BALI, INDONESIA

One of my favorite destinations for travel and business was Bali.  Where is Bali?  You've probably heard the name, no?  It is in Indonesia.  What is Indonesia?

TERRACED RICE PADDIES

There are over 300 tribal-ethnic groups living on 6,000 islands. The remaining 11,000 islands are uninhabited.  If you are European or American, I am sure it is difficult to imagine that kind of country.  (The Greek word for islands is "nisia."  I wonder how that word became part of the name of these magical islands?)

Is everything perfect there?  Of course, not.  No where is perfect!  But Bali could be considered a Hindu paradise.

Bali changed me as a person.  (How can travel NOT change you?)  I was very impressed by the craftsmanship of these people.  Whole cities, families, were devoted to creating separate arts:  jewelry, sculpture, carving, stone carving, etc.  SUCH AN AMAZING PLACE IN THIS WORLD!

The people are beautiful--really beautiful--and kind and gentle.  Other islanders in Indonesia even have jokes about the Balinese and their passive ways.  

The countryside is rippled with terraces of rice paddies, with bamboo forests and mountains in the background mist.  You can often see people walking along the roadsides with giant banana leaves over their heads to avoid the frequent rain (in the rainy season which is when I always went).

When I traveled there, the people were always hospitable, always a joy to be with.  I admired their arts and crafts very much!  Many expatriates settled there due to a law allowing them to buy land and houses with Balinese partners.

Kuta, on the south coast, is a typical tourist destination and replete with all the nastiness of tourism.  Yet, it still is beautiful!  

Denpasar is the capitol city.  The crowds and traffic create a congested and crazy atmosphere.  And yet, even Denpasar, lacking any sign of island paradise, is so very interesting to Westerners.

I didn't like the water around Bali.  I find that interesting because even the Balinese have a fear and prejudice against the ocean, preferring the volcanic mountains.  After being used to the waters of the Mediterranean, the ocean seemed ominous and fearful to me.  But I didn't go to Bali for surfing as many do, or for partying, as many Australians do, but for business, as many others do.  (I had tourist shops in Greece.)

The business angle created stress.  The islanders didn't seem to understand the added stress we suffered from trying to make business decisions in the constant heat of the day.

As we passed along the roads, we saw delightful scenes like women washing their tremendously long hair in the streams, and children playing in them, always smiling, laughing. 

Who can know what they really thought of Western tourists?  Probably not much good, really.  Except that we brought money and prosperity to the island.  Yet, there were many other times when we could not mistake the Balinese sincerity and goodwill, especially among young students.

Stone carved temples dot the landscape; there are often processions of Balinese in their finery with decorated offerings of food stacked on their heads, on their way to the temples.

My one regret:  bargaining down the prices of their artwork.  Having lived in Greece and traveled in other countries where is was normal to bargain, I saw that in Bali, over time, the quality of merchandise went down--and I'm sure it is due to the competition to sell.  How could they sell quality merchandise at the prices we were asking?

MAP OF INDONESIA

I probably will never again return to Bali since I've left Greece and my tourist business behind.  I haven't been on Bali since 1994. Maybe it has changed very much since then; but my memories never will.

SEE POST:  INDONESIA