Bali, Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia
After Perth, we had three sea days and the first two were rainy and dull. In his 1PM bridge report on the second day, the Captain told us that we were heading toward Cyclone Nicholas, that he would try to stay on the outskirts, but that we should expect high winds and rough seas on Tuesday. We all braced ourselves for a battering, but Tuesday dawned clear and warm and we had our best weather day in weeks. Go figure!
Also on Tuesday, as we walked the deck, we noticed a large instrument called an LRAD, or Long Range Acoustical Device. Along with the LRADs there were huge fire hoses strung along the deck and several sailors walking around scanning the horizon. They were looking for pirate ships which I guess are fairly common in this area of the world. Apparently if they spy a menacing ship they turn on the noise machine and spray them with water. We’ll just have to take their word for it that this technique is effective against modern-day piracy.
As much as I’ve traveled, I still don’t know geography very well. I thought Bali was a city, but it turns out it’s an island all to itself. Because of the low tides, we had to anchor quite a distance from the dock and take tenders into the port. We were scheduled on a Virtuoso tour for the day. At the pier I was captivated by our welcome. The Balinese had decorated the gangway with their traditional checked cloth, lacy umbrellas and beautiful girls waiting to greet us with flower petals. The girls were quite young and extremely heavily made up and were wearing traditional costumes and headdresses of brilliant colors and shiny fabrics. At the end of the pier was a 20-piece “band” playing the most unusual music and instruments I have ever seen. The music had no melody, just a haunting beat that was almost mesmerizing.
We barely got past the band when the street vendors swooped down, hooked their claws in us and wouldn’t let us go. I’ve experienced this in many places but never quite as unrelenting as here in Bali. Even when we were on the bus they were at the windows begging us to buy their crafts. It was heart-wrenching; however, as we drove away, the vendors we had rejected smiled happily and waved us on our way.
We had a fantastic guide named Uta and it really is true that a good guide can make or break a tour. He delighted us with his stories and jokes and sheer joy of living, so much so that I was torn between watching him and looking at the scenery. But the scenery inevitably won because it was just so unbelievable and awe-inspiring. And this time it wasn’t only the natural beauty but the structures lining the roads that were so fabulous.
Most of Indonesia is Muslim but in Bali 80% of the residents are Hindu and their religion is the most important thing in their lives. There are more temples on Bali than there are houses. And it is these temples that were so amazing to see. Most of them were huge, elaborate, open-air buildings embellished with bamboo lattice work, filigree, statues, gargoyles, you name it. Around every corner loomed another enormous statue representing some aspect of Hinduism. Outside of almost every edifice was a shrine, usually draped with black and white checked cloth which symbolized the yin and yang, or balance of life. Hindus have a strong belief in karma and reincarnation.
Our main attraction on the tour was a visit to a temple with lunch and a traditional Balinese show. When we got to the temple there was a welcoming procession of beautiful made-up girls who gave us each a hot fragrant towel for our faces and a flower for our hair, men included. The same type of 20-piece band was playing under a pavilion with exquisitely-set tables for our lunch. As the meal was served, we were entertained by dancing girls and the band. It was a performance I will never forget as it was the most unusual and exotic dancing I have ever seen.
Our day included the obligatory visits to the wood-working shop and the batik factory, but I won’t go into that. I haven’t begun to do justice to this most unique and beautiful island. We really only got a snapshot of it in one day. It’s not a place we would want to live or maybe even come back to but the impression we got was that the people of Bali are easy-going, happy, polite and very friendly. Oh, yeah, with maybe a few pirates scattered here and there.
Onward to Muara, Brunei.