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Have No Fear, the Safe Bali is still Here

By Bondan Winarno

Summer is here. More and more emails coming my way, from friends around the world, asking whether it is safe to come to Indonesia.

A young relative from Rotterdam asked whether she should go ahead with her plan to come to Bali this July. I asked, why not? “Uncle, I’m afraid of tsunami,” she replied.

I don’t blame this young relative for not knowing the exact geography of Indonesia. Many years ago, a business associate in the USA called me at 2am Jakarta time, not realizing the geographical time different of 15 hours between New York and Jakarta.

Bali, Lombok, Yogyakarta, and many other Indonesian tourist destinations, are not situated in the same geographical line that is prone to tsunamis. Bali is as far from the stricken area of Aceh and Nias as, for instance, from New York to Miami, or from London to Madrid.

No, Bali is not at all affected by the immense tsunami of 26 December 2005. But, unfortunately, false impression had made many tourists in fact cancelled their trip to Bali.

Other friends also asked whether violent political unrest remain a daily occurrence in Indonesia. Holy smoke! These friends of mine must be MTV-viewers. Hasn’t CNN been all quiet on Indonesia lately? Even when it broadcasts news on some political rallies in Indonesia, one must take it with a pinch of salt and pepper. Why are we still being punished with unfortunate catastrophes that took place seven years ago?

Something Different for Some Body

What to do in Bali?

The answer is endless. It depends entirely on you and yourself. If you are a spa buff, you will find Bali as the world spa capital – from budget to most exclusive ones. If you are a beach lover, I’m sure you’ll rate Bali among the top ten of your beach favorites. If you are an interior or fashion designer, Bali is the place where you can get the most unique and fresh ideas. Whatever you do, there is always a piece of Bali just right for you.

Yes, Bali is multidimensional. Culture, nature, arts, cuisine, sports, shopping, whatever – could be found at their most unique elements in Bali. Even doing nothing comes at its best in this Island of Paradise. I have often especially come to Bali during the Nyepi celebration – a yearly tradition where people observe silence, cease from doing any evil, cut out lights entirely. Trust me, it is the best remedial solution for your tired soul.

I come to Bali at least six times in a year. In each and every trip, I would find at least one new surprising discovery – be it a place to eat, to shop, or to indulge myself. In my visit two months ago, while stopping to get my ‘must have’ Bali wine, I found a newly opened pearl shop near the busiest crossroads of Bali – the famous ‘Simpang Siur’. I have known that cultured pearls from Indonesia are highly valued in Japan. But, now, you can buy distinctively designed pearl-jewelry items in this shop, priced at a fraction from those in Tokyo plush shops.

And, you know what? If you love your wife, and wish to be loved more by her, this pearl shop is just the right address for you to make her eyes shine brightest.

No, I’ve never grown tired of Bali. Even if I have to come once a month to Bali, I know I will never get bored. There are still so many things waiting to be discovered.

Gym and Tonic

Last month I was in Bali. Again. I was invited to speak to an audience of business captains from the ASEAN countries. The dress code: strictly no ties!

Bali is a place under the sun that is most suitable to hold a conference of that scale. We started off with a candle-lit power dinner under the moon. The sounds of the wave from a nearby beach, the cicadas, and the gamelans from afar. The soft breeze caressing the skin, and the fragrant of frangipani from numerous trees in the surrounding. Mamma mia, it was damn hard to give attention to the head of the organizing committee, talking about what we speakers must do at the conference.      

At the cocktail by the end of the conference, I heard only praises from everyone attending. If there were complains, they were mostly: so many beautiful places to go, so little time! One spouse told of her diving escapade to West Bali. “World class!” she commended. Another lady took the spouse program to golf at Bedugul in the mountainous part of Bali. “Exquisite!” she exclaimed.

After the cocktail, I decidedly delay my dinner until later. I took my tired body to the hotel’s spa, only to find a new addition that I’ve not seen before. A huge pool with numerous jet-stream stations to soothe the aching muscles. The pool is called Aquatonic. I call it gym and tonic. On the other side of the pool, a Japanese couple was attended by a trainer to do water gymnastic. I resorted to use the invigorating pool.

I made a mental note on the Aquatonic, though. Next time around, I’ll come just before sunset. The view from the pool is really too beautiful to miss.

Culinary Heritage

If you think nasi goreng (fried rice) is the pride of Indonesian culinary wealth, you are only 99.99 percent wrong. For most Indonesians, nasi goreng is classified as ‘desperate menu’. Meaning: when you don’t know what else to eat, nasi goreng is then the most obvious choice. Street vendors of nasi goreng are everywhere to find. So, don’t be trapped into the same fallacy.

Even for the average Indonesians, Bali cuisine is yet to be discovered. It is understandable that most Indonesians have the suspicion that Bali – being mostly Hindu – offers food that is non-halal in nature. Thanks to those many halal Balinese restaurants that opened the eye – and palate, for that matter – of Indonesian muslims. Be sisit (shredded chicken in spicy sambal), tum ayam (marinated chicken steamed in a packet of banana leave), and sate lilit (grilled ground fish meat on skewer) have now become known as popular dishes.  

Don’t get misled that Balinese food are all spicy hot. Bali offers a vast array of culinary heritage – hot, sour, sweet, or otherwise. For a novice, a visit to Bumbu Bali – a fine-dining establishment offering Bali cuisine – is probably a good advice. Chef Heinz von Holzen, the owner, has successfully unveiled the secrets of Balinese cuisine and made them available for international diners.

Bebek Bengil and Biah-Biah at Ubud are just two other examples where international tourists could get a taste of the tantalizing Balinese cuisine.

If you survived the street-food of Thailand, you would do well in Bali. For the more adventurous, the street-side is always the place to go. Try babi guling Ibu Oka at Ubud, or nasi campur at Sanur Beach. Warung Satria, Warung Wardani, and Warung Renon in Denpasar are three famous medium-class eating houses that serve Balinese authentic foods.

The babi guling (roast suckling pig) is a ‘die die must try’. The pig is slowly roasted on wood. The skin is crispy. The meat succulent. Placed atop of steamed rice with lawar (chopped veggies in a spicy shredded coconut), and a bowl of soup (mostly made of young jackfruit or banana trunk) on the side. Ask for an extra help of the delicious sambal matah (chillies, shallot, and kecombrang chopped in salt and coconut oil).

Lawar is also a dish in itself. There are restaurants specializing in lawar. The most authentic lawar uses fresh pig blood and shredded pig inner skin as the main ingredients. Many different vegetables can be used for lawar, such as long beans, fern, young jackfruit.

Nowadays, to cater to the Muslim and vegetarian visitors, lawar also comes in halal and vegan version. No blood, no pork components! In Semawang, a beach area near Sanur, there is a unique version of lawar hitam, made with the black ‘ink’ of squids.

Don’t say you’ve been to Bali if you have not tasted the fabulous cuisine Bali has to offer. Eat your heart out!

Mr. Winarno is a writer and a foodie

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