Beautiful Bali

As temperatures dropped with the arrival of winter, thoughts turned to warmer climates, beaches, tropical fruit, and golden tans. Oh, to break free of heavy coats and winter slush! If you haven’t decided on a winter getaway, consider Bali. Yes, Bali – the magical Indonesian island that has enchanted mystics, 17th century explorers, surfer hippies, artists, and contemporary authors such as Elizabeth Gilbert of Eat, Pray, Love fame.

My first childhood memories are of Bali. I remember shell hunting with my brother, riding horses across yellow and black sand beaches, monkeys scampering by the tiered Hindu temples, and the scent of salty sea and tropical jungle. The sights, sounds, and smells of that early Balinese vacation never left me. Bali would colour my imagination for years to come as a place of deep spirituality, history, and natural beauty.

The best way to explore Bali is to hire a car and driver to take you around. It is inexpensive and you avoid the tourist hordes by coming at sunrise or sunset to the island’s most beautiful locations. There is a delightful freedom in setting your own itinerary. I explore deserted beaches, eat lunch by a waterfall, and visit flower and spice markets. I visit the “Mother Temple” of Besakih (the most sacred of all the Hindu temples) and the stunning water temple of Ulan Danu, Sangeh’s holy forest filled with wild monkeys, Lake Batur, and Kintamani volcano.

The drive along the northern coast is a landscape of rice terraces and large plantations of vanilla, coffee, cacao, and cloves. In a village, I watch an elaborate dance and puppet performance with gamelan gong music while locals chew betel nut.

Ubud is an essential stop. Ubud was an artist’s enclave, touted by many visitors for years as the “real Bali.” Today, it is a busy town of galleries, restaurants, and stunning luxury hotels and residences. Ubud retains its artistic heritage with an interesting mix of traditional and modern arts and crafts created by both Balinese and foreign artists.

For relaxation in Bali, mandi lulur trumps yoga. Mandi lulur (translates into “coating the skin”) is a traditional Javanese pre-wedding ritual for clarifying and softening the bride’s skin. A thick paste of tumeric, sandalwood, ground nuts, rice, jasmine, and herbs is painted all over the body and left to dry. Once the paste is dry, it is rubbed vigorously until the skin is clear. The next step is a hot shower followed by generous application of yogurt to soften the skin. Finally, a warm and soothing bath filled with tropical blossoms concludes the treatment. My skin is silky smooth and fragrant afterwards. A girlfriend of mine once declared that it was impossible not to feel like the most beautiful woman in the world after mandi lulur. I’m inclined to agree with her.

You can eat very well in Bali in any of the wonderful restaurants in Legian, Ubud, or the luxury hotels. Instead, I go in search of local cuisine. I find myself in a three-wall beach shack facing the ocean at Jimbaran Bay. I eat enormous prawns with my fingers. These are fresh, sweet, and hot off the grill. Different sambals (chili condiments) and fragrant pandan rice complement the prawns. The table is rickety, the floor sandy, but the food is delicious. To my surprise, the tiny kitchen has both of my favorite Balinese desserts – bubuh injin, a glutinous black rice pudding thickened with palm syrup and coconut milk and dadar, miniature pancakes stuffed with a sweet coconut filling. The view? A brilliant sunset over the ocean. Can life be any more perfect?

To me, Bali is most beautiful in the quiet moments – the sea mist on your face as you look out for dolphins from an outrigger, watching the setting sun outline a temple silhouette on a cliff, or witnessing the devotion and flower offerings of the Balinese during a full moon. If you find yourself wondering whether Bali is a distant dream, come see her for yourself. I am already there.