G’ day all,
We’ve returned from the hot, muggy, tropical heat of Bali to the more temperate (read cool) temperatures of SW Western Australia and Nancy is already missing the warmth. It’s back to her polar fleece and electric blanket.
Well, Bali turned out to be an interesting place; an island rooted deep in history and culture, devout Hinduism which dictates all facets of one’s life, a mix of very basic subsistence living and unregulated and misguided capitalism. Bali has a largely black-market economy that has been out of control since General Suharto was deposed. In speaking with some Balinese, both old and young, most people seemed more comfortable under his cruel regime than they are now. From their perspective, at least they knew the rules even if it could lead to an untimely, early disappearance....but I digress.
First of all, the Balinese are generally a very polite, peaceful people subscribing to the harmony ingrained in their version of Hinduism. Frankly, they were quite horrified by the Bali bombings in Kuta perpetrated by Islamic extremists.
When we originally booked this trip we broke it into two segments; we spent the first week in Seminyak in touristy Southern Bali and the second half in the arts and culture capital of Ubud just a little farther north near the volcanic mountains.
The region south and around Seminyak is the main tourist area of Bali and is now very commercialized and overrun by Kiwis and Australians. We arrived via Garruda Airlines and were literally slapped by the warm, heavy air as soon as we disembarked from the plane. After clearing immigration, getting our luggage and changing some $ (1 AUD$ = 7,450 rupiah) we were immediately accosted by dozens of taxi drivers and touts (private drivers trying to get our business). And believe me, they knew that we had no idea regarding rates, how much to tip, etc. It was like we had a big L stamped on our foreheads. Therefore within the first ½ of an hour we were introduced to Balinese bartering and paid 100 to 200% too much to get a car to our hotel and tipped everybody who even breathed on our luggage. Nevertheless, we loaded up and started on what we thought would be a nice leisurely drive to our hotel so we could put our feet up and relax. Wrong!!!!!!
The rules of the road in Bali are as follows: there are none!
Whoever is in front has the right of way and gets there first. And it doesn’t matter how you get to the front. There are no regulated speed limits, you can pass on the left or right, you honk at everything and everybody, a two lane highway really means 1 to 5 lanes. To turn at an intersection, one doesn’t wait but merely noses into oncoming traffic and relies on the traffic Gods to sort it out. Let it be said that Nancy and I cast quite a few cautionary glances at each other while the driver sat in the middle of the road and let everybody else figure out how to get around him. Then he started turning in and out of narrow alleyways in the dark of the night and we both thought we were going to be rolled. However, our hotel suddenly appeared in the night and after a cursory search under the vehicle (for bombs!) at the security gate we were let in and within an hour we were safely tucked into bed ready to hit the streets the following days.
To be cont’d later -Cheers from down under.
Boyd and Nancy
