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Bali - A Cultural Oasis October, 2007

Since Bali had the bombing in 2004, very few, if any, American tourists have ventured to this tropical island. Most of the tourists we have run into have been from Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In fact, if you look at the State Department website, there has been a travel ban for travel to Bali for US citizens since the bombing. According to a person at the hotel, this ban will soon be lifted and they are expecting planeloads of tourists from the United States. With President Bush visiting in a few months, it probably does not look good for a US president to travel to a place where citizens are not supposed to go. Since the bombing in 2004, security is ever vigilant. Before entering the grounds of our hotel, every vehicle must stop at the security check, where bomb and drug sniffing dogs give the vehicle a once over. Before entering the hotel, shopping center, or festival, a person needs to walk through a security machine, the same kind that you see at airports. Security personnel walk along the beaches or stand guard in the shade of the trees. Indonesia wants tourists to return, and are taking care not to have another incident. Right now, it seems they are hurting for business. Bali retains its Hindu culture despite existing in a Muslim environment. There are temples everywhere, and wherever you turn, you will see smallofferings of food, flowers, or candy on the street. Businesses, especially, make offerings first thing before opening their store, in order to bring good luck and prosperity for the day. You must be careful when you walk to not step on any of these offerings, and the smell of incense fills the air. It really is a magical setting. We are staying at a Westin resort on the southern shore of Bali in an area called Nusa Dua. This area is a very exclusive cove with about six pristine resorts. Because of our platinum status, we have been upgraded in rooms, given many additional amenities, and are being treated like kings and queens! However, staying at the resort does not give you the real picture of Bali. We have been fortunate to make local friends who have shared some insights into the Balinese culture. Seventy percent of the people are poor and only make $2 or $3 per day. Not far away, you can see the way some of the poor people live and it is sad to see trash thrown about. The resorts offer them good paying jobs for those that can get the work. Most families have at least three children - in fact, it is very important to have a son in the family or you are disgraced within your village. We have made a nice friend Mayun, who works at the hotel, and he is giving us language lessons and teaching us about the culture. It is extremely expensive for cremation and services, costing up to $20,000. The after life is so important in the Hindu belief that families take out loans to pay for these services, usually resulting in permanent crippling debt. Yesterday, we experienced a Hindu celebration that only occurs every six months, and is always timed for a full moon. The people all dressed up and played music on their indigenous instruments, their joyousness contagious to everyone. Special offerings were left in the temples, while three roosters were ritually sacrificed. Each person is required to pray for one hour, and the celebration lasts most of the day. The Hindu culture has many customs and celebrations. They believe in reincarnation, so when a baby is born, the soul of the baby is believed to be that of a reincarnated ancestor. Therefore, the baby is a treated as an infant god for 42 days, and cannot touch the ground for the first 105 days. During these 105 days, the baby must be held the entire time, with the first birthday at 210 days, according to the Hindu calendar. Seems like a long time to have to hold one's baby! The other custom happens when you reach 17 years old. Both boys and girls have a teeth grinding ceremony, which evidently, is quite painful. The upper six front teeth must be ground even, is often done in groups, and is performed without benefit of Novocain. For weeks afterward, anything hot or cold hurts your teeth, yet is required before one can get married. Everyone seems to have nice even teeth! Speaking of marriage, they used to all be arranged. Now, if you don'[t like the intended your family picked for you, it is ok to say no. Most families allow the son or daughter to make their own choice. In a few days, we will head into central Bali, where we will spend a week in Ubud, the artistic and cultural center of this mystical island paradise. We look forward to sharing our adventures with you in the months to come.

If You Go: Getting There: We arrived in Denpasar on a flight from Singapore, which connected to a flight from Hong Kong, which originated in San Francisco. Sleeping Westin Nusa Dua - Obviously, one of the best - we cashed in hotel points and spent ten days here. Dining: It's really hit and miss in this area - many moderately expensive establishments next to relatively cheap street food. More Information: I would not sell Nusa Dua as representational of Bali, but it's where we started and where we coaxed our way into our thirteen month trip around the world. We always felt perfectly safe, there was never a moment where we felt threatened in any way.                                                                               More Travel Articles

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