Paradise Lost

Gleeming crescents of golden sand, crystal clear blue tinged sea, fringed by swaying palm trees. Quiet tree lined avenues, through green and fertile land, leading to such idyllic coves are the pictures conjured up by myths of Bali. These would be my perfect picture of paradise, what a shame the reality is so far from the legend. Luckily I’d been warned, I hadn’t expected too much. In fact I had little intention to linger overly long, without flying the only easy passage was skirt around Bali. Every person I’ve met with recent experience of Bali has warned me off the place. They told me it was overdeveloped, the people tended to be lazy and more interested in your money than you as a person. It’s a party place I was told, banging music and drunken crowds of young Aussies prevail. Despite all this I couldn’t bring myself to pass through without giving it without seeing for myself. So forewarned I did some research and chose to restrict myself to the quieter north coast, thereby missing the crowds, avoiding the noisy hub of tourism here. (Photo: Approaching Bali - Bali ferry, Indonesia)

Mist laden volcanoes arose through the distant haze as the ferry approached the island. Wooden slopes descended towards a coast lined by narrow bars of golden sand, it provided an enchanted vision, the promise of paradise. Disembarking at the port was onto an orderly dockside, intricate stelae gave it a lovely old world type charm. Friendly smiles from port security greeted us, welcoming us warmly to Bali. And as I’ve found in the rest of Indonesia everyone was polite and helpful, “please sir, the bus terminal is that way”. I was even lead to the bus by a very obliging guy, who also acted as interpreter for me, he only skimmed 5,000 rupiah off the fare for the privilege. But it was only 35p, which is little in the grand scheme of my travels, it often helps to lessen the hassle. All that was left for me to do once on the bus was to explain exactly where in Lovina I wanted dropping. That I can easily do in Indonesian, so I was on my way, comfortable in the knowledge I’d be notified when we got to the right place. (Up to his neck in fish - North coast of Bali, Indonesia)

The north coast is renowned for being the quieter route in Bali, so I’m really glad I chose that one. It was busy, to say the least. Most villages caused a traffic snarl-up, and there were plenty of them. Motorbikes would weave in and out of the heavier vehicles, into the path of oncoming traffic, down the verge on the wrong side and through pedestrians on the sidewalk. On the open road traffic thinned slightly, but the impatience honking of horns accompanied us all the way. I’d imagined the road to provide constant views of coastline, which it rarely did. Trees formed an impenetrable barrier between village at first, after an hour or so they thinned out and more could be seen of the terrain. Maize was the common crop, with virtually no sign of rice until halfway round the island. Even in coconut groves it would be grown between the palms. But most the land stood bare, a rough wasteland with an occasional cow grazing. In fact there were actually more cows in evidence than I’d seen in Java, which is strange because Bali is predominantly Hindu whereas Java is Muslim. (Photo: A long way from paradise - Lovina beach, Bali)

All I can say about the beach area of Lovina is negative, if this is the better part of Bali I don’t want to see any more. At the head of the beach it’s wall to wall guesthouses, 50m deep. It’s off-season so they aren’t too expensive yet, but food is still far more than in Java. When the tide is in there is nothing left but 3m of sand between the water and guesthouses. Of the water itself, it’s a garbage dump; bottles, plastic bags, household items, even bags full of rubbish floating half submerge. I walked miles today litter is strewn everywhere, I can only assume the whole island is the same. The people are very friendly, but the hassle to buy, ride, eat, drink, etc, etc is nonstop. I maintain my ethic of not ignoring people, giving them the time of day, but it’s trying my patience. I don’t want to go anywhere near the beach area, I can’t even sit and read in peace, not even for five minutes. (Photo: Hindu deity - Anturan, Bali)

There are plenty of interesting Hindu deities depicted in cement, lots of very ornamental arches and gateways. I also know of some worthwhile sites inland. But it isn’t enough to make up for the constant drone of traffic, the hassle from hawkers and touts. If you can classify this as paradise you need to broaden your horizons. On second thoughts, no, enjoy it. That way it leaves the truly wonderful places for those who are more deserving. Maybe if I felt I had more time I would explore further rather than write off the whole island, but Sulawesi beckons and that is where I most want to spend time.