The Beaches of Bali & the Tale of the Fashion-Forward Monkey

With one hand I clutched the back of the motorbike and with the other I held the camera, firmly strapped around my neck, and snapped pictures as we sped along. The exhaust fumes from the big monster trucks passing us with blaring horns only served to add to the terrifying idea that we were the tiniest vehicle on the highway. This was a different Bali than the one I had seen before. The day had been designated as a beach day and after some Google research the night before, it was agreed that three popular beaches would be visited: Sanur, Nusa Dua, and Kuta (perhaps the most well-known one of the three). And so, with a map and a general sense of which direction to go, we set off the next morning.

Our journey took us to the southern part of Bali, closer to the busy city center of Denpasar. The highway soaked up the heat of the sun an reflected it back on us. At one point, when we stopped at a stoplight, I saw a sign that kept updating the temperature every 2 minutes. 38 degrees Celsius, a nice even 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I couldn't wait to get to water. We wove in and out of traffic and down side streets, passing seaside restaurants and shops selling 'I Love Bali" shirts.

 Finally, up ahead we saw a man signaling frantically to us. He charged us 50 cents for parking and we looked uselessly for a spot in the shade. In the end, we settled for an area that was semi-shaded by the outskirt leaves of a tree. It was almost noon. Probably the worst time to be outside in the heat. I made a beeline for the water.....and stopped, disappointed. This was not what I had imagined tropical Bali would be like. Instead of clean pristine sand and water, brown sand littered with trash greeted my eye. Okay, maybe the water would be better. No such luck. The ocean edge was lapping against the beach filled with ocean debris. I couldn't picture myself swimming in it. The European retirees lying on the beach with already over cooked, crusty brown, scaly skin, didn't seem to mind. Obviously I had been spoiled by my ocean side upbringing in beautiful Mazatlan. Some time was spent walking and taking pictures, but eventually we tired and decided to try our luck further South in Nusa Dua.

We didn't have far to go, it was only around a 30 minute drive. As we neared the beach we were overwhelmed by the beautifully kept foliage and gardens that surrounded us on every side. This was obviously well kept for tourists which seemed like a promising start. We rode down lovely lanes shaded by trees on each side, saw neatly trimmed lawns branching out from the Nusa Dua Theatre, until finally we pulled up to a parking lot with beach and water shimmering invitingly in the distance. Parking was free as we had already paid a toll prior to entering the Nusa Dua area. Like a shot, I was off the bike and headed to the water. This was exactly what I had in mind all those years ago when I had sat pouring over our immense atlas at home in North America. I had dreamed of seeing sights like this and I could feel the magic tingling all around me as I witnessed my dreams come to life. Unfortunately, I would soon discover that Nusa Dua was purposely built and sterilized to please tourists - this took away from some of the awe at its natural beauty, but did not take away from the fun! The sand was white and silky and as I ran into the water I realized that it was so transparent I could see everything on the ocean floor. Amazing! The waves were very tiny and there was no undercurrent which made it one of the safest beaches I have visited. Seaweed and rocks dotted the ocean floor but the clear water made it easy to maneuver around them. I ran and played as if I were once again a child. And there were children there laughing and smiling with dimples the size of small craters and brown skin toasted to perfection by the Indonesian sun. They stopped in their games long enough to give us a few top model poses and some cheeky smiles.

 Life seemed surreal at that moment.









Having cooled down and played to our heart's content, we decided to move on to see the most famous (and notorious) beach of all: Kuta. Since we were still ahead of schedule, we opted to take a detour to see Uluwatu Temple on our way. Even as we got away from the bustle of the city center, I could see the scenery was vastly different from the poignantly green and moist rice fields and palm tree forests from before. The flora was much wilder and drier in this part of Bali. I began to see different types of trees and colorful flowers. There were no palm trees to block the horizon which gave a feeling of wide open spaces as far as the eye could see. We sped along under the sweltering sun, and after asking frequently for directions, we finally found Uluwatu. The sarongs were put on, the camera was pulled out, and we began our trek. What should be the first thing to greet our eyes? More monkeys! Everywhere! Apparently this temple is also known for the monkeys which hang out there. As we approached the temple steps, we witnessed a funny sight: somehow one of the monkeys had managed to get a hold of a man's sandal. It sat happily on a post hugging the shoe and snarling threateningly every time the poor tourist tried to take it back. This was obviously a common occurrence, because a Balinese man (who may or may not have been an employee there, it's hard to know) expertly threw a bag of peanuts straight at the monkey. The monkey greedily snatched them up and dropped the shoe - making for a successful rescue mission! It was a good reminder to keep all our things in our backpack just in case.

Uluwatu was an incredible experience! Perched precariously on a looming cliff edge, it offered one of the most awe-inspiring views of my time in Bali. Looking down meter upon meter I could see the ocean pulling and tossing, every now and then throwing itself against the cliff walls in a glorious burst of foamy spray. The temple was beautiful, but more worth it for the view, in my opinion. Just walking along the wall and watching the raging waters, brilliant in the afternoon sun, made me feel so small. It was wonderful.

My growling stomach betrayed the time that had elapsed since breakfast - it seemed like an eternity. We left the temple grounds and stopped at a stand on the outskirts that was selling Mee Goreng (spicy noodles!) and fresh coconuts. A plate was ordered and a coconut was cut open right in front of us. The coconut milk tasted so refreshing after a long day out in the sun! We settled in at a table and relaxed. When the meal came we dove in, starved. I saw the movement out of the corner of my eye and jumped up, startled. I was sure the monkey was going for the plate of food and I didn't plan on getting in his way (I had seen the fangs on those little guys!). Instead, he calmly picked up my sunglasses which I had foolishly left lying on the table and strolled away. A moment of shock ensued until I saw the shop lady who had prepared our meal streak by in a blaze of glory. She was laden down with chocolates and chucking them at the monkey with the hopes of either knocking him unconscious or distracting him, I couldn't decide which. The monkey scampered under a car refusing to give up the sunglasses. He did, after all, have something that none of the other monkeys had. He was a cutting edge, stylish monkey!

 I winced as he dragged the glasses along the ground surely scratching them beyond repair. He then perched himself outside of her throwing arm and calmly chewed on the the glasses. I began to doubt the necessity of actually getting them back. Would I want to put those back on my face after they'd been in a monkey's mouth? I wondered. The shop owner refused to give up and after many chocolates were wasted and the sunglasses had been passed around between three or four monkeys, one of them finally let go and like a shot the shop lady dashed in and grabbed them. Beaming with success, she brought them to me. The nose caps were gone and as I had suspected the lenses were too scratched to see through. The shop lady cheerfully added the chocolates to our bill. Talk about monkey madness!

Finally, we set off on the final leg of our journey: Kuta. Kuta Beach is quite close to Denpasar which meant that we would have to head back to the bustle and blaring of the city center. With reluctance I waved goodbye to the wide open spaces and clutched the motorbike seat precariously as traffic, buildings, and pollution became more and more dense around me. I had already experienced so many close brushes with death on that motorbike that I had resigned myself to the non-stop terror that ensued the minute I got on it and on the road. Traffic was heavy but it was easy to find Kuta without asking for too many directions as there were lots of signs to indicate which way we should go. Hair salons, massage parlors, half dressed mannequins, and surf shops greeted my eye as we got closer and closer. We turned down a side road and followed it to the end. It was another 50 cents for parking; this time inside a fenced in lot. And then we went down to the beach to have the 'Kuta' experience.

Perhaps I was already too tired and sunburned to properly enjoy it, but in all honesty, out of all three beaches Kuta was without a doubt the worst. There was garbage everywhere. And people! I can't remember the last time I have seen so many people on the beach and in the water. It gave the impression of a congested and dirty beach.

The sand was dirt brown, the water murky and questionable. A few pictures were taken, but in the end I had had enough of the beaches of Bali and really wanted to relax. We sped out into the evening traffic and headed back to Ubud. The moon began to show her face in the pink and orange streaked sky. It was beautiful. And then, suddenly, it started to rain. And there we were, on a motorbike, on a road that is dangerous in the daytime with full visibility, but riding through the dark night with rain pelting us from all sides. It was awesome! Sure, I was cold and achy after sitting on the motorbike all day, but I had to laugh thinking about how I had been wishing all day for a chance to cool off and now here it was! It was impossible to be grumpy about it!
Soaked to the bone and dead tired, we pulled into Ubud. And guess where I finished my long, hard day of seeing the beaches of Bali? Back at the Magic Finger, getting a luxurious 15 USD massage. A perfect ending to an exciting day!

Monkey Madness and Bali by Bike

 " We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end the the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." - Jawaharial Nehru

Jakarta was my original destination for the long weekend. However, my travel buddy had recently been to Jakarta and wasn't in the mood to repeat the same destination, instead we agreed on Bali. So I found myself on a Friday night touching down on the famous island looking forward to a much anticipated good time. What greeted me? Chaos, complete and utter chaos. First, we had to get in line to make our visa payment (25USD), after that it was a good long 45 minute wait to get through customs. When we finally managed to get our bags we had to merge into a blob of tourists fighting their way to the bag check stations - there were only two stations for hundreds of people which made the wait quite intense and stressful. Finally, we made our mad dash for the door! The beaches, rice terraces, and delicious food of Bali awaited us! The mood fell as rapidly as it rose. There was only one official taxi station for the entire airport which meant a fourth queue of around 30 minutes. Taxi drivers lolled nearby offering us tantalizing deals so that we wouldn't have to wait., but we knew better. Going through the official taxi station was safer and also much cheaper. While regular taxi drivers were offering to drive us to Ubud (around and hour and a half away) for 50USD, the official taxi station did it for half that price which made the wait well worth it. Unfortunately, the drive to Ubud was rather uneventful; it was late and the road was sparsely lit making it difficult to see much of the scenery outside the taxi windows. The road seemed to grow increasingly narrow as we distanced ourselves from the bustle of busy Denpasar; I caught glimpses of rice fields bathed in moonlight, ominous palm tree forests rising in the distance, and the occasional leering statue from temples by the roadside. Close to midnight we pulled into sleepy and quiet Ubud. The air was a fresh mixture of cow dung and grass and I took a big breath as I descended from the taxi. I could feel natural surroundings embracing me on all sides. I couldn't wait to see what Bali had to offer the next day!

The following morning, the first order of business was the procurement of a motorbike. This part was easy, at the cheap price of around 7USD per day (yes, I said PER DAY) the bike was a bargain. Now, if you are ever in Bali and decide to rent a motorbike to see the island, there is one very important thing to remember; be sure to bring a REALLY good bad driver. What is a good bad driver you may be wondering? The opposite of a good good driver, of course! I am a good good driver which means that I follow the rules, signal when I pass, don't drive at oncoming traffic, and generally try to behave very courteously towards other drivers. A good good driver is essentially useless in Bali and may quite possibly just end up getting you killed. A good bad driver, on the other hand, has no regard for anyone else on the road, never signals, drives at oncoming traffic and only swerves at the very last minute, and generally drives like a maniac. With a good bad driver you will have many close brushes with death, but you will come out the other side quite alive and without a scratch. Good bad drivers can be found in Thailand, India, Mexico, and of course Indonesia. :) I brought my very own Indian good bad driver which meant that I was set for an exciting day of motorbiking.

Our first stop was the famous Monkey Forest. This is a natural park/ forest where you can hang out with wild monkeys and even feed them! But be careful because these little guys are mastermind thieves; a lesson I learned quite quickly when, after purchasing 2USD worth of bananas and paying my entrance ticket (also 2USD) I was holding the bananas in my right hand as I read aloud the brochure the ticket guy had given me. Suddenly I felt something latch onto my arm and startled I let go of the entire bunch of bananas and turned and watched in awe as a monkey dashed off into the forest hauling his bananas with him. Wily monkey! I purchased another bunch of bananas and stored them in my backpack only holding one in my hand at a time. At first I was rather scared to hold the banana out and allow the monkeys to take it from my hand. I wasted two or three just throwing them half hazard in the direction of innocent monkeys out for their morning stroll and minding their own business. Breakfast was falling from the sky for them! Finally, I gathered my courage and picking out a tiny and harmless monkey I decided I would entice him to climb up to my arm to get a banana from my hand. I held the banana in my right hand high above my head and waited. In the blink of an eye a big dude of a monkey spotted the banana and made a beeline straight for me. I held my ground. He clambered straight up and perched happily on my shoulder, leaned his furry monkey paws casually on my hat as if he were hanging out at a local bar, and happily partook of the banana. Mission completed! Once the bananas were all gone and I had had my fill of frolicking monkeys, we headed out.




Our next stop (maneuvering the whole while through the terrifying Ubud traffic) was the Goa Gajah temple in Ubud. Bali is 90% Hindu so this temple featured (of course) a Hindu temple but also a Buddhist temple. It was necessary to purchase a sarong in order to look more modest prior to entering the temple grounds.

 We decided that we wanted to see an even more impressive temple so we opted for a  trek to Besakih, the highest temple in Bali. This is where the trip started to get really interesting. Being ignorant tourists, we had to stop frequently and ask for directions from local Balinese. Balinese are famous for being friendly which is something that proved true throughout the trip as we constantly had people asking us (even pulling up beside us on their own motorbikes to inquire) where we were trying to go. I think this mainly had to do with the fact that they would ride up behind our motorbike and see my scrawny, pasty white arms and legs flailing out in every direction and they would assume I was in dire need of some sort of assistance. Only once did someone give us wrong directions. Everyone we spoke to always knew which way we should go, the real problem became their strange inability to judge distance. The first person we asked told us Besakih was 40 km away - this seemed far but still doable-, but 10 minutes later when we stopped to double check, we were told it was 15km away. Hmmmm strange. Either we were traveling at lightning fast speed or something was going terribly awry. After riding for around and hour, we asked a police officer how far it was. "3km." Was his confident answer. Thirty minutes later I began to realize that this was turning out to be the longest 3km ever. However, it was somehow difficult to be bothered by this, mostly because the scenery was so beautiful that we were both occupied with just drinking it in. We saw rice terraces stacking up in green so vibrant it made our eyes ache, and we were awed by the stupendous presence of Danau Batur - one of the dormant volcanoes of Bali which features and enormous and exquisite crater lake by its side. The open fields gave way to forests as we rode up into the mountains. The air became chilly and nipped at our rosy cheeks.
And finally we saw Besakih rising up before us. The entire journey had taken us nearly two hours! It was beautiful temple made of ancient stone. There were statues surrounding the steps leading up to the temple and they were all wrapped in one of three colors: red, black, or white. According to one young gentleman who was helping us as a guide, these represented three elements: wind, rain, and fire. The temple was beautiful and definitely worth the drive.

 Heading back to Ubud the sun was starting to grow lower in the distance which made for a gorgeous view. Oranges and reds streaked the sky over endless fields of rice. The day ended with an hour long massage at a place in Ubud called The Magic Finger. It was deliciously relaxing and only 15USD for and hour! My first day in Bali seemed to me to be a resounding success! :)