Bali...
Where to begin?
A land of myths, an island of beauty. Rich in natural resources, Bali remains an island less pervaded by the grounds of urbanisation.
Being in the city for too long, I've been buzzed by noise and little did I appreciate moments of silence.
The moment of touchdown, the air changed. My first steps into the airport, my eyes captured glimpses of Balinese statues. Bali then appeared to me as a land, not just rich in natural resources, beauty, but also culture. This is when I realized, that visiting Bali would have a story of its own.
Walking the streets of Bali for the first night, the roads were clean. Often crowded, with motorcycles constantly pushing their way through cars. And yes, I think I see more branded cars in Bali than in Malaysia, probably a good question to throw to our higher lords. Honks of motorcycles, sounded of chattering, people walking to and fro, mostly the streets are patronized by tourists.
Live band or music is played in different open-aired cafes, causing the clash of dissonances and sounds. These are soft, pop music, allowing the soul to rest to it's beautiful rhythmic beat. Beers in cafes are definitely cheaper here as well.
Day one of our tour began with the taste of the local cuisine; nasi pedas.(Mind you, the sambal was really the spiciest I've ever consumed so far). With that morning call from the spice in our tongues, we began our journey to the silver factories. I learned that working with silver required intricate designs, hard work and a lot of sweat.
We adjourned on to the Kintamani for lunch where we were at the peak of the highland. There, not only sat our buffet lunch, but most amazingly, a volcanic view that was to die for. A lake stretched across the volcanic mountain. In it's surroundings, all that could be felt, was the aura and divinity of nature itself; and serenity which lied in the stream which led to the lake. Quite and peaceful, I heard wind blowing and the wooden chimes that clunged.
We travelled on to coffee-tea tasting in a coffee plantation where our taste-buds began to activate individually. Later on, we travelled further down to the tea plantation site. The area was surrounded with villages, their roofs made from leaves of nature, all dark-browned as if they were already burned by the extreme heat of the sun. The paddy field site was beautiful, almost like a terrace on the hills, where little grass-like paddy were grown. All that was grasps in the moment were the greens, the people who worked, harvesting the paddy fields. Their shoulders were heavy with the weight of baskets of weeds, their head covered with straw hats. Their eyes stated nothing, but the simplicity of living.
After, we had pampering sessions at the spa and message area and then to Bebek (duck) meal for dinner.
The next morning was filled with spirituality and culture of Bali. We headed off early to watch a Barong dance performance. Barong, is a lion-like creature and character in the mythology of Bali. He is the King of Spirits, leader of the hosts of good. In this myth, Rangda is his enemy(demon) and mother of all spirit guiders. The battle between Barong and Rangda is featured in this dance, representing the eternal battle between good and evil.
Our culturally-filled morning was then followed up by our very first diving adventure in one of the beaches. Heavy with chained-gear to weight us down, our full-masked faces and oxygen gear, we were ready to explore five-meters deep in the ocean. For the first time, I encountered marine fishes swimming around me; their boundaries of aquarium walls were destroyed. I could taste the freedom from confinement as the ocean was large, and decorated with beautiful corals. Clown fishes, angel fishes, they swam around us. The sticky anemonae were plentiful on the seabed, clown fishes hiding for protection.
Our adventure continued on to the lovely, which I think lifted to its name, Dreamland beach. The seas roared like the ocean would. For the first time, I saw waves as high as human could stand slamming to the shores of the beach. The sand, soft. The sea, blue and clear. All that was left to do was to listen to the sound of the waves clashing, and melting into the sand.
Watching the performance, and reading about their culture opened my eyes in understanding that they may lack in urbanization, but the uphold of morale, and to religion is as strong as ever. I noticed that banners on elections hung as well. This gave me a sudden thought of how Malaysia might not be too far from their political culture, after all, this might be the one thing in common we share with them.
Bali, a place highly influenced by Hinduism. It is no surprise that the statues of the Mythical Bird and goddess were found all over Bali. Even cultural wise, the people would salute(salam) others as a sign of respect, be it their guest, or their colleagues. Indeed, then, did I question myself regarding how civilisation itself has made us 'more' civilized. Or how urbanization has made us more 'urbanized.' Visiting Bali has indeed opened my eyes wider than just being surrounded in the little world of our own.
This is how Bali will remain in my memory.
XoXo
