Blissful Bali

Beaches, sunsets and dramatic temples in the awesome archipelago of Bali leave Sohaila Kapur mesmerised

Bali is a very hot (in every sense of the word) and happening place. Beaches with tanned and trim bodies, raucous bars and night clubs, divine food, cheap shopping and heavenly sunsets. This is what every young person desiring a holiday in one of the most popular holiday resorts in the world, dreams of. But what about middle-aged women, eager to escape screaming grandkids and demanding old parents?

Four of us decided to explore this dream island to see if it matched the publicity it had unleashed on the world. I felt energetic enough to check out every nook and corner in our itinerary, even if my overworked companions decided to just loll in the hammocks next to the pool. But I was in for a shock. They completely outdid me, in that after each eventful trip to a tourist spot, a sporty spree in the pool or the sea and a drinking binge at a watering hole — they were still ready to shop till they dropped! Yes, Bali is a shopper’s paradise. From the beauty of wood and cane furniture to stunning statues, international and local clothing brands, beautiful local jewellery and amazing household artefacts, it’s the kind of haven you can afford to indulge in because your rupee can buy a lot more than it can in your own country! There are over 200 Indonesian Rupiahs to one Indian rupee.

We reached Ngurah Rai Airport at Denpasar, the capital city of Bali Island, which is one of the 17,508 islands in the Indonesian archipelago. We were picked up by our tourist guide, a friendly but non-communicative Indonesian guide, who had to be prodded by the inquisitive foursome, every time something interesting sped by. We drove to Seminyak, one of the highlights of Bali and a popular area, full of European tourists and residents, who run businesses there. Our journey ended at a resort, which was to be our home for the entire week that we were spending in Bali.

A Hindu temple.

Having rested well, the next day we were driven to Celuk, where gold and silversmiths were busy fashioning jewellery and artefacts. It was fascinating watching them twist molten bits of metal into rings and also carve out intricate designs on them. Outside the showroom were sculptures of men riding cycles (perhaps signifying the workers), with rather comical expressions and so out came our selfie sticks. The jewellery within the showroom-cum-museum, was mostly made of silver and studded with precious stones. They resembled Indian jewellery.

Rice terraces in Ubud.

Hill station

From Celuk we drove past Tegalalang, Bali’s famous rice terraces, and drove into the town of Kintamani, with its view of Mount Batur and lake. Batur is one of Bali’s several volcanoes, which last erupted in 2000. The town, with its zigzag roads and gently sloping hills, gave the impression of a hill station. At Kintamani, we had lunch at the famous restaurant of the same name. It had beautiful carvings and paintings on its ceiling and pillars. The waiters and waitresses were dressed in traditional Balinese costumes, but the buffet was international in nature.

On our trip back, we saw several Balinese villages, with graceful, pagoda-like roofs. Each home had several temples dedicated to different Hindu gods in the courtyard. But none of them had idols. Offerings, which are plentiful in Bali (consisting of flowers, fruit and coconut fronds) are offered on flat surfaces mounted by a single pagoda. Hinduism is the main religion. In fact, it’s the only place in Indonesia where Hindus dominate in a predominantly Islamic country. Most homes also had a room dedicated to the dead, where the bodies were kept overnight and washed in the morning, as part of the funeral ritual.

The following day we proceeded to Tanjung Benoa Beach, where we indulged in parasailing. It was thrilling to sail across the sky with only the ocean below you, while tied to a boat. For some of us with no head for heights, it was a bit of a stressful and dizzying experience.

Later, we took a boat to Turtle Island. The boat had a narrow strip of yellowing glass at the bottom where we could occasionally watch darting fish. Turtle Island turned out to be interesting because we were introduced to amphibians like giant turtles and some furry and feathered friends, in an open zoo where one could interact with and hold them. Apart from the giant turtles, the owls, who turned their heads 360 degrees while peering at us from their yellow, saucer-like eyes, were fascinating.

Historical connect

Our next trip was to GWK, or the Garuda Wisnu Kencana, with beautiful, statues, massive in structure, from the Ramayana. We sighted Vishnu flying Garuda, his vehicle, between the cliffs. Garuda is also sculpted in a watchful posture, eyeing his eggs, nestling in his nest. But it is the 396-foot-tall bronze Vishnu statue (98 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty), that was really the highlight.

He looks down at you with a kind expression, as you stare up at him. The face is distinctly Indonesian and the gold crown elaborate. He has little resemblance to the calendar art I am used to. Lunch was at Beranda’s restaurant, where again, we got a taste of Continental and Pan Asian food. We later watched a couple of Balinese dance performances, which were reminiscent of our classical dances, particularly Kathakali and Manipuri.

After the performances, we visited Pandawa Beach, which was breathtaking in its vastness. The Mahabharata, like the Ramayana, is also a sacred text for the Balinese and is the inspiration for their art forms and classical dances. In India, we don’t see statues of the heroes of the Mahabharata, except Krishna, but here, carved on the cliffs of this beach were the five Pandavas and their mother, Kunti. Similar large and beautifully carved statues of the Mahabharata heroes were spread throughout the city, especially at road junctions. The gold beach sloped into the turquoise and green ocean, while parasailing tourists gliding over it looked like exotic birds.

Our final destination that day was Uluwatu Beach, known for its glorious sunsets. We climbed up the cliff and waited with the crowd. Unfortunately, it became cloudy and the only entertainment we got was a monkey on heat, while his thieving companions eyed cameras and purses to snatch.

Perhaps our most unique tour was to Bedugul. We got to see the beautiful Taman Ayun (the royal temple and garden) in Mengwi and the placid and pretty lake, Beratan. It was a Sunday and crowds flocked to the Ulun Danu Temple, where prayers were on in full swing. Smoke from incense sticks flowed freely as the crowds chanted and then accepted the holy water and prasad at the end from the priests.

We had lunch at the Mentari Restaurant in Bedugul, after which we visited the temple on the rock, the Tanah Lot, to see the sunset. It was a clear day but we had to leave early as we had decided to see the Ramayana show in a small courtyard that mimicked an amphitheatre. Interestingly, the three main characters of Ram, Sita and Lakshman, were played by women.

We got to see the episode when Sita is abducted to Lanka.

There were many caves with statues that we decided against seeing because it would not have been different from our own historical sites. But yes, on our free days, we did indulge in eating different kinds of food and discovered upmarket restaurants.

Eight days and seven nights later, we were back in Delhi, taking a vacation from our exhausting vacation!