Bali (Day One)

Bali, possibly the only part of Indonesia that is uniquely different from most parts of Indonesia. I have always wanted to visit this place that has so much to offer holiday-makers. According to our plans, my wife flew over from Singapore to Jakarta, and took the connecting flight to Denpassar, and I was to meet her in the Jakarta airport for the same flight. Alas! When I got to the airport, I discovered that the flight was delayed for about two hours, grrrr… and since I was considered a domestic passenger, I could not get to the section for International flights. I was puzzled when the SMS from my wife said, “I am at the bookstore”, but I could not find her when I got there. Then I realized that our waiting areas are separate and in the end, she had to pass her passport to one of the security guards in order to come over to my side. And later, those who flew in from Singapore had to take a bus over to the plane where the domestic passengers were.

Upon reaching the Denpasar airport, our driver was waiting at the airport, and off we went for lunch. Warisan is a nifty French restaurant that overlooks a small patch of padi field. As it was late afternoon (no thanks to the flight delay), the restaurant was quiet. The decorations and fittings glowed with a laid-back European style, and of course the price was not exactly cheap. We ordered a fish fillet and beef stroganoff, which were delicious. Maybe a little too salty for my taste, but good nonetheless. Not quite the wine drinkers, we abstained from alcohol and ordered mineral water instead.

Next destination was the Uluwatu Temple to catch the Kecak Fire Dance and the sunset. Along the way, we stopped over at a beach, just to have a quick look. It was hot and we were not quite dressed for the beach, so off we went again towards the temple. The Uluwatu Temple sits snugly atop a cliff that overlooks the Indian Ocean, and the sunset view was breathtaking. It was here, in a little round “stage”, that the Kecak dance was performed.

According to the explanations on the leaflet, the Kecak is the most unique Balinese dance which is not accompanied by any orchestra, but the music was created by a choir of seventy men (originally in the old days I think). The dance actually tells part of a story, with modern-day antics and inclusions to please the crowds. It was quite fascinating, and amazing that some of the old men could go on going “kecak, kecak, kecak…” for so long.

It was dark when the dance ended, and all the tourists left together as we made our way back to the vehicle. It was dinner time and we requested to have a quick meal at a local eatery for Padang food, then off to Green Field Bungalows for the night.