Indonesia

I’m extremely slow at blogging… about one to two months behind and I’ve got many readers and friends asking me for more updates and more photos. I’d try but between work, travel and family… I have just this little window of space to upload and watermark my photos so please do understand. I promise I’ll get the photos and stories out eventually.

A few years back when I came back from Bali, I was raving to my friends and family how wonderful and gorgeous Dreamland beach was. How the pristine waters and untouched nature filled my heart with joy. But this time when I went back to Dreamland beach, I’m sad to report that it’s yet another wonderful location lost to the scary evilness of commercialization. The whole area is packed with tourists and the beach has been vilified!

Initially, Dreamland beach was the pet project of ommy Suharto, the son of the former Indonesian president. He seized the use of the land and drove the locals out, wanting to built some luxury resort and golfing area. But when the 1998 economic crisis and the Bali bombings began, the project was abandoned. Instead this gorgeous area was left alone and was only known as the most beautiful and best surf beach to the locals with insider knowledge. I still remember the first time I step foot in dreamland… it was dirt roads all the way in and definitely no car parks. The beach was almost empty except for a few locals and expats that lived in Bali.

The whole secluded area with astounding beauty stole my heart the moment I laid my eyes on it. It was possibility the  best beach I’ve seen and rivals the beaches of Maldives or Fiji. But as we all know how this sad story is going to end… this didn’t last.

Although the waters are still relatively clear and the waves are still good enough for the pro-surfers, it wasn’t as beautiful as before.

While I feel that the revival of Bali as a tourist destination is good for their economy and helps improve their unemployment rate, Dreamland beach was sacrificed in this exchange.

The rich came back to claim their stake on Dreamland, bringing with them golf courses, 5 star resorts and a slew of touts and shops hawking souvenirs and tee shirts. It’s unsightly to see how these organisations profit from what was originally the locals hangout. And while I understand that nothing this beautiful can escape commercialization, the decline of the beach from the last time I saw it is so dramatic that it breaks my heart.

Dreamland will no longer be the dream beach I experienced the first time I came to Bali and this trip there will most likely be the last time I visit Dreamland Beach. Anyways, I think they changed the name of the beach to Kelapa New Kuta Beach. I can’t bear to see the downfall of the beach any further and I sometimes worry if my children will ever see gorgeous untainted pristine beaches again should every commercialization take place with no thought of retaining that value.

For those who have never visited Kelapa New Kuta Beach before, don’t let my post deter you for it is still a good beach and a million times better than the ones we have in Singapore. But if you are looking to find unspoilt beauty don’t expect too much. It’s still a fantastic beach for pro-surfers cause the waves are one of the best in Bali.

Here’s a really short video.

I spent the morning swimming and going for my favorite lomi lomi massage at Legian before settling in for lunch.

I love the local dishes and can’t eat enough!

After lunch it was off to Turtle Sanctuary or also better known as Turtle Island. The best time to go is in the early morning when the tide is high and the turtles are active but since I could only make it in the afternoon I had no choice. There are quite a number of places that allows you to charter their speed boat to get to Turtle Island but since tide is low, only the one nearer to the port with deeper waters can accommodate my request.

The companies that take you to turtle island usually also provides services for banana boat, para sailing, flying fish, jet ski and other water activities so you could plan your whole day in the sea.

After some registration and off we go! Low tides meant the speed boat couldn’t park closer to shore at turtle island so be prepared to walk a short distance through the water to get to the island. Turtle island has changed quite a bit since the last time I visited which was only 1 year ago. They renovated the place and improved the living conditions of the turtles. You can see my previous turtle island excursion here.

All species of turtle have been specified as endangered as per International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The purpose of the turtle sanctuary here is to save the turtle eggs from predators; permit them to hatch naturally and then to raise the young turtles for one year before releasing them safely into the sea. Injured turtles will also be cared for until they are well enough to be released back into the sea.

Buried in the sand above are turtle eggs! It was hatching season but since turtles tend to hatch at night or in the wee hours of the morning, there was no chance of me catching that in action.

But I did get to see the day old turtles! So cute!

In the early stages of their lives, turtles are carnivores, feeding on small swimming and bottom feeding organisms such as jelly fish, tunicates, sponges, soft corals, crabs, squids and fish. They shift to a vegetarian diet as they mature with the adult turtles feeding on sea grasses and algae. A turtle reaches maturity after about fifty years.

Near the island of Bali and Lombok, the Indian and Pacific Oceans meet. The meeting of theses two great bodies of water and the various ocean currents brings a great number and variety of turtles, from as far away as Mexico and South America. The loggerhead turtles above are carnivorous. Carnivorous turtles tend to be smaller in size which herbivorous turtles grow really huge in size.

These herbivorous green sea turtles are known to migrate long distances between their feeding grounds and the beaches they hatched from. Some of them are known to are known to swim distances of greater than 2,600 kilometers just to get back to the beach they were hatched from to continue the life cycle. They can grown up to 1.5m in length!

The turtle has a really heavy shell! I selected a smaller one so I could handle it… I don’t think I could pick up the bigger ones. Turtles have been in existence for over 150 million years, they survived beyond their dinosaur peers and it’s just amazing!

Sea turtles spend almost all their lives submerged but must breathe air for the oxygen needed to meet the demands of vigorous activity. Turtles can rest or sleep underwater for several hours at a time but submergence time is much shorter while diving for food or to escape predators. Breath-holding ability is affected by activity and stress, which is why turtles drown in shrimp trawls and other fishing gear within a relatively short time.

Turtle Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that relies fully on donations so to attract more visitors to visit, the also house several other animals on the island.

An iguana.

There are crabs too… though I don’t think this was supposed to be part of their attraction. lol

I just found it cute that all the tiny crabs on the island only had one big pincer.

A toucan! It was exhilarating having one so close to me!

This is a white bellied sea eagle and despite it’s tiny size it can easy attack and capture preys as big as a swan! The talons resting on my arms are pretty sharp too.  And just for trivia, this bird is also featured on the $10,000 Singapore note.

When I first saw these roosters I thought they were part of the animal tour! Unfortunately for these roosters, they are just the food stock for the snake!

Here I am with the snake which those rooster would eventually end up in. Pythons are large and muscular, and kill their prey by squeezing, or constricting, until it suffocates. The reticulated python of Southeast Asia is among the largest snakes, reaching a length of 10 m

If you look closely, you can see the snake mouth has been taped up. His tongue can still slip out though. The scary thing is that, this is not the first time I handled this very same snake. I put him around me the previous time I visited and then, his mouth wasn’t taped. Having a tape around his mouth this time round meant something went wrong and now he needs to be properly secured!

These fruit bats are huge! I had fun feeding them!

I stayed around after the small animal tour to have a drink and talk to my island guide. They don’t earn much at all as most of their daily earnings goes to their boat transportation to the island. They rely on tips as salary. They all take a queue number based on first come first serve and they will serve visitors in accordance to their queue number. He was number 45 that day and it was 3pm when I got to the island which meant I was his only visitor since the island closes around 4pm. His wife had just given birth and he was the sole bread winner. In Bali they practice sex before marriage. You only marry the girl if she gets pregnant.

Soon it was time to say bye bye to turtle island!

Here’s the video.

While since I was in the area, I decided to check out the Bedugul market for some local foodstuff.

Bedugul is the highland garden of Bali, producing lots of cool climate fruits and vegetables. In the market here you can find strawberries plus a myriad of tropical fruits, vegetables, corn and orchids. This is a great place to buy exotic spices with mixed gift packs being especially popular.

If you come in the right harvesting season, you could even arrange to go pick strawberries from the farms around these areas.

I bought a whole lot of local snacks and produce! Cheap and yummy… I love the corn chips with caramel sauce.

If you have time, you should check out Jatiluwih which is near Bedugul. It’s a place of beautiful terrace rice padi fields and the rice grown here are the traditional Bali rice… not the hybrid rice we see everywhere else. n 2007 this was nominated as a UNESCO world heritage site. And if i remember correctly, there’s a small entrance fee for vehicles to enter this area.

One of the food I liked at the market was Roti Bakar, grilled bread. There were many flavors but the chocolate and peanut were really good. Highly unhealthy cause there is much butter involved but the taste was good!

I was hesitant about trying road side stalls as I’ve heard many horror stories about the “Bali Bug”, where foreigners cannot tolerate the food. But I’ve had no issues so far.

Here’s the video of my temple trip and to Bedugul Market.

There are lots of temples in Bali, worshiping their Gods is a big part of their culture and so a lot of great scenic spots have also been reserved for temples. The buildings in Bali (with the exception of 1) are not allowed to be higher the 3 stories… or rather no higher than the highest temple they have.

I’ve been to most of the famous temples in Bali and decided to come back to Pura Ulun Danu Brantan because it never fails to give me a rather serene feeling that calms my spirits.  This temple is built by Gusti Agung Anom, King of Mengwi who also built the Pura Taman Ayun temple… also known as the Royal family temple or Beautiful Gardens Temple. You may view my last trip to both temples here.

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, located by the western banks of Lake Bratan near the village of Candi Kuning, in the Bedugul Highlands at a level of 1239m. This temple is one of the most picturesque and most photographed temples in Bali.

Danu Bratan is inside the caldera of the now extinct volcano Gunung Catur. It is one of the main sources of irrigation in the Balinese highlands, and so the temple is dedicated to Dewi Danu, the lake goddess. There are a lot of fishing activities by the locals in this waters as well.

On the shore of the lake are two multi-tiered merus. The bigger, 11-tier menu ( the pagoda-like thing for the gods) is the abode of the god of Gunung Mangu. Gunung Mangu is said to be the abode of Wisnu, hence the meruis dedicated to Wisnu.

The other shrine is that of Lingga Petak. It is smaller and further away in the lake. This shrine, with a three-tier meru, is dedicated to Shiva. It is reachable only by canoe. When the shrine was renovated in 1968, three long round stones were discovered at the foundation, coloured red, white and black. The white stone was believed to be a “lingga”, a phallic symbol of Shiva, and associated with the worship of fertility.

Other than the beautiful lake, the temple is also surrounded by a pretty garden. I wasn’t there at the right season so while there were flowers blooming, they were in their brightest bloom.

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Beautiful hydrangea grow on the temple grounds.

The unusual feature of this temple, to the left of the entrance to the first courtyard, is a Buddhist stupa with figures of Buddha meditating in the lotus position in niches on the square base. The stupa reflects the adoption of Buddhist beliefs by Balinese Hindus. I didn’t take a picture of the Buddha this time round. I find it extremely intrigued to see the harmonious display of 2 different religion… it would be wonderful if more religions and culture can be this open-minded.

The local legend of the area of Bedulu is that it was once the capital of a great kingdom with a semi-mythical pig-headed king, Dalem Beda-Hulu. Beda-Hulu possessed all sorts of magical powers and one of it includes being able to remove or replace his head. He used to sit and meditate, removing his head to reach the beyond. On one such occasion, an unnatural disturbance occurred and his servant dropped his head in the river. The king was forced to get a new head quickly so a nearby pig had his head chopped off to be taken to place on the neck of the king. Thereafter the king was forced to sit on a high throne and forbade his subjects to look up at him. Beda-Hulu means ” he who changed head”.

Other places of interest in the area of Bedulu is the Yeh Pulu reliefs and Goa Gajah. Yeh Pulu is a rock face with 25m of carvings by great giant architect-general, Kebo Iwa in the 14th century. Legends say that he did those carvings with his fingernails! Goa Gajah is also known as “Elephant Cave”. It overlooks the Petanu River and consists of a Siwaitic rock-cut cave, a bathing place, a monks’ chamber, a number of Buddhist rock-cut stuppas and statues, and several foundations. It is known as the 11th century Buddhist hermitage.

Before I digress any further, lets get back to the main temple courtyard of Pura Ulun Danu Bratan.

The main temple is called Pura Teratai Bang (Black Lotus Temple) is dedicated to Dewi danu, the goddess of the water and lakes. The many ceremonies conducted in this temple ensures the farmers a good water supply for their crops.  Then there’s a smaller temple, Pura Dalem Purwa, dedicated to the goddess of food.

Nearby are many fishing boats as the locals use this lake as their livelihood. The truly appreciate the wonders nature has bestowed upon them… be it fish from the sea or water to irrigate their crops.

One of the reasons I like the Balinese culture so much is that it always reminds me to give thanks to what I have. Too often our minds are in pursuit of the next want or we feel that we were given a bad lot in life. But the truth is, we have many things to be thankful and grateful for. The sun in the sky, the family and friends we have and the chance to step out and learn more about ourselves and of the world.

I may not live forever or have truck loads of cash but I am contented… on some days when I go to bed after I’ve slogged my day away and feeling totally exhausted; on days when things go wrong and I feel how small my life is… on those days, I go to bed thinking about my life and strangely, as insignificant as my life is, I’m contented. Contented to have my loving family and friends, contented to be alive with food on the table and a clean bed to sleep in.

We went by Lake Baratan and the driver stopped for us to take some lovely shots. Bratan Lake is located next to Mount Bratan and Mount Catur. It is the second largest lake in Bali.

Next up was the Bali treetop adventure at Bedugul Botanical Gardens. There are 6 different level of toughness so anyone from kids to adults looking for a tough physical challenge to try out! I’ve done several forest adventures so far and I really like the challenge. Bali gives a really good balance and their Adrenalin circuit is one of the best and most challenging.

First you need to put on your safety equipment and listen to the safety instructions. The cool thing about Bali treetop adventure is for the USD 20  entrance fee, there is no limit to the number of circuits or time you can spend doing the obstacles. So as long as you have the energy, you can finish one circuit and head on to the next. For adults, I recommend starting with ” Dancing with trees” followed by “Emotion” and finally “Adrenaline”.

You can buy your climbing gloves from the counter for about SGD2-3. It’s a fantastic investment as it’ll prevent blisters forming from the abrasions you get climbing the ropes.

There are many Tarzan jumps of up to 20m high and flying foxes in the circuits. One of the most thrilling one is the 160m long flying fox.

I was wearing my comfy ballet slip ons at first which fell off during one of my Tarzan swings! Luckily the staff were there to help me. So after my embarrassing stint,  I quickly went to the car to change into my more reliable sports shoe before embarking on the tougher circuits!

It’s a good idea to picnic in the botanical gardens after the forest adventure too! Too bad I wasn’t prepared.

Here’s the video of my Bali Treetop Adventure.

Bali, being an island full of volcanoes, is filled with pockets of hot spring pools. I’ve visited Bali hot spring pools in resorts previously and it was fantastic. You can read about it here. The water has been filtered slightly by the hotel so it’s pristine.

However, this time I wanted a more natural sulphuric hot spring pool so I headed to Banjar hot springs. The Banjar Hot Springs near Lovina are another famous spot, with 3 basins of different temperature to chose from. They are about 25 kilometers from Git Git.

Git Git is a famous waterfall in Bali where you can swim and bath under the 40m high crystal clear waterfall. The local legend is that if couples swim under the Git Git falls, they are bound to be separated so for those travelling with partners, beware!

The Banjar hot springs have high sulphuric and mineral content and a couple of hours soak is said to improve blood circulation and is good for the skin.

If you intend to go to the Banjar hot springs, do wear dark colored swim wear as the sulfur content in the water might stain light colored swim suits especially white.

Over looking the pool with many flowers surrounding is a cafe. I had a light Soto Ayam snack before heading off.

The last time I climbed Mt Batur, I remember how lovely it was to have a nice meal while enjoying the view. ( You can read about it here if you’ve missed that post out previously.) So this time, I recommended my friends to join me for lunch at the same restaurant with the volcano view!

The view of the volcano was as usual, a fantastic sight! For those of you who are travelling with family or do not wish to make that strenuous climb to the summit, this is a really good way to appreciate the gorgeous Bali volcanic landscape.

We’re in the highlands so despite it being so sunny, the temperature was actually just nice. Not hot, not cold, just cooling. Food here is pretty good too.

The Bintang Beer (local beer) advertisers! Lol… they bought their shirts in Bali and negotiated for a good price since they each got one!