beach, in the beautiful blue green waters. Kuta is a surfer’s paradise and I was even willing to try it if only I knew how to even float! For lunch one afternoon, we sampled all the local fruits that the hawker had dipping them in fresh red chilly paste. The names were quite interesting too, snake-skin fruit, hog plums!
One place to avoid in Bali- the Hard Rock Cafe. They had an excuse of a band with the lead singers just screeching into the mike. The food sucked, the cocktails had a sprinkling of alcohol and as the night progressed it started turning into a pick-up jointe for lonely tourists!
Bali is THE tropical paradise it claims to be and has co much to offer besides its famed beaches though I just can’t get enough of these very beaches. Maybe another 10 visits for the beaches and an additional 10 visits to explore the rest of Bali. That should suffice for this lifetime!
posted by Mo @ 1:58 AM
1 Comments:
Mighty Mo,
Didn't realise you were such an amazing writer!! How come you never let us know about your blog?
Couldn't stop reading once i got started... Keep sweetly surprising us in future too.
Mayank
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