One of things that I feel most fortunate about when it comes to living in Japan is the opportunities that I have to travel to so many neat places. I fully recognize that the amount I am traveling over these two years is "not typical" and truly is a once in a lifetime experience. I hope to continue traveling once we return home; however, a trip a year will probably be much more realistic at that point!
Before moving to Japan, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand were the only places on my "countries visited" list. All modern, English-speaking, highly-developed countries in which day-to-day life was not was too different than I was used to. In the past year, I've added Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan to my list. Again, all highly-developed countries that felt a bit different - mainly due to language differences. Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan all "graduated" to developed country status in the late 1990s. As I was writing this blogpost - I first started using the terms "first world" and "third world" - however, a bit of research revealed that the current terms being used are "developed country" versus"developing country."
New Year's break gave Kaz about ten days off work - so we decided to spend that time traveling to Australia. Firstly, because it was a county that's been on my list for a long time. And secondly, because December/January are right in the middle of Australia's summer! And a break from the cold weather is always a welcome one! As we were looking into the best ways to travel to Australia - we decided that a two-day trip to Bali would be an easy and neat way to break up the travel from Japan.
I must admit that I am not the most geographically-talented or worldly person...so what I knew about Bali was basically from the pictures I had seen online...sandy beaches, bright blue oceans, and the like. As I began to research further, I realized that while some of Bali is known for its beaches - most of the island is actually rainforest. And, since we only had a short time in Bali - and we would be getting some beach time in Australia - we decided that the rainforest would be our area of focus on this trip. So, to Ubud we went.
Bali is an island and province of Indonesia and has seen a significant rise in tourism since the 1980s. For those of you who have seen or read - Eat, Pray, Love - Bali is one of the places that is featured. The island of Bali has a population of just over 4 million people and is home to Indonesia's Hindu minority. In fact, over 80% of Balinese residents practice Balinese Hinduism. In Bali, the main language spoken is Indonesian though many people speak Balinese. English is also spoken - especially with the recent rise in tourism.
Our trip to Bali was a bit more eventful than I had hoped. During the last part of the flight, I developed a migraine and spent the entire landing process with my head in a travel sickness bag. As we got off the plane - and were greeted with tropical temperatures and humidity - all I wanted to do was lay on a bench in the airport until I felt a bit better. Unfortunately, we had a driver waiting for us and had close to a 90-minute drive to our hotel. Bali has only one airport...so most tourists have to travel quite a distance to their accommodations. Our time in the airport and the extremely bumpy ride to the hotel are quite a blur - all I really remember is Kaz telling me to hold tight to my suitcases (because people will take them from you and then offer to drive you to your destination) and then explaining to our driver that I was tired and would be more talkative the next day (I didn't want to give him an inkling that I was trying my best not to get sick in his car).
 |
| Our View |
Our hotel was beautiful! I can really only explain it as a slice of paradise in the middle of the rainforest. From our window - we could see rainforest in all directions - and hear birds and other animals singing their rainforest tunes. Bali is known for its resorts, which are spectacular and also much cheaper than basic hotels in America and other parts of the world. Many people come to Bali simply to relax in the resorts - and don't get the opportunity to really explore Bali and the Balinese culture. Our hope was that we would get to explore Ubud as much as possible in our short time!
The next morning - after a good night's sleep and plenty of Motrin...our driver, Ketut, picked us up for a day of sightseeing around Ubud. I've never had a driver before - however, getting a driver is the top recommendation made when researching Bali (and especially Ubud). This is because getting around can be rather chaotic and challenging and isn't recommended for tourists (especially those staying such a short time). We did read that many people rent scooters; however, after witnessing what scooter driving looked like in Ubud...I am beyond thankful that we did not pick that option.
Ubud is a town made up of small farms, rice paddies, and dense forests. It has a population of about 30,000 people and is known as one of Bali's arts and cultural centers. While Ubud's tourism industry is increasing - it does not have a "resorty" feel like many of the other Bali towns. Ubud really had an undisturbed and authentic feel.
Our Ketut-approved tour of Ubud and its surrounding areas included...
A traditional barong dance performance
Barong is probably the most well-known dance in Bali. It is a storytelling dance that narrates the fight between good and evil.
A local Hindu Temple
Instead of taking us to a super popular and touristy Hindu Temple - Ketut took us to a smaller and more local temple so that we could explore a bit more without the crowds. I was impressed with the ornateness of the temples - the stone carvings were breathtaking. When entering the temple, we had to wear a sarong (which is a colorful piece of fabric that covers your legs). This is traditional temple-wear...though the men's looked a little different. 
I also learned that a small cage I saw was for bird fighting, which apparently is very popular in Bali...and is actually part of many Hindu ceremonies. Two birds are put in one cage and they fight until one bird is killed. I actually saw several children carrying dead roosters during our time there - as well as many people riding on their scooters while carrying bird cages!
To save this blog post from becoming too lengthy - I won't go into the specifics of Balinese Hinduism - but you can read more here if you are interested.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balinese_Hinduism)
 |
| Offerings for the Temple |
 |
| Birdfighting Cage |
Tegenungan Waterfall
A beautiful waterfall in which many people hike to and swim. We didn't bring our swimsuits this time - but we did soak our feet in the ice cold water for a bit.
Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave)
Goa Gajah dates back to the 11th century and was believed to be built as a spiritual place for meditation. It contains elements of both Buddhism and Hinduism - and was discovered in the 1922. The facade of the cave is covered in many carvings with the main one being an elephant (just one theory regarding where the name of the temple came from). The bathing temple was added in the 1950s to ward off evil spirits. And, as you walk deeper into the temple, you discover huge broken boulders with carvings all over them. These are apparently the remains of some structures destroyed in a 1917 earthquake.
Tirta Empul Temple (also referred to as the Temple of Fresh/Clean Water by the locals)
The temple compound consists of a bathing structure, famous for its holy spring water. The temple pond has a spring that gives out fresh water regularly. Balinese Hindus visit the temple for ritual purification. In Bali, we were not able to drink the water (and had to rely solely on bottled water), so clean water is an extremely big deal. The bathing structures were full of people bathing in the water and drinking the water. Many people even brought jugs that they filled up with the holy (and clean) water. We didn't join in this time - but we enjoyed being able to take in all of the sites.
Santi Coffee Plantation
After lunch, Ketut took us to a small coffee plantation. We were given a tour and were able to try many types of coffee and tea. Many had coconut sugar added to them - and other flavors like vanilla, chocolate, and even ginseng (all grown at the plantation as well). YUM! We also tried the "Bali-famous" Kopi Luwak coffee (which apparently is the most expensive coffee in the world; a cup sells for up to $100 in New York City). A cat-like animal known as a civet eats the coffee berry, but cannot digest the "stone" (aka - the coffee bean) - so that is excreted in the civet's poop. The poop is then collected and the coffee beans are harvested from the poop, washed, roasted, and then ground into coffee. Sounds gross, right?! What apparently makes the coffee so delicious is that the civets only eat the best coffee berries and then the whole digestion process makes the coffee less bitter. I have to say - the "poop coffee" was quite tasty - and we brought some home...so let me know if you want to give it a try! ;)
Tegalalang Rice Terraces
Our last stop on our whirlwind and action-packed tour of Ubud was the famous rice terraces. The rice paddies are located on a hill bank and showcase the traditional Balinese cooperative irrigation system known as subak (which was developed in the 9th century). They became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 and are definitely worth a visit. Pictures don't do the enormity of the terraces even a bit of justice.
Our second (and last) day in Bali was spent visiting the Ubud Market and taking a cooking class to learn a bit about Balinese cuisine. The morning brought heavy rains and so we slogged and squished through the market. I have to say that I was overwhelmed by the sites and smells - and had a hard time focusing on what our guide was saying about the foods and spices. I must also admit that I was a bit relieved that the food we used during our class had not come from the market. The mix of food, rain, bugs, and garbage had my stomach turning a bit.
Our cooking instructor, Ketut, was super entertaining - and our class took place in an open-air kitchen overlooking the rainforest! We spent about five hours (as a group - there were 10 of us or so) learning to make many traditional Balinese dishes. We made three sauces - peanut sauce, bumbu bali (their base sauce), and sambal ulek (spicy sauce). Then we made ayam bumbu bali (balinese fried chicken in a curry sauce), pepes ikan (steamed fish in a banana leaf), chicken satay, balinese fried noodles, and chicken soup. We were able to enjoy them - and they were delicious! We were even given a copy of each of the recipes and I am excited to try them at home...especially the chicken satay and peanut sauce! :)
Overall, I have to say that I definitely enjoyed our trip to Bali. I'll admit that being in a developing country definitely helped me to recognize just how much I take for granted in my daily life. Some of the sites, moments, and experiences were surprising to me. Things like not being able to drink the water, ocean beaches covered in trash, unsanitary conditions in the market, etc. were a lot to take in. Especially when contrasted with the fancy and extravagant resorts. Sure, I know these type of things exist - and yet experiencing them firsthand is quite different and even more humbling. And, at the same time, the experience in Bali made me think more about all the "extras" I have in my life - and the idea of simplifying a bit so that I can focus even more of my time and energy on what really matters to me.
If I had to pick one experience that sums up my two days in Bali - I would have to say that it was the traffic/driving experience. The roads were crowded - sometimes paved, sometimes not. There were cars everywhere and hundreds of scooters swerving in and out of traffic constantly. And yet - among this craziness and chaos...drivers were constantly waving people on, moving over to make room, and kindly sounding their horns to give people the go-ahead or to let them know they were approaching. Another reminder that no matter where I go...kindness really is the universal language.
Sunny Moments: Exploring a new place and culture; counting my blessings
Cloudy Moments: Being sick on a plane
No comments:
Post a Comment