Bali…it really is all that

You always hear about Bali and how beautiful it is. It was because of all this hype that I had not gone. I had assumed it would be over commercialized and cheesy. I could not be more wrong. 

I arrived the evening before Silent Day and was surprised at how much culture is still very much alive in the area. The villages are filled with locals and you won’t find a Starbucks or any fast food venues anywhere. Keep in mind that I didn’t go to the beach area, but was staying in the jungle part of the island by Ubud. My reasoning? I wanted culture and I wanted to be rice farmer for a day.


PLANTING RICE FOR A DAY

Let me tell you that planting rice is sort of relaxing. First of all, you are barefoot and walking in muddy water that goes mid-calf. And then you are focused on planting a couple stems of rice every few inches apart in straight rows. It’s methodical and after a while you tune out and your mind has the chance to wander in a relaxing way. There is no multitasking, technology or pressure. It’s bend and plant, bend and plant, bend and plant.

But there are some downsides. It’s labor intensive and because you are bent over all day, it’s probably not amazing for your back. It’s also really hot in Bali – so even though the mud and water are cool, you still sweat a lot. It was a great experience though that made you hungry for lunch.

SO MUCH COLOR

Why is it that cities like New York, Toronto, London and even Geneva are so blah when it comes to color? Everyone is in black and the streets seem gray. Bali is the opposite. There is so much color everywhere.  Bright blues, pinks, oranges, yellows and of course, the whole island is lush and green.

 

I had the chance to watch some traditional Balinese dancers and their outfits were incredible. The dancing was like nothing I had seen before as they dance with their eyes. No really. They do. They open their eyes wide and the pupils are part of their dance movements.

Finally, I have to tell you about the food. It’s good, but interesting. They use spices like Sri Lanka and Thailand, but their curries are more sweet and nutty with a lingering heat that is different from the other places I’ve been too. They also use a lot of browned shallots that you spoon into everything from rice to stir fries to broth soups. One of the locals told me that they make satays out of anything they can catch including bats.  I'm sure they taste good if you didn't know what they were.

Bali really is as beautiful as they say. And I did spend one day in the more touristy beach area and that was beautiful as well. There were more hotels lined up along the coast, but it still had a strong local feel to it.

I ran into Maria from Where in the World is Paradise while there.  You can check out her photos as they are amazing.