Bali! Possibly the most perfect island in the world! Should you go? When’s the best time for your visit?
Answers- Yes! Go! And you should go 82 years ago. Can you have your ticket booked and luggage packed by December 1930?
No? Pity, cause nowadays tourism is so rampant even the Balinese monkeys run gift shops.(Rent binoculars here to see our furry butts! Sightings guaranteed, tourist!). Veteran travelers can’t believe how commercial Bali has become.
The highway from the dazzling beach at Kuta (home of the Ronald McDonald Surfer statue) to the beautiful forest town of Ubud is frequently gridlocked; allowing plenty of time to make your Art purchase from the endless roadside shops that line the road.
Talk about island serenity!
Still… lets’ weigh the facts and draw our conclusion…
Visually, Bali has everything. It has glorious beaches, most especially the Endless Beach that centers at Kuta Beach (home of the International Airport) and continues through two more coastal suburb towns.
It has scenic and non-active volcanoes jutting like firm breasts out of a forested landscape.
As the Italians say, “Its’ gotta nicea climate”.
Bali also seems to have a living spiritual culture which consists of pretty women worshiping, flower trays in soft hands, just about everything. Who can argue with that! (Well, it’s a blend of Hindu and animistic religions. And it’s visually scenic and musically harmonious.)
So, you can snorkel, ride bikes, scuba, explore, wind surf, surf, or just laze in the sun. And amazingly, Bali isn’t expensive. It really can be Paradise on the cheap. Ten dollars American will get you a decent hotel, complete with a simple breakfast. Native restaurants aren’t easy to find, but the tourist restaurants will sell you a quality, beach view dinner for under $5.
Art is the Thing on Bali. (Yes, even the monkeys wear smocks and paint.) Every cheap hotel is architecturally a museum. For $40 a night you can stay in the equivalent of the Louvre. For the price of a coffee you can loaf away the afternoon in the statue filled flower gardens of restaurants that size wise bring to mind the gardens of royal Versailles.
Its’ the combination of religious culture and cheapness that make me give Bali the edge over the great islands of Hawaii.
A note on that religion – Balinese feel their island is filled with spirits, and the Balinese are their traffic controllers. Hence the daily worship. I believe it. After visiting a Balinese temple I had a vivid dream in which I totally was hiking once again with my beloved long deceased dog. Thanks, spirits!
Anyhow, every Eden has its serpents, and the main one here is of course the overflow of tourists. Australians mob the island, which is a short flight for them. Australians are Tropical Russians. Friendly, talkative, and completely rigid in their viewpoints in the worst kind of Darwinian way.
Ha, ha, just joking. But the tourist brings the vendors, who can drive you buggers, mate.
Another downside is that the island of Bali is an island of Indonesia. Nothing wrong there, except the legal system consists of scholarly debates over which hand should be chopped off for smoking funny cigarettes. So don’t. And don’t. Play it real legal on Bali.
Yes, you should visit Bali. Air Asia has cheap flights – from major Asian cities - if booked in advance.
Tell the spirits Ken sent you!
As with most 'tourist spots', it is better to get away from the 'tourist areas' and head for the hinterland...You will find the local Bali people are genuinely interested in what you are doing, and are happy for you to 'hang around' in their villages if you behave yourself.
Many of the touts and 'tourist trap' people in Kuta and other places do not appear to be Balinese - instead coming there to make money from other parts of Indonesia - so be aware of this and be careful with your possessions and your money...but the same in any city really! On holidays, we sometimes let our guard down, to our detriment!
Travel safe, travel smart, travel respectfully!