Bali is one of over 13,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago and is located just over 2 kilometres from the eastern tip of the island of Java and west of the island of Lombok. The island home of approximately 4 million people is approximately 144 kilometres from east to west and 80 kilometres north to south.
The islands varied landscape of hills and mountains, rugged coastlines and sandy beaches, lush rice terraces and barren volcanic hillsides provide a picturesque backdrop to the colourful and deeply spiritual culture of this 'Island of The Gods'.
The word paradise is used a lot in Bali, and not without reason. The combination of friendly, hospitable people, a magnificently visual culture infused with spirituality and (not least) spectacular beaches with great surfing and diving have made Bali Indonesia's unparalleled number one tourist attraction. Eighty percent of international visitors to Indonesia visit Bali and Bali alone.
The popularity is not without its flip sides — once paradisaical Kuta has degenerated into a congested warren of concrete, touts and scammers live on overcharging tourists, and the island's visibility has even drawn the unwanted attention of terrorists in 2002 and 2005 — but Bali has managed to retain its magic. Bali is a wonderful destination with something for everyone, and though heavily travelled, it is still easy to find some peace and quiet if you like.
Tourist Resort Towns
Kuta - With a long, broad beach on the Indian Ocean, Kuta was originally discovered by tourists as a surfing mecca. Long a stop on the classic backpacking route in Asia, back in the 80's they used to talk about the three Ks (which were Katmandu in Nepal, Khao San road in Bangkok and Kuta).
Alas, today's Kuta is a showcase of excessive development gone wrong - a chaotic, tightly packed mass of concrete and congestion, the beach is overrun with touts and most serious surfers have headed elsewhere.
The 5km long arcing white sand stretch of Kuta is still arguably the best beach front on Bali. The beach is safe, partially clean, well-maintained, although the vendors remain annoying.
Kuta is far from the fishing village it once was: it is now a Pacific resort and its streets are clogged with traffic, particularly during the peak seasons of July and August. The northern beach resorts of Petitinget (within the greaterSeminyak area) and Kerobokan are in many ways more laidback versions of Kuta, less crowded and more suitable for longer stays.
Further north still, Canggu and Dalung offer even more tranquility.
Kuta is now the party area of Bali and most clubs are lined up on Jl. Legian. Also it's the base for every backpacker who starts his/her tour around Bali
Legian - This would have to be the number one choice of areas for people to stay in. Stretching north from Kuta, this area offers easy access to the shops and bars but a slightly more relaxed and less chaotic feeling. The northern area of Legian going towards Seminyak also offers a bit of an escape from the crowds and is also a popular surf beach.
This area basically stretches from Legian Beach Hotel up to Hotel Kumala Pantai or Double Six Road. Most of the popular hotels, such as Bali Mandira and Bali Padma, are on the beach along here. There is no proper road in front of the hotels, however there is a paved pathway between the hotels and the beach which is only open for authorised vehicles when there is a ceremony being held.
This pathway acts like a boulevard and gives guests in this area the advantage of being able to stroll along this stretch to a number of restaurants, bars and nightclubs at the end of Double Six Road.
Seminyak - Seminyak is a beach on the west coast of southern Bali, just north of Kuta, and just south of Umalas. Seminyak is the most upmarket of the west coast's beaches, with high-end accommodation and mostly high-end restaurants and bars to serve its residents. The atmosphere is more sophisticated and laid-back than Kuta, and the beach in particular is quieter during the day, although this area too is developing fast.
The northern end of Seminyak's Petitenget Beach is administratively a part of Kerobokan, although the actual village of this name is some four kilometers further inland.
Sanur - Sanur is a small town on the east side of Bali. The town is due east of Kuta and despite the abundance of restaurants and accommodation, it has a a quieter and more relaxed feel to it.
Jimbaran - Jimbaran is just south of Kuta. It was formerly just a village of fishermen, but is now home to a couple of five-star beach resorts. Two dozen seaside grilled seafood restaurants are a major tourist draw, as are the beautiful sunsets.
Jimbaran has little shopping or night-life of its own, but has the advantage of being closer to Kuta and Seminyak (and the cultural highlights of central Bali) than Nusa Dua.
Nusa Dua - The term "Nusa Dua" can be used in two ways: either it can refer to the entire peninsula at the southern tip of Bali, or it can refer to the purpose-built, safe and sterile tourist enclave at the southeast side of this peninsula. For this article, Nusa Dua covers everything to the east of Uluwatu and south of Benoa.
Uluwatu - Uluwatu proper is a small village on the west coast, south of Jimbaran, but for most visitors it refers only to the famous temple of the same name, several kilometers further south. Many people also use it to refer to the area south of Jimbaran. The entire area is also called the Bukit Peninsula or just The Bukit, while Pecatu (peh-CHA-tuh) refers to a small village inland.
Ubud - Far removed from the drunken bikini scene in Kuta, Ubud can be described as a magical, wonderful, cultural centre -- if you're generous about coping with the burgeoning chaos in the centre, and the spread of workshops along the main roads in and out of town. Above all famous as a center of arts and crafts. Half (if not more) of the town and nearby villages seem to consist of artists' workshops and galleries, mostly retailing cheap reproductions for tourists. There are some remarkable architectural sights, artistic gems to be found, and a general feeling of wellbeing to be enjoyed thanks to the spirit, surroundings and climate.
While Ubud seems to outsiders like one small town, it is in fact 14 villages, each run by its own banjar (the land-owning married men's association; in effect the local government). It's clear that Ubud has been growing rapidly and some central parts are coping less well with the influx of tourists than in previous years (although the drop in visitors following 9/11 and the Kuta bombings slowed development). That said, most developments are sympathetic to the zeitgeist, if not designed specifically in the style of Balinese architecture. Growth is continuing due to the popularity of the Ubud area, but there are still terraced rice fields along the rivers and regular, quiet village life carries on relatively undisturbed just a stone's throw away. However, the encroachment of hotel rooms onto paddyfields, particularly near Monkey Forest and and along the Agung river is noticeable. Many hotels will promote themselves as being "in Ubud" when they are more likely to actually be located in one of the surrounding villages that make up the greater Ubud.
Due to its location 600 meters above sea level Ubud enjoys somewhat cooler temperatures than the coast (bring a pullover for the evening), although the midday sun can still be scorching.
Bedugul - Bedugul is an area in the central mountains of Bali. Bedugul Area is composed of 3 lakes (Bratan, Buyan and Tamblingan) and one main town (Candikuning). At an alitude of 1.150 meters above sea level, Bedugul.
Lovina - Lovina Beach is a long narrow strech of black volcano sand on the north shore of Bali. Virtually empty most of the year, Lovina, like most of Bali, fills up with tourists from all over the world in August. It is a nice break from the bustle of Kuta.
Amed - Amed is the most recent tourist development area in Bali. It was only in 2000 that tarmac was laid on the roads, telephone lines were installed in 2003, and it took until 2007 for a bridge to be built over a section of the road that regularly washed away during the rainy season. To this day, phone lines are so limited in the area that most hotels only have one landline each, so it is wise to bring a mobile phone (cellphone) when visiting if you need to stay in touch with the outside world. Local Indonesian SIM cards can be purchased in thousands of places around Bali. There is also a public telephone office in the centre of Amed and a couple of internet cafes (the connection speed is V-E-R-Y slow, though).
Climate
Bali is always warm, humid and tropical, remaining around 30C to 35C all year round. The April-October dry season and November-March rainy seasons are only relative, with plenty of rainfall around the year, but the Balinese winter is cloudier, more humid and with a higher chance of thunderstorms.
A more important consideration is the tourist season, as Bali can get packed in July-August and again around Christmas and New Year's. Australians also visit during school holidays in early April, late June and late September, while Indonesians visit during national holidays. Outside these peaks, Bali can be surprisingly quiet and good discounts on accommodation are often available.
Culture
Unlike any other island in largely Muslim Indonesia, Bali is a pocket of Hindu religion and culture, although Balinese Hinduism is so far removed from the original Indian variety that the casual eye will be hard put to spot any similarities. Every aspect of Balinese life is suffused with religion, but the most visible signs are the tiny offerings (sesajen) of flowers, glutinous rice and salt in little bamboo leaf trays, found in every Balinese house, restaurant, souvenir stall and airport check-in desk. They are set out and sprinkled with holy water no less then three times a day, before every meal.
Balinese dance and music are also justly famous. As on Java, the gamelan orchestra and wayang kulit shadow puppet theater predominate. Dances include:
barong or "lion dance" — a ritual dance depicting the fight between good and evil, with performers wearing fearsome lion-like masks.
kecak or "monkey dance" — Actually invented in the 1930s by early German resident Walter Spies for a movie but a spectacle nonetheless, with up to 250 dancers in concentric circles chanting "kecak kecak", while a performer in the center acts out a spiritual dance
Brief History
The first Hindus arrived on Bali as early as 100 BC, so it's easy to understand why the island has had some time to develop its own culture. Divided among a number of ruling rajas, occasionally batting off invaders from Java to the west and making forays to conquer Lombok to the east, the north island was finally captured by the Dutch in a series of brutal wars from 1846 to 1849.
Southern Bali (Denpasar area) was not conquered until 1906 and eastern Bali (Klungkung) did not surrender until 1908. In both 1906 and 1908 many Balinese chose death over disgrace and fought en masse until the bitter end, often walking straight into Dutch cannons and gunfire. This "fight to the death" is known as puputan. Victory was bittersweet as the images of the puputan highly tarnished the Dutch in the international community.
Perhaps to make up for this, the Dutch did not make the Balinese enter into a forced cultivation system as had in Java, and instead tried to promote Balinese culture through their policy of "Baliseering" or the "Balinization of Bali".
Bali joined the new republic of Indonesia in 1948. In 1965, after the failed 1965 coup d'etat, allegedly backed by the Communist Party (PKI), state-instigated, anti-communist violence spread across Indonesia. In Bali it has been said that the rivers ran red with the reprisal killings of suspected Communists — estimates of toll vary from 50,000 to 200,000. Most estimates say 80,000 - or 5-8% of the population at the time.
The current chapter in Bali's history began in the seventies when intrepid hippies and surfers discovered Bali's beaches and waves, and tourism soon became the biggest income earner. Despite the shocks of the terrorist attacks in 2002 and 2005, the magical island continues to draw crowds and Bali's culture remains as spectacular as ever. |
