Beginnings

This first blog will probably feel more like a travel guide, so here goes with the do’s and don’ts of being a beach bum in Bali.

The journey begins in Jimbaran, a sleepy beach town with a random assortment of tourists who are mostly poorly-attired Americans wondering why the flight to Hawaii took so long. The fish market at the northern end of the 4km strip of sand is a lively affair from sunrise right through to mid-afternoon when presumably the stench becomes too much even for the locals. At the other end of the beach and perched high on the cliffside is Rock Bar, a south Bali institution responsible for many a visitor’s postcard sunset moment. In between are a plethora of candlelit beachside restaurants that serve essentially the same seafood grill and are very popular at night. After a long flight it’s the ideal spot to relax and allow the ocean to wash away the jetlag.

Having tired of the inactivity I head south toward the more relaxed Bukit peninsula. Padang Padang beach is an oft-mentioned place spoken of in almost mythical tones, I decide it should be my first stop to see what the fuss is all about. It’s accessed via a steep and incredibly narrow set of steps carved through a cliff and if that sounds dramatic, what awaits at the bottom of the descent will take your breath away. A cliff-walled cove provides the perfect acoustics for a live show and on this particular Saturday night it’s an Indonesian reggae band. During the day this small stretch of sand can quickly become clogged, so it’s best to arrive early and watch as the vendors set their stalls for the day and the monkeys dance around the rocks.

A few twisty back roads along the coastline and I reach Balangan beach which is a rocky affair, certainly one for the surfers over the swimmers, with a backdrop of beachside huts on stilts. It’s certainly not for novice surfers either as I found to my cost one particularly painful afternoon. I decided to relegate myself to the elevated restaurants which provided an excellent view of the more skilled boarders tackling the breaks.

At the westernmost tip of South Bali lies Ulu Watu, from where the Indian Ocean stretches unbroken to the east coast of Africa, which probably explains its iconic reputation amongst the surfing community. The sand is not easily reached, in fact the real accomplishment might be from carrying a surfboard all the way down the steep, narrow, winding stairway and actually arriving at the small beach intact, rather than successfully navigating the continuous breaks the beach provides. For those that don’t fancy descending in such a dicey manner, there are a cluster of bars and stores that cling to the edge of the cliff near the summit. Climbing up from here, the stairs become steeper but the views correlate and become ever more spectacular, culminating with the Single Fin bar at the summit, an après-surf mecca, complete with the obligatory reggae soundtrack and the unmistakable smell of cheap weed wafting through the air.

Escaping the peninsula and its surf dude culture we find Sanur, a happy medium between the chaos of Kuta and genteel Jimbaran. I say we as Robin has now joined me for the remainder of the adventure. We start with parasailing, which for $15 was definitely the highlight here. The path along the beach made for a rewarding bike ride offering a glimpse in to the days of ordinary Sanurians making their living off the water, and even a peek in to the more privileged who maintain some magnificent mansions along the same stretch of sea.

Although it’s a couple of weeks before Christmas, most of the places we’ve visited seem sparsely populated. For a whole host of reasons it seems that travelers are staying away, a concern voiced by a number of locals that I chat with. Being Bali though, these negative thoughts don’t linger too long and most people are looking forward to the next few weeks and an upturn in business. Their innate optimism is contagious and I’ve found myself in a very happy mood during my first couple of weeks. It’s been a quiet, relaxed start. The old adage that it’s a marathon not a sprint does apply, but I do feel as if I’m still stuck in the starter’s blocks. It’s time to move on and sample some culture that doesn’t involve sand and sunsets.

Travelling an hour or so north to Ubud provides a welcome change of scenery. Approaching the city made famous by the movie “Eat, Pray, Love” it’s hard not to notice the artistic nature of the place. Artisans displaying sculptures, paintings, and pottery, line the streets. Attention to detail is a central feature in Bali, particularly in design and architecture, none more evident than in the beautiful resorts that are dotted around Ubud, which are as stunning as any I’ve ever seen, including in magazines. However this aesthetic elegance isn’t just limited to the premium establishments, even simple shacks serving buckets of beer retain design elements of note.

First port of call is Ubud’s famed Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, home to three Hindu temples and more famously, hundreds of Balinese macaques. The sanctuary is located in a busy area of the city and acts as an oasis, away from the traffic and the albeit relatively mild harassment by local peddlers. The playful inhabitants seemingly enjoy putting on a show for the amused tourists, but are quick to pounce on any foolish enough to bring food with them, of which there are quite a few. The various stages of panic that envelop the people who come in to physical contact with the monkeys is fun to watch. Later in the day we happen to be driving by the sanctuary again when, without warning a pack of about twenty-five scale the walls and find themselves in the middle of everyday street life in Ubud. As they run amok weaving through traffic and putting on a very acrobatic show through the trees and on rooftops, it’s hard not to think of the Planet of the Apes movies!

There are an abundance of fantastic eateries in Ubud and the food is generally of very high quality, which convinces us to try our hand at making some. Our cooking class begins at dawn with a trip to the local food market. Less than 12 hours ago this place was a haven for those in search of locally-made trinkets and cheap clothing, but now it’s home to exotic fruits and spices, which require the help of a local expert to navigate. We select our ingredients and congregate at a well-equipped hotel kitchen to create something delicious, or in my case, edible.

A couple of hours of chopping, stirring, mortaring and pestling, and we’re sitting at a large table ready to tuck in to our creations. Red curry chicken and mie goreng (fried noodles). A fragrant blend of lemongrass, turmeric, kaffir lime, galangal (a type of ginger), chilies and more familiar ingredients such as green onion and ginger mix together to produce wonderfully flavoured food. Even those in the class with unadventurous tastes seem more than satisfied with the outcome. We leave with full bellies and good intentions to replicate our creations at home.

Musical and theatrical performances are a feature of nightlife in Ubud. The bands play a relentless percussive beat to intricate dances performed by young women, interspersed with some chaotic scenes involving men dressed as elaborate dragons or warriors, prancing around the stage yelling at each other. It’s good fun until the twin onslaught from the bugs and humidity becomes unbearable. The performance that we attend ends rather abruptly as the musicians, who have been giggling almost uncontrollably for the previous half an hour, decide to walk off the stage, presumably in protest that the performance of some of the actors is sub-par. It’s a bizarre scene to end a bizarre production. I blame the relentless bugs and humidity.

The two other things that stand out in Ubud are yoga and wellness spas. Hordes of mostly women populate the streets at any time of the day, armed with their mats, colourful and co-ordinated yoga wear, and of course the standard-issue kale and carrot juice. All manner of body scrubs, massages and exotic facials are available at fractions of the cost at home. Almost without exception people here look healthy and happy, which is fundamentally what life is all about. It’s not surprising that Ubud was recently voted by a prominent travel magazine as the best travel city in the world.

An hour and a half south, Seminyak has a very different feel altogether. Hustle and bustle is the name of the game here, there is a noticeably more western vibe with designer clothing stores alongside cool cafes and some fantastic art galleries. Traffic is brutal but there is still a quiet order to the chaos, an unspoken rule that keeps most people in check of their emotions despite the searing heat. This is however the calm before the storm of Kuta, which is an all-out assault on the senses and none more so than during New Year’s Eve when thousands cram the tiny streets, letting off fireworks in every direction, and creating a carnival atmosphere that in previous years would have been easy to embrace, but this year I’m watching The Force Awakens as the final act of 2015. Perhaps a new perspective is awakening in me?

The area north of Kuta is regarded as a stylish, sophisticated sibling to it’s hectic neighbour and this is perfectly encapsulated by the first few activities of 2016, which include brunch at the divine beachside restaurant La Lucciola, followed by afternoon drinks at the famous, though oddly-named Potato Head Beach Club. A couple of days of recovery follow aided by dining at some very swanky restaurants, my favourite being Sardine, a seafood lover’s dream set in a rice field, as well as sampling some local treats such as babi guling, a well-known Balinese dish that takes pork reverence to a new level. Before we know it time is called on our Balinese adventure, terima kasih (thank you) and bertemu lagi (see you again) to a beautiful corner of the world that has stolen a piece of our hearts.