enjoying Sanur Beach – Bali

The Joys of Visiting Bali 

In 2014 I left SE Asia entirely to explore Oceania for one year. I spent six months roaming around New Zealand, four months visiting friends in Australia, and two months checking out Fiji. That region of the world is expensive and I managed to afford traveling an entire year mainly by cutting out almost all accommodation expenses.

How? I joined over a dozen work exchange gigs, did three amazing House & Pet Sitting assignments, and stayed with long-term friends in Australia. Check out: How I Can Afford a 3-Month Trip to New Zealand.

Needless to say, I had many excellent adventures while enjoying low population densities, lack of crowds and noise. I became accustomed to a quiet, uncrowded peaceful lifestyles. My body even surprisingly enjoyed the much cooler temperatures.

visiting Hobbiton in New Zealand

After one full year in such places, when I began preparing my return to my beloved SE Asia, I had some questions. I wondered how I would deal with intense traffic, dense crowds, loud noise levels. I wondered how my body would deal with the steamy tropical heat I used to love so much. Would it all be too much for me now?

Well, I just landed back on the Island of Gods (aka Bali) two weeks ago. My short answer to those questions is: I love Bali all over again.

Here’s why I’ve always loved visiting Bali and why I still do after two year’s absence:

these little daily offerings are all over Bali

 Bali’s Air Smells Sweet

This might sound like something out of a fairy tale. But it’s absolutely true. Bali smells great! It’s a result of the island’s abundant tropical flowers, trees and bushes in bloom year-round and the daily Hindu offerings placed at all homes, gardens, businesses, temples, beaches, mountains and Banyan trees.

Wherever you walk in Bali, you constantly have to step around cute little woven baskets full of flower petals, rice, offering cakes and incense. Local women make the basket offerings fresh every morning. Then they put on a beautiful sarong & waist sash, grab incense sticks and their baskets and proceed to place them at key points around their homes, gardens, private temples and properties.

I’ve written more about their daily Hindu rituals here.

gamelan troupe perform at a funeral ceremony

 Hearing Tinkling Gamelan Music

Gamelan is Bali’s unique traditional percussion orchestras, composed of cymbals, flutes, drums, gongs and gamelan (which are similar to xylophones or marimbas). The unusual music is played at ceremonies, festivals and performances.

Nowadays, the fast-paced, ever-changing, staccato gamelan music is generally played at resorts, hotels, stores and restaurants. Upscale resorts often have live musicians performing throughout the day.

Personally, I just love hearing this charming music tinkling in the air wherever I go throughout the day. It’s cheerful, unique and constantly reminds me that I’m in Bali. I’ve written about Balinese Gamelan here.

Water Palace – Ubud – Bali

Being Surrounded by Balinese Art & Culture

Balinese Hindu culture and their plethora of arts are so integral to daily life here that you literally cannot go through a day without being surrounded by it. Locals go about their daily Hindu offerings at homes, guest houses, hotels, stores, restaurants and temples.

Special ceremonies and festivals pop up with surprising frequency. Balinese stone statues, architecture, walls, temples, wood carvings and gardens are everywhere. Balinese paintings and interiors decorate rooms, even at budget homestays and guest houses.

Like I said, you are literally surrounded by Balinese art and culture all day long, no matter where you go.

Bubur Ayam – rice soup with chicken, coconut, vegetables and spices. Great for breakfast!

Eating Delicious Indonesian Foods

OMG! I recently spent more than one whole year eating western food while traveling around Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. To be sure, I did eat a lot of delicious meals. But man was I craving Asian food!

It’s so fantastic to eat all the delicious Indonesian foods I love. Every day, all day long, every meal. Yippie!

I don’t know if any of these will dishes make sense to you, but here are some favorite meals I’m eating here in Bali every day: nasi campur, gado-gado, masakan padang, sate ayam, sate gambing dan gule, bubur ayam, soto ayam, daging rendang, babi guling, nanka, terong, tempe manis… the list goes on. Suffice it to say, I’m in culinary heaven.

I’ve described my 5 favorite Indonesian dishes in this guest post on Art of Adventuring.

Babi guling dishes – Bali

The Ease and Speed of Eating Meals

And all I have to do is walk into a local restaurant (warung) or market, point at what I want to eat (It’s already cooked.) sit down at a table and within five minutes start eating. Pay, say thank you (or ‘terima kasih’) and walk away.

No longer is my time is being chewed up going grocery shopping, carrying it all back home, putting it away, cooking 2-3 times a day, washing dishes, packing away left-overs and pans. What a relief!

No wonder I feel like I’ve got heaps more time every day – I do!

 Cheap Food

Despite traveling around New Zealand and Australia for an entire year, I still could not get over how incredibly expensive food is there. Groceries are expensive, let along restaurant meals!

Once in Australia a friend took me out to lunch at Sunshine Coast. She selected what she said was a more-reasonably priced restaurant at a Surf Club. The lunch cost $54 for the two of us. Say, what?! Insanity, I tell you.

Here in Bali, I’m spending the much more reasonable prices of $0.50 – $1.10 US per meal. I kid you not. The most I’ve paid so far, once, was 19,000 rp – aka $1.50 US. Now this is what I call reasonably priced food.

massage spa in Ubud

Getting Weekly Massages

I just got a wonderful deep massage at a lovely spa, complete with my choice of aromatherapy oil, soothing music and a post-massage hot shower, for just 80,000 rp / $6.20 US. Including a 10,000 rp tip I left, the total came to $6.92 US.

Many places in Bail charge even less: 50,000-60,000 per hour are common rates. That’s $3.85 – $4.60 US. At those prices I’m going to get weekly massages while I’m here in Bali. Wouldn’t you?

 Speaking Indonesian

After two years away, it’s a real treat for me to speak Indonesian again. It’s fun for me and locals appreciate the effort.

enjoying Tchampuan cave grotto spa- Ubud

Living Amidst Nature

Since I began my travels in tropical SE Asia in 1998, I’ve come to prefer living close to nature. With such warm weather, I can leave windows and doors open to allow in sun and breezes. Many bungalows and rooms I stay in have open air balconies or verandas.

Many restaurants, shops and hotel lobbies are also open aired. This all makes you more connected to nature. In addition, I’m usually outside strolling beaches, walking in forests or mountains, swimming, sun tanning. I don’t spend much time inside, completely enveloped by walls and closed windows, cut off from nature, as I end up doing in colder countries.

I much prefer the SE Asian close-to-nature lifestyle. 

pristine Sanur Beach – Bali

Living at the Beach and Sea

I realized many years ago that I feel my absolute best – most joyous, most relaxed, happiest – when I’m surrounded by nature. I particularly love living at the sea with the sound of waves lapping the shore or the roar of the mighty ocean. Having sand underfoot, views of the vast water, palm trees and bright hot sunshine remind me that I’m living in my idea of paradise.

 Sun and Heat

I’m absolutely a day person. I adore light, heat and sun. I love bright blue skies, white fluffy clouds and vibrant sunshine. I love feeling the sun’s beautiful heat and suntanning on the sand. Bali is full of bright, body-warming sun.

a few of Yulia guest house rooms

Affording my own room again

Traveling around SE Asia since 1998, I became accustomed to having my own private room at bungalow resorts, guest houses, home-stays and budget hotels. I love my privacy and personal space.

But during the past year of traveling around expensive Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, the most I could afford was a dorm bed in a hostel. And even just a dorm bed cost more that what I usually pay for a private room in SE Asia.

I managed to mostly skip dorms by staying with local people via Help Exchange gigs, visiting friends and doing a couple great house sitting gigs. As a result, most of the year I had my very own room and privacy, as usual, just in homes instead of hotels.

But on the few occasions that I paid for accommodation, I wound up staying in dorm rooms. Not my favorite scenario.

Now I’m thrilled here in Bali to once again be able to afford my very own private room with bathroom, veranda ( and breakfast tossed in as well). Thus far I’ve stayed at four places, with prices ranging from 120,000 rp – 150,000 rp / $9.25 – $11. 50 US. These are the typical rates in Bali in 2015 for budget accommodation. 

great sunglasses can be found easily in Bali

Cheap Prices on Goods

Wowie, Australia and New Zealand are also super expensive when it comes to daily necessities like toiletries and over the counter medicines. Alcohol is also outrageously expensive, as are drinks like coke and sports drinks, and any imported goods like outdoors equipment.

Now that I”m back in Bali, I’ve finally found reasonably priced goods again. Hallelujah! Here are some examples:

* contact solution – NZ/Australia = $15-25 vs. Bali = 50,000 rp / $3.85 US

* charcoal tablets (to clean out digestive tract) NZ/Australia – $25 vs. Bali = 16,000 rp / $1.25 US

* can of coke – NZ/Australia = $3-4 ! vs. Bali = 7000 rp / $0.54 US

* bottle of water 1 L – Bali = 2500 rp / $0.45 US * sports drink Mizone – Bali = 3600 rp / $0.27 US

* chewing gum – NZ/Australia = $1 vs. Bali = 2000 rp / $0.15 US

* cheap sunglasses NZ/Australia = $20 vs. Bali = 50,000-100,000 rp / $3.85 – $7.75 US

* pen – Bali 2500 rp (or less) / $0.20 US

Moral of the story: If you’re heading to Bali or SE Asian countries from US, Europe, Australia or New Zealand, wait to buy your daily needs here. You’ll save a ton of money.

great sundress from Bali

Great Fashion Styles

In Bali the kind of fun, colorful and interesting fashions I prefer are really easy to find. Take for instance sunglasses. In Australia and New Zealand I’d been searching for big roundish pink or purple sunglasses for months, during summer, all to no avail.

As soon as I arrived in Bali, BLAM, I suddenly had a never-ending selection of the exact styles I want, plus a few cool styles I hadn’t seen before. Bali is also one of the few places in the world where I shop for clothes. So many cute sundresses, tops, sarongs, skirts and pants here.

I find it much harder to find styles I like in western countries. Not to mention, the prices in Bali (and SE Asia) are much lower.

Feeling that natural high

Whenever I’m in Bali, I just feel immensely happy, glowing even. Certainly it’s a combination of all the above factors: sweet-smelling air, being surrounded by Bali’s intriguing & unique culture and arts, living close to nature, very affordable living and delicious Asian foods.

Dont’ you find that some places and people you just click with naturally? Bali is one of those places for me. 

Balinese ceremony on the road in Bali

Conclusions:

As for my initial questions about dealing with heavy traffic & crowds, noise and tropical heat…

I have to admit that the steamy midday heat can be a bit much to handle. It’s a great time to return to my room to relax or work and generally just get out of the sun. Getting low-key instead of active seems to make it easy enough to deal with. I am not melting.

I also have to admit that Bali’s traffic is horrendous. Luckily, I can mostly avoid it by simply staying off main roads. In Sanur I get out to the beach as quickly as possible and spend most of my time there. In Ubud I use back roads, side streets and alleys as much as I can. That way I can mostly avoid traffic, crowds and noise.

Luckily, all the guest houses I stay at are quiet, with traffic noise a very dull, distant roar at most. So spending time at my charming guest houses during parts of the day help deal with that as well. Thankfully, nights are quiet.

Bali’s many, many merits easily offset these few hassles. In fact, I hardly notice them as I’m so busy feeling happy and naturally high here on Island of Gods.

QUESTIONS:

If you’ve been to Bali, what do you think of it?

If not, does this sound like a destination you’d love?

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BALI ARAK AND TUAK: BALI’S LOCALLY BREWED “MOONSHINE” CULTURAL INSIGHTS: THE 4 BALINESE NAMES PHOTO GALLERY: LIFE IN RURAL BALI PHOTOS PHOTO GALLERY: Bali’s Dramatic Cremation Ceremonies