Postcards From Abroad: Bali, Indonesia, 18-23 Apr 2007: Island Escape<br><i>South To North & Back Again</i>

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Bali, Indonesia, 18-23 Apr 2007: Island Escape
South To North & Back Again

Had to give a lecture in Nusa Dua, a tourist development of 5-star hotels at the southern tip of Bali, about 20 minutes from Denpasar airport. Stayed at Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, which offered dual advantages of beautifully-decorated grounds and close proximity to the conference venue. Spent the first night finishing up the presentation. The talk went off reasonably well the next morning, no difficult questions (relief). Had dinner of traditional Balinese fare in Kuta. After that, it was to Hard Rock Cafe for drinks and then the Bounty disco. (Dinesh, Bali veteran, led the way.)

Next afternoon, joined a tour to Pura Taman Ayun (a temple complex in Mengwi) and Tanah Lot. Memorable dinner in Tanah Lot, at a restaurant on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. To Kuta again in the evening.

Ubud beckoned. Checked out of hotel. Took a USD 30 1-hour plus cab ride there. Heavy rain in Ubud, cleared shortly after I arrived. Searched for losmen along Jalan Kajeng, where budget lodgings congregate. Found one with the help of driver, Rojas: USD 7 per night in a hut with fan and attached shower (no hot water) and toilet, including breakfast! Brief unpacking. Lunch of barbecued suckling pig in a roadside restaurant nearby. Rented a bicycle, and cycled around the town. Saw Ubud Market, the Art Zoo (on the road to Campuhan), Monkey Forest, etc.

Hired a car and driver (USD 35) for the next day. First to Yeh Panas, a hot spring, along the way to Gunung Batukau. The latter is a sacred mountain whose domed top resembles an inverted coconut half from far. There were several worshippers performing cremation ceremony at Pura Luhur Batukau: it was a propitious day for cremation. After Gunung Batukau, it was a circuitous drive along small winding dirt roads to Jatiluwih. Had lunch at Cafe Jatiluwih, surrounded by incomparable views of rice terraces in subtly shifting shades of emerald. (The volcanic soil in Bali being so fertile, rice is harvested continually throughout the year.) After lunch, it was off to Pacung, then Bedugul.

Bedugul is Muslim country in the north of predominantly Hindu Bali. Temperature dips a few degrees here. Serene Lake Bratan and Pura Ulun Danu Bratan offered a cool and refreshing respite. Before making way back south, stopped at Gitgit Multi-tier Waterfall. Swam.

Stopped at Campuhan just before Ubud. Pura Gunung Lebah. Got back to Jalan Kajeng losmen around 5pm. Showered. Searched for restaurant. Got lucky: sublime dinner of nasi, fish pepes, Balinese salad and sauces (USD 3.50) at a restaurant along Monkey Forest Road. Back to the losmen, my last night in Bali. The owners were preparing offerings for the next morning. A reassuring permanence in a changing world.