We were overjoyed when we deplaned in Denpasar, the island capital of Bali. I'd heard so many good things about Bali—the scenery, the food, exotic markets, black rice, Hindu temples, how Bali abounded with all sorts of art galleries and the wonderful folks who inhabit this beautiful island. Since childhood I've longed to experience this mystical place for myself. Now I was living out my fantasy and the long-seated dream of crossing the equator to be there—after over half a century I had achieved my objective.
We arrived in Denpasar in early afternoon. Since I wasn't too tired, after my wife and I had checked into our hotel, I went for a short walk to see the city.
Getting to Know Bali
The walk through the city was interesting, definitely not like our North Side Chicago home. Our hotel was situated in one of the more rustic sections of Denpasar. The streets, buildings and even the people were like a page out of a well-worn copy of National Geographic. The architectural style of the buildings was a healthy mix of Balinese and Indian, with Islamic touches. The streets were narrow yet filled with all sorts of vehicles. People were about the same height as the average American, though mostly brown complexioned, and there were more than a few Australian tourists. Nearly everyone wore casual dress. Since the lay of the land was new to me, I didn't wander too far and after about an hour I returned to our small hotel.
We had dinner at one of the local seaside restaurants. In the strip of eateries that lined the seashore, much to my delight, all-you-can-eat buffets were the order of the day! I forgot what I ate. All I can remember was that it was a LOT and didn't cost much. After dinner we sat beachside awhile watching the surfers do their thing. Once "home" we watched Balinese TV, which was pretty much like television in the U.S. There were game shows, news programs, cultural and sporting events—the entire gamut—all modeled after U.S. programs, just in a different language. Even the suit-and-tie/skirt routine was Western.
Taking in the Sights
With only four days in Denpasar, we decided to hire a tour guide—a very friendly and knowledgeable young man—to drive us to and lecture about the various points of interest.
Our first stop was the Pasar Badung Market. This place should be on every serious tourist's "must see" list. Both the indoor and outdoor markets had stalls which sold at least 20 or more varieties of rice, open bags filled with pungent herbs and spices, several varieties of fish, boxes and packets of local brand foods and all sorts of live food animals. Asian people tend to buy fruits, vegetables and meats that are fresh—nothing canned, frozen or processed for them. My wife tried to buy up the whole island. I settled for a bag of black rice.
We left the Market to tour the Bali Provincial State Museum and the Taman Werdi Budaya Art Center. We later mailed some letters home at a post office where you had to glue your own stamps to your letters! By then it was almost noon so we drove out of the city to shop at some of the many "native" art and textile factories.
We visited the Tilem Fine Art Gallery to sample Balinese woodcarving. Along the way we toured several art galleries where the paintings, prints, batik and drawings were magnificent! I'm an artist by avocation and my wife loves shopping, but we compromise. She avoids art, including my openings, while I pay for her shopping! And Bali is a shopper's dream. Though the prices are competitive with the U.S., the variety of what you can buy is endless. However, shop owners preferred cash to credit cards since it took about 45 days for transactions to clear. Just bring cash when visiting Bali.
We lunched at a roadside restaurant. I had a traditional Indian curry so hot it could make your head sweat. I like my food hot, but my spouse opted for something much milder. I tried the local brew (beer) while she settled for a pop.
We spent the rest of Sunday exploring more of the island. Our guide drove us out to a Hindu temple that featured wild monkeys that actually walk up to tourists and beg for food. We were warned never to touch them. Many tourists have been bitten by these little buggers so we avoided direct contact with the tiny primates, preferring to snap their pictures instead of feeding them.
This wild space was on temple grounds so a temple visit was in order. In Bali when you visit a Hindu place of worship, you are required to wear religious garb somewhat like a green sarong before entering. The two priests at the temple gates were really surprised when they saw me. The two men had to struggle to fit all of me into the green wraparound. Once they accomplished their Herculean task, I politely placed the required donation into the box provided and, along with the guide, we toured the temple, taking many pictures in the process. At each site our guide, a tall thin young man, supplied us with a detailed history of each place we visited.
We completed our day with a trip to Sanur Beach for a snack and an open boat ride on the Indian Ocean. We were less than a mile out to sea when a large freighter passed only yards from our small rowboat. The rough waves nearly tipped us over. The pilot—rower, rather—immediately hightailed it back to shore.
Tourist Etiquette for Holy Places
On our third day we shared an American-style breakfast with our guide at our usual haunt on the beach. After the meal, we went to Bali's Provincial State Park for a stroll and shot more pictures at the Pure Jagantnatha Temple—it's fascinating to see row upon row of Hindu temples, so far from India, alongside traditional Balinese buildings. We discovered that Indonesia is not only the most populous Muslim nation on earth, but it also has a large Hindu population mostly centered on the island of Bali. Again, out of respect we had to don the priestly garment in order to gain access to this temple. As was true in Bangkok, Thailand, some outward display of piety is expected from visitors and locals. Too many tourists occasionally disrespect such niceties so the local people need to remind them and, in some situations, disrespect of holy places has led to arrest or hefty fines. I've noticed some tourists entering Christian churches in cutoff jeans, tank tops and micro-miniskirts, tossing coins in baptismal fonts for "good luck" and taking photographs during the key parts of the services. Fortunately, most tourists are respectful and do dress and act appropriately.
After we left the temple we returned to the city for a side tour of Denpasar's Catholic Cathedral. The huge building was built and furnished with a combination of Hindu and Balinese architectural and interior design styles. This unusual Eastern artistry was a treat to our Western eyes. We stopped several times along the way to take pictures. Camera buffs would also love this place—literally, a photographer's paradise.
On the way back to our hotel, we encountered a group of people preparing for a funeral in the traditional Balinese style where the bodies of the dead are placed in colorful wooden effigies (in similar fashion as certain African tribes), marched in public processions, then cremated in the Hindu manner at designated spots. I watched a young foreign couple help with the decorations. According to our guide, it takes several days or even longer to properly prepare for funerals.
One thing I've noticed during my Asia trips is that in many if not most public and private places, the people appear intensely religious. In the Philippines, there were always Santo Nino shrines with tiny candles. In Thailand, Buddhist shrines are displayed prominently in hotels, shops and even on the streets. In Islamic Brunei, Muslims pray before and after each plane flight, and in Bali there are all sorts of Hindu shrines in restaurants, shops and other public places. And the Balinese are extremely tolerant towards all religions. As a show of good faith, our Hindu tour guide drove us to and from church on his morning off.
Other Delights
Kite flying is also a major spectacle in Bali. We watched open truckloads of mostly young people carrying these really large kites. They were en route to a kite flying competition. I wondered how these folks could actually fly those giants that were shaped like huge birds of prey, dragons and even people.
Denpasar's central business district was a slice of Chicago. There were KFCs, MacDonald's, pizza parlors, super markets, convenience "dollar" stores, banks, department stores and other junk food places that lined both sides of the street. After days of eating Balinese, I just couldn't resist the local KFC.
Whenever I'm in a different country I always shop and eat with the locals. The prices are much cheaper; the food usually tastes better and is cheaper than typical tourist haunts and the variety of items are out of this world. People in other countries have much the same stores that we have here in the U.S., only the stock is different. For example, in Bali the KFC chicken tastes about the same as it does in the U.S., but the sides are rice or other local delights rather than fries, macaroni and cheese or biscuits.
Parting with Friends
On our final day we managed to "take in" some really choice places. I purchased a Balinese devil mask, but I chose not to buy gold at Melati's Art Shop—too expensive. We ended our afternoon with a lavish meal and some souvenir shopping at the ultra-posh Nusa Dua Beach Hotel. After spending the afternoon there it was back to our hotel to retrieve our bags and other belongings, then off to the airport for our flight back via Brunei.
When we arrived at the airport, before check-in, we gave our remaining Balinese currency to our guides. We thanked them for making our stay in their country a pleasant one and vowed to stay in touch once we arrived back in Chicago. We tried to keep our word.
In retrospect, our journey to Bali was a blessed one. We met so many wonderful people and left the country with many good memories and gifts for the folks at home. The island scenery would be a lasting memory, too. We were also very fortunate to have left Bali when we did. A little over a month later, the place where we usually dined was erased from the map by an Islamic terrorist bomb attack and, a month after the bombings, we lost track of our former guides.
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