First of all let me say that the Balinese are generally a
gentle, friendly, peaceful sort – very polite, bordering on shy. We stayed at a
private villa in Legian for the week, and I found the staff lovely and
unassuming. In the restaurants the service was mostly good too.
I was quite disgusted at the state of the beaches – lots and
lots of rubbish from Seminyak to Kuta, at Nusa Dua and Uluwatu. For me,
swimming in an ocean with random bits of floating rubbish does not feel nice at
all. I swam at Padang Padang but I found the water ….well cloudy and not that
nice. Certainly not the sparkling clear ocean I am used to at home in
Australia. We stayed near Legian Beach and I can honestly say that, as much as
I love to scrunch my toes in the sand, I did not take off my shoes on the
beach. Not once.
Upon further research I see that there are some clean-up
Bali projects and organisations set up. The problem is sewage and food waste
from the growing number of restaurants built to cater to the huge tourist
trade. Garbage and sewage just flows out directly into the ocean, and onto the
beaches. The matter of stray dogs is another issue: no-one cleans up their
waste on the beaches either!
I agree that some things are cheap(er) than in Australia –
eating out, for one, can be quite affordable (dinner for 4 including drinks for
AUD$40). Shopping is a little exhausting: the myriad of vendors who like to
bargain keeps you on your toes and really….when you are bargaining over a
dollar or two, you end up giving up after a while. Shoes, sandals, knock-off
designer handbags, watches, clothing, wooden penis bottle openers (??), rayon
dresses, Bintang tshirts…it goes on and on. I’m not really into shopping and I
did enjoy it in limited amounts (but will I ever wear my ‘gold’ Rolex? Really?).
Wandering into Kuta one day, I was overwhelmed with, well,
disgust. Tattoo parlours. Nightclubs. People. Aggressive vendors. More people.
Crowded, dirty and not my scene at all.
We did enjoy a day biking trip up to see a volcano, crater
lake, and 25km of downhill mountain biking through villages and rice paddies.
It was great to get away from the crowds for a while, even if it was very
humid.
My summary of Bali is: I still have no idea why so many
people go to Bali, not once, but over and over and over again. To me, there are
far more interesting places to visit. I did not find it a ‘cheap’ holiday
(sure, some things are cheaper there…but once you pay for airfares and
accommodation, it’s not!), the ocean was rather disgusting, the beaches are far
superior where I live in Australia.
One final note: I do think the Australian media beats up on Bali
a little too much. I have travelled all over the world, and crime happens
everywhere. If you are careful and keep your wits about you, there is no need
to worry about safety. I certainly would not recommend hiring motor
scooters/bikes in Bali – the traffic is congested, and drivers rarely follow
rules. Get travel insurance!!
