A Traveller’s Journal - Part 8 - Beautiful Bali

Beautiful Bali - A Tainted Paradise

Barry McKnight & Roger Cowland

The First Time.. An overview by Barry.

We went to Bali for the first time in July1980. I was working for ABC Television and Roger was with the Colorfilm Laboratory. One of my workmates at the ABC was a disciple of Bali and constantly urged me to go there. He was into motorbikes and surfing, and was always singing the praises of the place. “It’s very different from anything you have experienced before!” he said many times. Eventually Roger and I thought why not and went to see our local travel agent. We did some checking first and discovered that the best time to go there was during our winter period as Bali lies just south of the Equator, so their winter is our winter. However their daily temperatures hovered around the 30degree C. mark, whereas our winter was about 15degrees cooler. That sounded just fine to me. Unfortunately on the day of our departure there was an industrial dispute at the airport which left us sitting there for hours. When we did eventually take off we were told that because of the dispute we would not be flying there direct, which meant our arrival in Bali would be delayed further. Fortunately there was transport waiting there for us when we emerged from the Airport Terminal in the early hours of the morning and we were whisked away to our hotel, the “Kuta Beach Club”. - a rather odd name for a hotel as it was not a club at all!. As we drove through the silent streets I was amazed at all the strange architecture and unusual mixture of smells. The latter could best be described as a mixture of food, spices, rotting garbage, sewerage and something else. At the hotel it was all smiles and hospitality, and free fruit drinks for all, but after such a long flight all we really wanted was to go to bed. The next morning after a great breakfast (all included in the tariff) we ventured out on to the streets for a look around. The exotic smells were everywhere and a very strong new one had been added - that of incense burning. (the other smell that I could not identify last night). All around us were offerings sitting in small containers made of woven palm leaves, with the new ones carrying a small stick of burning incense. The ladies placing the offerings at the small shrines were all dressed in colourful sarongs, with bright tops and immaculately done hair. The jet black hair was often held in place with a large comb. Unlike the current Western fashions the Balinese street dress codes for men and women are quite different. Mostly the men dress more casually in western style jeans and t-shirts. Sarongs are usually only worn at religious ceremonies. The preferred footwear for all though seems to be thongs! Another thing that struck us as being different from our streets was that there was no graffiti anywhere. Nor was there evidence of any vandalism. Many shops had pots of flowers growing outside or little gardens, yet none of the plants were vandalised as they would be back home. Remarkable!. Our hotel was very nice with comfortable rooms with all facilities. However the walls were not very sound proof as they appeared to be made of lacquered interwoven strips of bamboo. The roofs above the two storied blocks of units and all other buildings in the hotel were thatched. In all, the construction left a lot to be desire in terms of fire safety. A couple of nights after we arrived we heard what appeared to be a gunshot, followed by women screaming. We went outside and heard some loud talking, but all seemed calm enough. It was the next day that we found out what happened when we bumped into the two girls who were accommodated in the other block and asked them if anything had happened the night before. They laughed and said it was because they saw a rat and called to one of the security guards that patrolled the area, as they were frightened of rats. However there was a communication difficulty when one was trying to explain to the guard what she saw and her reaction to it saying “I scream!”. The guard thought she was saying “ice cream” - meaning that she wanted him to get her some ice cream! Naturally things just got more confusing as the girl continued trying to explain that she said “I scream!” not “ice cream”…Finally the rat reappeared and the guard realised what the trouble was and solved the problem by drawing his gun and shooting the rat - which made both girls start screaming again!!!…..That, and subsequent communication problems which we encountered made us quickly realise that getting the message across to the local people would have its difficulties. However, like all the other tourists we quickly learned to simplify our language by dropping the prepositions, sticking to basics, and using our hands more to get the message across. It would have made my old English teacher faint in horror, but, after all, these people have to deal with tourists from all over the world, and can’t be expected to understand all the various languages. It often led to much laughter on both sides, especially as we tried to learn a bit of their language too. The first thing that hits the tourist as he or she ventures out on to the streets, or the beach, are the hawkers trying to sell you something. We quickly learned the Golden Rule of Bali - if you do not want to be harassed. Never, never look at the items for sale - and politely decline when pleas to buy are heard. This is no guarantee that you will not be harassed, but it is a good start. Some may look upon it as a challenge and persist anyway. The main thing is to keep a sense of humour about it and make a joke or two. Showing anger must never happen. The Balinese love to laugh and will usually go away smiling. Of course two guys wandering about at night are offered all kinds of things from watches and drugs to sex. The latter offer is only limited by the imagination of the hawker and can become more and more outrageous as he is met with refusals. This often leads to laughter on both sides. Daylight hours on the beaches can become a little trying as hawker after hawker comes past offering everything from massages to pineapples to stuffed turtles and T-Shirts. Here again the best way to handle the constant pestering is to bury one’s head in a book and start saying “no, no, no” as the first shadow appears. A better way to assure more peace and quiet we found was to walk north to one of the other, more quieter beaches. In 1980 the northerly beaches were mostly undeveloped. So much so, that nude swimming and sunbaking were allowed. This gave us much more freedom and we developed a friendship with one of the lady hawkers, who would often leave her container of drinks(that she always carried on her head) with us on the beach so we could help ourselves. She was called Wayan. The names thing in Bali gets very confusing as there is no difference between male and female names, and there are only four names to choose from. Children are also named in the order of their birth. First born is Wayan, second is Made(pronounced Marday), third is Nyoman (Noman) and fourth is Ketut. When baby number five comes along they start again and proceed in the same order. To make matters worse they do not have family names. The names in the next higher caste are different but the system is the same. I would hate to be a postman in Bali with the task of delivering letters.

Kuta Bali - 1980

Roger’s Letter Home to London. 1980.

Well, Bali was fantastic, a real paradise ... On the day we were to leave Sydney the secondary Air Traffic Controllers decided on a lightning strike. First of all we thought that our flight would be cancelled but then it looked as though we were okay. When we got to the Airport we were told it had been delayed for one hour, then two. After a three hour delay we finally soared away into the clear blue sky, but things weren't as good as they looked. Because of the strike this flight had to be redirected to Jakarta via New Guinea. The normal flying time to Bali's capital, Denpasar is 6 hours, but the round trip finished up taking us 12 hours.... The flight by Qantas Jumbo was very good and the crew looked after us very well with free drinks and two movies.. We eventually arrived in Bali at midnight (their time) where, after the usual customs formalities, we were driven to the Kuta Beach Club which was to be our base for the next two weeks.. Registration at the club was very casual as they sat us all down in the outdoor restaurant and served delicious tropical fruit juice drinks while we filled in forms. It was all very nice but due to all the delays it was 4am by our body time. The Kuta Beach Club consists of about 60 thatched units set amid coconut palms and colourful cascading Bougainvillea of various hues. As mentioned earlier the outdoor restaurant also had a thatched roof and a beautiful garden setting...The food was pretty good but we had hoped for more Indonesian dishes. We guessed it was because the hotel was probably serving meals that the tourists were used to at home. There was a lot of seafood on the menu which was great if you liked seafood. Lobster was on the menu every night cooked in various ways. It cost about six dollars but for hotel guests all food was included in the tour package. Other items on the menu were Prawns, Chicken, Pork and the good old T Bone Steaks. All rooms were serviced every day by happy young Balinese boys wearing blue uniforms and thongs. (Thongs are the footwear for all occasions in Bali)..The rooms are all air conditioned and have all mod cons with walls made of woven bamboo. There are gecko’s everywhere, which are small lizards with suction cap feet that run up the walls and across the ceiling chasing insects. The unit we had was the top floor of a two story unit complex, which gave us a view of the large pool and bar with its large thatched roof. The streets of Kuta are fascinating. There are dozens of little bars and restaurants, shops and stalls selling wood carvings, paintings, clothes, shells and soft drinks...The beaches are like one big market place except there are no stalls, instead hawkers roam the beach selling anything from soft drinks to massages to stuffed turtles.. The soft drinks are sold mostly by young kids with ice buckets who say "You want Dr-r-r-rink". If you do you then start to bargain with them as to how much. Usually 200 Rupiah but you can knock them down to 150. (100 Rupiah is worth 14 cents Oz money and approx 7p pommy).. If you don't want a drink they say "Later" and if you say "yes" they will be back and keep you to that promise.... Massages were a favourite among the ladies and some of the men. For 1 dollar you can have a massage which lasts about a half hour ... Carvings of all types can be bought on the beach if you are willing to bargain. Bargaining is a lot of fun but can become boring at times when you just want to sit on the beach and read...Buying a pineapple from one of the beach hawkers is quite interesting. They peel and slice it in a spiral fashion to eliminate the rough skin bits. Quite an art in itself.... Buying anything in the markets can go on and on. The following is a typical situation when buying a shirt (seller first then buyer).. Hello, you buy from me, give you good price. How much this shirt?.... 5000 Rupiah.....Too much!..... What your price then?.... My price 1000 rp..... (fake laughter from seller) Me give you for 4500 rp ..... 1500 rp ....... Me can't buy for that, what your best price. ... My best price 1500 rp ....…(more Laughter) OK, me make you 3000....No, Last price, 2000 .... No ,No little bit more ..... 2000 ..... No, what your best price ....... 2000 ....... no, 2500 ...... No 2000 last price.. Then you walk out and that usually works as they chase after you and say - okay 2000, but then they add “you like pants”. If you show interest, then it’s all on again..... Can be fun, and they all like to laugh.. Our package deal included about six tours to places of interest around the island. Everywhere we went there seemed to be processions along the roads. I guess it’s because the Balanese are a very religious race. They practice Hinduism and we saw plenty of old temples, villages and rice paddies. Rice is the main diet of the Balinese and the rice fields are a fantastic piece of engineering. These rice paddies are hundreds of years old and are stepped up the hill sides.. The rice is watered by the mountain rainfall which is channelled through the fields by a series of canals. These canals also run through the villages too. (Their very own running water).. Travelling through these villages one often observes the locals bathing.. On one occasion we saw a woman washing her hair and a man brushing his teeth standing knee deep in the muddy canal water. As we drove along the beside the canal, further upstream we observed that there were two boys piddling in the canal and still further on a man was washing his cows in it while they did their business in the water...That's Bali....It is why they say never to drink anything else but bottled water. The weather was really great, 30 Celsius everyday around the coastal areas,. The only disappointing day was our tour up to the volcanoes at Kintamani. On that day the temp dropped to 25 which our guide Agung, thought was very cold. As we drove higher the clouds descended and when we got to our destination all we could see was white mist.. It was a pity as this particular volcano is very picturesque as it sits in a huge lake. All we could do was look at a postcard that the guide held up to show us what we should be seeing. I think one of the postcards I sent shows the Crater Lake.... Women seem to do all the heavy work. In Kuta one often sees women digging the roads or acting as builder’s labourers for which they get paid the colossal sum of 300 Rupiah a day. Men get paid much higher at 700 rp a day - almost $1 Australian. Wages are all very low by our standards.. We must appear to be millionaires in their eyes.... Bali has no social welfare or pension system and therefore parents expect their children to care for them when they retire . There are dogs everywhere in Kuta and they are tolerated because the dogs are considered to be the reincarnation of unbeloved ancestors...Pretty weird huh?. These dogs are all skin and bone and roam the streets picking up the offerings that the locals put out for them....The streets of Kuta could use a better garbage disposal system as all the shops etc put their garbage into baskets which they leave in the street. These baskets get tipped over either by the dogs or by the very erratic drivers...As you can imagine with the hot sunlight it doesn't take long for the garbage to get on the nose.. Something one notices quite often around the streets of Kuta. Motorbikes are the favourite means of getting around. A bike can be hired for about 4 dollars a day and petrol is only 15 cents a litre. Driving on their roads though looks a little hazardous and I think that you'd need to be a very good bike rider to enjoy that type of holiday. Most of the main roads are bitumen but are in various states of decay, and some have potholes that would almost swallow a mini minor. One of the most interesting of the many temples we visited was Tanah Lot. This Temple sits atop a huge rocky outcrop by the sea and can only be reached at low tide. When entering any of these temples one has to buy a sash which is tied around ones waist. We weren't sure if this was to make certain that our pants did not fall down while we were on sacred ground. While at Tanah Lot we wandered around the rocks and paddled though a few pools and a cave channel. Later we learned that the channel contained sea snakes, but being used to tourists they usually don’t bite. Kuta beach although very interesting for bargaining and buying things wasn’t very good for swimming as it had some dangerous rips and undertows. We moved further up the coast to Sunset Beach which turned out to be a nudist beach, which we didn't mind at all. The surf there was very good and quite safe. We got very friendly with the beach hawkers and had our regulars. Wayan, a 30 year old woman was our regular and we became really good friends. Each day we would buy drinks from her for 200rp, dearer here but we didn't mind as she was so nice ... Wayan was not married, and thought it not good to get married too long. Because we were friends, she used to give us mandarins (most unusual for a beach hawker as most of them are out to make all they can and do not give anything away for free). These women hawkers spend all day and everyday roaming the beaches and most look a lot older than they really are due, I guess, to lengthy exposure to the sea and the sun. We got friendly with quite a few people at the hotel, in fact, the group we were travelling with were really good fun. Since we have been back we have all got together for a couple of slide evenings. It’s funny what you find out seeing other peoples slides. One evening we walked down to Kuta beach and we saw this gray hut with an old priest sitting, singing amid a variety of offerings. At the side of the hut were a row of burnt logs and several boys picking up ashes. We later found out from our friends slides that this was actually the end of a cremation ceremony. Apparently this is a common occurrence as we were later to find out… Every night, the locals and tourists gather on the beach to watch the sun set. It is almost a ritual, and very beautiful. One of our tours took us to the Monkey Forest at Sangeh. Here thousands of monkeys roam the forest area and rip off tourists. At the gate, you can, if you choose, buy a bag of peanuts. The monkeys watch who buys and who doesn’t. When you enter the forest they pick their target and leap onto your shoulders and won‘t leave until you give them some peanuts.. If you don’t buy the peanuts it’s best to walk in with your hands open. If a monkey thinks you have some nuts and you haven't, then he is likely to pee all over you. The guide told us to put all loose objects such as sunglasses away out of sight. Apparently a recent tourist had lost his sunglasses and the monkeys had held them until he had bought enough peanuts, then they threw them down to him from a tree. One of the girls in our party was quite badly bitten on the arm by one of the older monkeys, because she was fondling one of the babies. At the entrance to the forest there are markets where once again one can bargain for the goods offered.. The Women at the fruit stalls have to keep on their guard up because the cheeky monkeys steal their fruit. While we were there a monkey stole some bananas and just sat in front of the stall and ate the lot, while everyone took photos... Converted utilities called "Bemos” form Bali’s public transport. These are very cheap provided you settle on a price before getting aboard. They are all independently owned and therefore each operator tries to cram in as many people as possible. There are usually two guys running a Bemo, a driver and a conductor, sort of anyway, he just takes money and pushes the people in, while he hangs on the back...If planning a Bemo ride it is advisable to avoid market days as you could find your travelling companions are pigs and chooks. At one of the Temples that we visited we were lucky enough to see a cock fight or at least the finish of one. It appears these cockfights are a popular sport or pastime with the Balinese.. The fight area is a flat stage with tiered seating all around. The contestants present their cocks, comparing size, then proceed to pair off with the one that looks as though it might fight. After this the bets are placed and the 4 inch razor sharp knives are attached to the cocks legs. A fight doesn't last long, for one well placed kick and it’s all over. Needless to say, Bali doesn't have an RSPCA. We were warned not to sit too close to the action as sometimes one of the cocks escapes and runs into the audience with the razor sharp knives still attached. So we sat right at the back. Sure enough one of them did escape and it was funny to see people in the lower seats scatter as the cock raced towards them with knives flashing.. Walking around the streets of Kula one often observes men sitting in alleyways stroking their - er - Chooks. Our tours took us to the woodcarving centre at Maas, the silver craftsmen at Celuk and the painters of Ubud. We brought back a beautiful Batik painting as well as three original oils...One could really spend a lot on art in Bali. All the things I've mentioned may not sound very appealing but it was all quite an experience and quite different from anywhere we'd ever been before. The only bad things about Bali is the "BALI BELLY". Barry and about half of our party copped it. Nobody knows how or why. Whether it was the food or the water. It causes acute diarrhoea.. Barry was really out of it for one day and it took a few days after that to recover. Most of those who got it took about four days to get back to normal. One girl got it real bad and didn’t take the tablets supplied by the hotel.. She was put into hospital and was still there when we left as they wouldn't let her board the plane. One of the good things about a holiday in Bali is that one doesn't hear the radio or see television or read newspapers. In fact the rest of the world just does not exist - and everyone’s happy. On our tour to Kintamani we stopped for lunch at the Puri-Suling restaurant. This restaurant overlooks a long valley with terraced rice paddies and served some beaut Indonesian food.. We had delicious sate’s (pork, chicken or beef on skewers served with a hot sauce) and a variety of rice dishes with exotic sauces.. After lunch we were entertained with a performance of the Barong, a classical Balinese dance. It was staged in a lovely outdoor setting with a backdrop of coconut palms. It is a story of good versus evil. The costumes and the characters are all very colourful and act out their parts while a band with flutes and percussion instruments play in the background. A couple of nights after we arrived the hotel put on a B.B.Q. Guests from other hotels were invited and it turned out to be a very pleasant evening dining under a starlit sky. The entertainment that evening was the Frog Dance, which was the first time the club had staged a live show. All the staff were as interested as the guests. On our last night in Bali, the club, once again was host to a Balinese Feast... Guest from other hotels were again invited to sample the Roast Suckling Pig, Sate’s and the many other spicy dishes that were available. The Bamboo Dance was the night’s entertainment and guests were picked at random to hop up on the stage, don a sarong and dance with the Balinese girls. No, I’m glad to say we didn’t get picked. It was a good fun evening and everybody seemed to enjoy it....... The flight home was really good. It only took 5 hours. We left Bali in a 30 cel heat and arrived in Sydney to a cool 7 cel (86f down to 62f). It was a beaut fine sunny day though, as we drove back through the inner suburbs of Sydney to our home in North Ryde. It was a very weird feeling that we both had. It felt like we were returning from another planet or from another dimension and what was once familiar appeared now to be slightly alien. Certainly it was vastly different from the fascinating new world that we had discovered across the sea to the north of our continent.

Kuta Bali

Bali Monkey Forest & Dances

Bali: The first time. The Wind Up. Roger seems to have covered most of it. The most unfortunate thing for me was the dreaded Bali Belly….I thought a lot about it at the time and I think the fault lies with me becoming over confident. We had earlier made a rule to only eat at the Kuta Beach Club, but others kept urging us to try eating at the in restaurant called “Poppies”. In the last week we thought we would give it a go. Foolishly I ordered an Avocado Prawn Cocktail for an entrée. Roger didn’t. It broke two of the rules for safe eating. Eat only hot cooked food and never eat anything cold like salad as it could be contaminated with the local water. The Prawns were served cold, and it came with a cold lettuce salad, so I paid the price of being over confident. Then again others who ate together outside the Club, and ate the same food found that some got sick, but others didn’t. However my indisposition gave me a chance to catch up on some reading and gave Roger the opportunity to mix with other people. On the last day his new friends insisted that we go with them and have some Mushroom Soup. Now, as I sat on our room balcony recovering and reading, I noticed that this group sometimes came back after lunch walking a little oddly. Could it be this special soup that caused it I wondered!. Well, I thought, I may as well give it a go. It could not make me feel any worse. So we agreed to go with them and off we all went to a little restaurant in one of the back lanes. We were handed menus, and there it was - “Blue Meany Soup”. Everyone ordered a bowl of this house special soup and when it came I thought it looked just like a vegetable soup with a few dark strands in it. Its flavour was rather mild and we all just chattered away until all the bowls were empty. I was convinced that it had no effect at all until we walked out of the restaurant and I discovered that the ground was not quite where I thought it was. The others all went back to the Club, but we decided to have a wander about. Suddenly all my senses were heightened and I could see a funny side to everything. We chattered and laughed with the locals and finally ended up on Kuta main beach. It was sunset time and I looked at the beautiful scene of the beach with the waves breaking back lit by the brilliant colours of the setting sun and felt that I just had to be a part of it all. I pulled off my shirt and raced into the water and, as it swirled and crashed about me, I felt totally at peace with the world and all the nausea and cramps of the past few days disappeared. I have never been afraid of the sea. Cautious perhaps, but that day I felt as one with it and all that was beautiful in the world. That perhaps is the essence of Bali, and its people. We went back to the Club, showered and began packing things for the flight out. Everything went to schedule and as dinner was served on the flight that night, it was one of the best meals that I have ever had. It was absolutely the best Chicken Curry and Rice ever. We landed In Sydney in the early morning to a chilling temperature of 7degress. The next year we read in a newspaper that the Kuta Beach Club, or part of it had been destroyed by fire, on the night of the Fire Demons………

Kuta - Bali Sunsets

Despite the impact that Bali made on us, we did not return until 1984, when two friends decided to go there and invited us to join them. I was a little concerned about the Bali Belly, but one of the guys was in the medical profession and said that he would have some tablets with him that would counteract the stomach bug. We returned to the Kuta Beach Club and found that the place had been rebuilt and renovated with new, more substantial structures. The thatched restaurant building and the pool bar were still the same however. Elsewhere there were more changes. The ramshackle old buildings of the beach market had been replaced by a new more solid structure. On entry to the main beach though one had to step over what was a giant extension electrical lead that carried power to construction sites along the beach where new hotels and restaurants were being built. The Balinese hawker ladies on the beach now warned us to be careful with our belongings as there were now thieves about. They would point out an individual walking along and say. “He bad man. He Javanese.” It would appear that in our absence a boom had started and big money was flowing in from Java to cater for the expected influx of tourists. Bali’s secret was no more. Many new hotels were being constructed, as well as new shops and restaurants. Kuta now even had a supermarket. Of course with all the building activity many people came from Java and, being Moslems, were given priority when jobs were given out, as the money for the projects mostly came from Java. Rice paddies were being taken away from the Balinese to make golf courses. Magic mushroom soup had disappeared from the menu and nudity was now illegal on the beaches. Main beach Kuta was no longer available for cremations either. This new tourist boom brought with it many who did not respect the Balinese or their culture in the ways that they should. However the ever patient Balinese just smiled and carried on with their lives.. With the second visit to Bali I was able to see all the things that I missed out on the last time due to illness. As usual the tours came with the holiday package deal so we again visited places like Kintamani, (better weather this time), Ubud, Tanah Lot and the Sangeh Monkey Forest. We also went off the beaten track a bit and organised our own tours to the Elephant Cave, the Bat Cave, Turtle Island and Singaraja, on the eastern side of the island. Together with our friends we visited the big resort at Nusa Dua, but were unimpressed as it was a walled resort with armed guards designed to keep the locals out, and the tourists isolated from the real Bali. We gave it the thumbs down and vowed never to return. Singaraja, on the other side of the island was an interesting place as it was the centre of the, then, small Muslim community. At the nearby Lovina Beach we found a very nice restaurant right on the beach, that served Indonesian food and treated ourselves to an assortment of very tasty dishes. The Gado Gado was especially good. The beach however was all black volcanic sand which was sharp and uncomfortable on bare feet! On the way back from Singaraja we visited the beautiful Gitgit waterfall in the nearby hills. Having now developed a taste for Indonesian food and unable to find a restaurant in Kuta that served it, we decided to venture into the island’s capital city of Denpasar, a short bemo ride away. We had been told that Denpasar was a bit of a dump and on arrival there we could only agree with that description. The traffic was terrifying, so much so that one’s life was very much in jeopardy at every attempt to cross the road. However we managed to survive and eventually found ourselves a very nice restaurant that served us an excellent Rijsttafel - which is a traditional Indonesian banquet of many assorted dishes.

Around Bali

We loved Bali and its people so much that we made it the annual vacation destination. Where else in the world could you find such friendly people living in a culture totally different from any other that you knew?. It was a culture based on love and tolerance, where art, music and dancing were a part of everyday life, as of course was their religion. Their Gamelan music and dancing was absolutely astonishing and over the years we managed to see all their main dance stories like “The Frog Dance”, the “Legong”, the “Barong Dance” and the “Kecak Monkey Dance” The story is always told, not with just the body, but also with the eyes, hands, arms and feet of the dancer. Somehow they manage to go through their performances without the aid of sheet music, or a conductor. One of the most memorable events that we witnessed was a cremation ceremony. The Balinese believe in reincarnation, so to them a death is not a sad thing as it means the Spirit of the person who has died is merely going on to the next stage. In order to facilitate this transition the Spirit must be freed of its earthly body to enable it to move along. This is done by cremating the body with a lot of celebration. It is a very grand affair with a long colourful procession where the body is carried aloft in an elaborate tower that follows behind a sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is often in the shape of a bull and the body is placed in it for the final cremation. The idea is that the body will be returned to its natural elements, and what remains will be returned to the sea, thus making the Spirit ready to be born again. During the procession the tower containing the body is rotated many time to confuse any bad spirits who may wish to enter the body as it is an accepted fact that bad spirits can only travel in straight lines. As for the contentious subject of eating, and the Bali Belly, it was only a matter of applying common sense and we found the food to be extremely varied and cheap. We found an excellent, safe restaurant just in Kuta called “Dayu 1”. It was near the Kuta Beach Club and the Ida Beach Cottages, which we were later to prefer because of its quieter setting. (again, not near any Ida Beach!). The “Dayu 1” was built in the open air fashion in a garden setting with a high double roof to help expel the hot air and to let the natural breezes in - thus eliminating the need for any expensive air conditioning. We did learn, however, to choose our table carefully as there was a giant Gecko(as large as a Blue Tongue Lizard) that inhabited the ceiling above, and we did not want any little surprises dropping into our food. We got to know many of the local people and even got invited to their homes. The more that we learnt about them, the more our respect grew. There were many laughs. We loved the way when something didn’t work (a frequent occurrence) they would say “ It kaput!” or “It broken!”. One day we had a substantial earth tremor which caused the power pole out in the street to start sparking. The house boy just looked at it philosophically and said “It Kaput!”…Coming from Australia with all its privileges, it was a bit of a shock to learn that in Bali you were on your own. There were no welfare schemes, no minimum wage, no free hospitals, no old age pension. The Government will not help you in any way. Consequently families, and family support, is very important. The Balinese love their children, but do not indulge them. Children are the future and grow up respecting their parents and know that they have a duty to care for their parents in their old age. Never do I remember seeing a crying child in Bali. I cannot say the same for Australia when visiting the shops!. The down side, of course, is that if you do not get married and produce children to support you, then you are in trouble in your old age. Change was happening quickly in Bali. With each visit to the Kuta area there were new hotels, restaurants and shops. A Mosque suddenly appeared in Kuta which broadcast prayers at all hours, What we referred to as Sunshine Beach became Seminyak and a major growth area.

Families, Dances and a Cremation

Lombok

In later years we spent some time on the nearby island of Lombok. This was quite different from Bali, however, as it was predominantly Muslim, with the people being quieter and more reserved. There was not much tourist development but we found a very nice resort hotel called the Intan Laguna which was right on the beach front in Sengigi. However to get more of the local atmosphere we chose to eat in the nearby village, which had a very good restaurant called Lena’s. We always said about Bali to expect the unexpected, and the same was true for Lombok. On the second night eating at the restaurant we had some unexpected entertainment. As we were having a drink prior to ordering our meal in the garden setting of the restaurant, we heard a very odd sound coming from the large ornamental pond off to one side. It was a sort of croaking wail with a rattle and hiccups. As we were discussing what it could possibly be the waiter came along holding what appeared to be a baseball bat. He walked to the pond, removed his thongs and then waded into it. Suddenly he began whacking something in the pond with the baseball bat. This caused a lot of splashing and stares from the other guests, but the noise stopped. He then walked out put his thongs back on, put the bat aside and came over to us to take our order as if nothing had happened. The whole scene was like an episode from Fawlty Towers, and we could hardly stop laughing. He did not seem to think it was funny and just kept looking at us with a serious expression on his face. The next morning we went to a little garden restaurant in the same area to have our breakfast. The waiter came and took our order, which was for two cheese omelettes, and while we sat there chatting we were somewhat surprised to see our waiter furiously pedalling down the road on a bicycle. Probably going to the local market to get the eggs!! Our hotel had beautiful gardens, a lovely big pool and our room even had an open air shower. The beach almost surrounded the hotel and the sea was much calmer than Kuta, making swimming very safe. So much so that we frequently went for a swim at night. One night in particular was quite spectacular as the warm water was full of phosphorescence that totally surrounded us and tumbled in on the gentle waves. It appeared as if a dozen galaxies had fallen from the sky into the water so that the least movement of our bodies caused a cascade of millions of tiny stars. During the day the beach was often busy as fishing boats came and went . As we sat there reading and sunbaking after a swim, the local youths would often join us for a chat to help them improve their English. This often led to much laughter as we tried to explain the complexities (and silliness!) of the English language. Sometimes a hawker would appear, but most times (unlike Kuta), we were left alone. One day in particular I was lying there reading and the beautiful strains of a flute wafted into my consciousness. I looked up and there was a young lad walking along the beach dressed in full sarong with a flute to his lips. It was a beautiful sweet/sad melody that drifted across the beach to us. However when he saw us he stopped and paused for a moment while he studied us, saying nothing. After a while he resumed his beautiful melody and carried on walking. We never saw him again. The sunsets also were a delight to behold with the fishing fleet returning as the sun sank behind Mount Agung, an active volcano in far away Bali. Lombok is inhabited by the Sasak people who transport themselves about in Cidomos, which are small horse drawn carts, and live in houses with rounded roofs. We visited one of these villages when we hired a Bemo and driver to show us more of the island. First we had a look around Mataram, the capital, where we walked through the huge markets and later visited a place where they weave the fabric that sarongs are made out of. Adi, our driver, then took us for a tour through the beautiful countryside where we saw high mountains with luxuriant jungles and farming areas where rice was being harvested. We also visited a family home where they made Palm Oil and a Coconut Wine called Tuak. They offered a sample taste of their Tuak, but only Roger had the courage to try it. He was rather unenthusiastic and said that he would stick to beer. A visit to a native Sasak village was next. It was a place where time had stood still with absolutely nothing of our 20th century gadgetry visible. It was constructed from local timber with high rounded thatched roofs and narrow pathways. We walked past a couple of women using a large elongated mortar and pestle to grind up rice to make flour. If you cannot duck around the corner to the local supermarket, that is what you have to do I guess. Later we visited Kuta Beach, which surprised us to discover that Lombok had a Kuta Beach as well a Bali. They might have had the same name, but there the resemblance ended for the beach was totally deserted, had no sand, only tiny shells and was totally calm. The highlight of the day was a visit to one of the Gili Islands, Gili Air, which was situated just off the coast at Bangsal. These tiny islands are noted for their white sandy beaches and crystal clear water that abounds in beautiful coral reefs and colourful fish. Now this would be the absolutely ideal place to get away from it all! There is little commercialisation, just the bare necessities for a quiet, comfortable existence. Raucous Kuta suddenly seemed a long, long way away. On the way back we visited the Narmada Summer Palace which was the summer residence of the former Kings of Bali. Here we were treated to some dancing where audience participation was welcomed. I am afraid my dancing skills only extended as far as the Waltz and the Progressive Barn Dance neither of which were played by the Gamelan orchestra. After a visit to the Monkey Forest it was back to Sengigi.

Lombok Scenes

The Changing Face of Kuta

In all we went to Bali about 12 times until we discovered Australia in 1998.…It was on a camping trip to Kakadu National Park when, like a thunderbolt from the sky, it hit me that Australia has an amazing variety of wildlife - and incredible natural scenery. It was like discovering a new religion and it suited us both perfectly. The new compact digital tape movie cameras had arrived on the market and we decided that it was time to get back into the movie making business. We were going to show the world what a wonderful country Australia was, with its absolutely amazing flora and fauna………………In the coming years our films won many awards in Australia and overseas. It was while we were on a tour of New Zealand in October 2002 that the news came about the Bali bombings. It absolutely shattered us that an evil like this had attacked such a peaceful, loving place as Bali. To make matters much worse for me I discovered that my niece’s son had been badly injured in the Sari Club bombing and had been flown to Australia for treatment. Fortunately, he survived, but so many others didn’t. We knew the Sari Club well and had been there during our last visit. Two hundred and two people were killed and a further two hundred and forty injured. It would have devastated the Balinese to have such an obscenity happen on their small island.. Three years later more bombings occurred in a resort in Jimbaran and a restaurant in Kuta, with a further twenty dead and one hundred injured. An evil force now resided in what was once a Paradise Island….