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Published: March 4th 2007
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We chose Bali as the starting point for our tour of Indonesia. We had allocated seven weeks to this sprawling archipelago - even longer than we had spent in India, partly due to the diverse and fascinating cultures and partly due to the myriad geographical wonders it has to offer. Many people are put-off coming to this troubled country, for a number of reasons: terrorist bombings in Bali and Jakarta, religious conflict in Sulawesi and Maluku, and civil unrest in Sumatra and Papua. Not to mention, the world's highest number of bird-flu cases, the threat of flooding and numerous active volcanoes. So, it was with a touch of trepidation that we boarded the plane to Denpasar, asking 'what are we letting ourselves in for?' We had waved goodbye to tourist-friendly Thailand, and prepared ourselves for a true adventure!
We eased ourselves in gently, finding an idyllic guesthouse with a bath-like swimming pool in Bali's cultural inland town of Ubud. Surrounding the centrally located Monkey Forest road, the town is comprised of hotels, posh boutique-style shops, international restaurants and countless galleries. It's a popular holiday destination (or, at least, it was, until the Bali bombing) and easy to navigate on foot,
if a little hot.
We spent a few days wandering around the shops and the market, being hassled for taxis and other transport every ten yards. The restaurants were fantastic. One Sunday evening we
treated ourselves to roast beef and roast lamb Sunday dinners in the pleasant surroundings of 'Deli Cat' to the sound of spontaneous guitar-playing (this would become a familiar
presence in Indonesia).
We had one action-packed day, which started with a visit to the Monkey Forest: Scores of banana-pinching macacques leapt all around us and provided much amusement. Afterwards, David headed off for a fun trip to the local reptile park to see the famous Komodo dragon, plus a host of other scaly and squirmy specimens. Louise, meanwhile, ambled in the colourful marketplace, full of local handicrafts and over-eager stallholders, shouting and grabbing, desperately. She bought a few well-bargained-for items, soon realising that she had to offer twenty-five percent of the original selling price to get the right deal.
We joined back together, hot and bothered, for a relaxing afternoon by the pool. Then, we rounded off our time in this pleasant town with a cultural evening at Ubud palace where we saw a
traditional Balinese dance performance. The most entertaining aspect of this spectacle was when the rain forced the entire ensemble - orchestra, dancers and audience - to hurriedly switch to the less impressive indoor stage area. The accuracy and enthusiasm of the dancers were undermined by the tiringly repetitive choreography and music. Well, at least we gave it a go!
With no time to lose, we set off for Seminyak, an alternative to the over-touristed party scene on Kuta beach. We had a frustrating first day here, trying vainly to get things done in the heat of Bali's equatorial climate. In order to drink enough water to replace the sweat we were emitting, we would have needed to be placed on drips.
We spent Valentine's day here too. Beginning our evening at a Greek restaurant for a delicious slap-up feast with wine (this is a rare treat in Asia!), we lavishly stepped into an air-con taxi to arrive at the party district on the beach.
Hailed into an empty bar, and presented with Valentine masks and free vodka jellies, a man in a bright white suit enthusiastically entertained us, along with the other two patrons at the otherwise
deserted party. We would later discover that the theme of this party was 'desperate and dateless'! The Canadian crooner serenaded us, pulling off Jackson-esque moves to classics like 'Purple rain', 'Ain't nobody' and 'Lady' in his unique but impressive, soulful style. It was hilarious, but great.
Gradually, numbers grew, as the desperate and dateless poured in. Before we knew it, there was a roaring party in progress. Louise spent most of the night on the dance-floor with an older lady (in a straw hat) from Kalimantan, Borneo. David, meanwhile, was deeply engaged in conversation with a distinguished Malaysian gentleman. A band with as many members as Showaddywaddy kicked in, and the dance-floor heaved.
We even took part in a 'snog contest'. Close, but no free bottle of whisky! This was probably a blessing however, as we had been sinking drinks like there was no tomorrow. Unfortunately, there was a tomorrow, and it came all too soon with an early taxi to the airport. Like zombies, we packed and left, later flopping on hard departure-lounge seating before taking off for Sulawesi.
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Alex
non-member comment
Nice mask!
You look a bit like Raphael, without the sword.