Indonesia marks the 50th country I have roamed in during my travels, and the 29th to have done so solo. Bali, one of the 17,000 islands comprising the country, has been holding the pedestal of one of the most well known, prestigious, and yet affordable destinations in Southeast Asia since the 80’s. An island of approximately 4 million permanent residents, it hosts on average 6 million tourists per year – in comparison, the island of Crete in Greece which is the same size as Bali, has approximately 650,000 permanent residents, and welcomes 4 million tourists per year on average. Nevertheless, Bali seems to have an offering for each and every soul reaching its shores, and for most, it tends to be something different.
(Statues of various gods, goddesses and spirits adorn the streets of Ubud, always with a flower or two to appease them.)
There are many wonderful things to see, experience, taste and explore in Bali: temples; flea markets; tasty cuisine; swings; waterfalls; monkeys; massage parlors; rice paddies; dance shows; beaches. You name it, and Bali will manifest. On the surface, as with almost every touristy destination, everything is geared towards the tourists’ pleasure, tagged with friendly prices. Even the weather is wonderful, with the occasional tropical rain cooling down ever so slightly the island’s temperature. When traffic becomes miserably intense, the myriads of brand new looking cars and motorbikes will line up civilly, without honking or yelling, and although it might take some time, everyone gets to go home eventually.
(Everything goes when you’re a long-tailed macaque at the Sacred Monkey Forest.)
In order to get a glimpse beyond the show meant for the tourists and into Bali’s soul, it takes patience. At first, it was easy to notice it in the little baskets left outside people’s doors, called “canang sari,” made daily with palm leaves to honor the gods and spirits, a prayer of balance and peace, containing flowers, rice, and sometimes incense. Then I started seeing it in temple doors meticulously hidden from the foreign eye, which upon crossing reveal flower adorned statues and grass areas for meditating, small havens protecting all from the day’s hustle and heat. I met it when I entered a small tourist shop late in the afternoon and I was greeted by a mother’s figure lovingly hugging her young child asleep on a thin mattress on the floor. And as I was sitting at my hostel’s balcony in Ubud overlooking a serene garden with flowers and all kinds of creatures, I felt its peaceful and loving energy emitting from within me.
(Mini flower baskets and incense left outside every door to attract the good spirits and repel the bad ones.)
Having spent 4 years at a Buddhist influenced college (proud Naropa alumni here!) it was so easy to join my palms at the level of my heart as a way to greet others. Recognizing the symbols of the people’s deep connection with their gods, the spirits, and their culture’s stories was heartwarming. Acknowledging that this is a sacred space created by its people for anyone who can and wants to tap in, I used a “leave no trace behind” attitude: I observed, I appreciated, I inhaled, and I enjoyed the totality of the experience, leaving nothing behind but gratitude.
(Flower adorned Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles and Lord of Beginnings.)
Getting lost in Ubud’s flea markets, I ended up following a path leading somewhere behind the busy central streets, somewhere quiet. My curious steps, one by one, brought me where my map wouldn’t, and soon after I began walking alongside a large area covered in rice paddies. Like Alice in Wonderland, I continued taking one step at a time, and my breath kept up in a meditative rhythm. When I first arrived to Ubud I was put off by the never ending hordes of traffic; now, just a couple of blocks away, I was standing in front of one of the most peaceful places I have witnessed. Fresh, green rice fields on each side of a single path, its magic leading my lucky self to wherever I was meant to be going.
Upon completing this unique experience and exiting this very enjoyable maze I got myself into unintentionally, I stood grinning once again beside the traffic, the duality’s irony unable to escape my mind.
Barong, Bali’s mythical creature and King of spirits, gained another faithful believer, and I hopefully gained another godly creature’s blessings to get me safe on my way home. Because, in the end of the day, I am yet another traveler, on a quest to achieve Nirvana, paying my respects to the Island of Gods, Bali.
