Nov 30 2008
Bali High (and Bali Low)
Three nights and four days in the beautiful exotic island of Bali in Indonesia ought to bring me to heavenly highs. Unfortunately instead, I was pulled down to earthly lows as I spent most of my time there cooped up in long boring meetings in a conference room. What a waste! Anyway, I did enjoy my beautiful room in our sprawling Javanese style-hotel, the Ayodya Resort Bali. I had a perfect view of this lagoon from my balcony.
My boss though didn’t enjoy his room as much and complained of his small TV and his remote control. So I gaped at him and said, “My TV is a flat-screen”! But seeing his consternated look, I relented immediately and said, “Joke lang sir”. I knew I did the right thing when he heaved a sigh of relief… even if I did have to say a little white lie. Shhhhhh! I did have a flat screen. My work motto: do not aggravate the boss needlessly. 
So what could be worse than spending my time in Bali, the ultimate honeymoon place, inside a conference room? Well, it’s spending the precious little leisure time we had there (mostly in the evenings) without Honey. No offense to my four colleagues (two of whom were bosses) who were really cool dudes. I’m sure they would also have preferred to have been there with wives and boyfriends and families than with me too. But that is how it is with business travels. So we made do with each others’ company and had a great time anyway. In the form of our meeting report… hereunder are the highlights of our leisure time:
Dinner at Jimbaran
Jimbaran… a long stretch of white-sand beach along a bay lined with restaurants offering fresh seafood and balinese dances. A bit in the dampa style where you had to go to market and they’ll cook the food for you.
We went there twice and spent a fortune the second time when we ordered fresh lobsters. They also featured Balinese dances and a Balinese singing group. Dinner right on the sands is THE Bali-ish thing to do.
Tanah Lot
The Balinese seem to have a different sense of time than we do. The girl at the tourist desk said that Tanah Lot was only an hour away. Two and a half hours after we left the hotel, we were still driving through fields of rice terraces (yes, not unique to our own Banaue). But finally… we “follow this way to Tanah Lot Temple”. 
Tanah Lot, which means “land in the middle of the sea”, is a sixteenth century Javanese temple built on a huge rock about 200 meters away from the beach in the middle of the sea.
Sunsets are supposed to be spectacular here. But we had a dinner to catch so we had to rush back to the hotel before then.
Kecak Dance
Our Indonesian hosts hosted us to a dinner show in the Balinese Theater of our hotel featuring the Kecak Dance… a music drama very similar to Cambodian ballet as both are heavily influenced by the Hindu culture. Both are also based on the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. The movements, costumes and the music are very similar (if you are new to this blog… FYI, I just came back from Cambodia where I stayed for six years). Even the temple backdrop looks quite similar to the Angkor Wat.
KUTA
My kind of hang-out place… with streets and streets of shops for souvenirs and designer clothes, restaurants, cafes and bars. It is very busy and vibrant at nights with bars and discos. Ooh… I missed Honey when we were walking around there. This is also where you can find the memorial for the 2002 Bali bombing victims.
In retrospect, I thought it was quite foolhardy of us to take some drinks at a bar (called the Vi Ai Pi) right beside the memorial considering that at that time, the Bali bombers were just executed and there were actually several advisories from countries like Australia against going to Bali.
The Beach
Before I went to Bali, people were warning me that Philippine beaches were so much better. But when I saw the beach right in front of our hotel, I only felt bad that I only had a grand total of two minutes to enjoy it. Even more regretful was the fact that I was actually wearing a suit and heels when I checked out the beach. It wasn’t bad at all with its wide strip and white sands and cool inviting waters.
Observations
Expectations
I actually had low expectations of Bali before I went there. I expected an over-rated tourist trap. I remember our Pattaya experience. We expected so much because of the great advertising campaign by Thailand but ended up disappointed because it was so dirty and sleazy. Not so with Bali. Bali is truly exotic and quaint… with its Balinese architecture and culture prevalent all over, plenty of places to see, its food and of course, its beaches.
Pork
Bali is probably one of the few non-Muslim places in Indonesia so Pinoys like me could enjoy their ration of pork sausages, pork ribs and pork barbeque. Yey!
No Pinoys
I thought there was something missing. Then, I realized… there were no Pinoys in Bali… whether OFWs or tourists. Shocker! Does a place in the universe still exist? I suppose it’s because Indonesia is, like us, a labor-exporting country. I’m quite used to checking out the Pinoys whenever I’m abroad and besides my delegation, my nose had not detected a single one (see this post).
Very Much Like Cambodia
The architecture with its steeples, Buddhist and Hindu influences, ancient rock temples, etc. remind me of my former home of six years. Even our hotel is very much in the style of the Angkor Wat with its square galleries and steeples and Hindu sculptures. And as I mentioned above, the dance, dresses and culture are very much the same. It almost felt like going back home.
Hooooot!
Oooh, it was hot! It was so hot that my hair was getting curlier and curlier by the minute (I badly need a rebond!). And to think that because I was there for meetings, I only brought hot stuffy suits. I got envious of the Indonesians who only wore batik shirts during the meetings. So I bought a couple from this really nice store in Kuta.
I really wish I could have seen more of this place. Oh well… Honey just bet on the P112 million lotto. How I wish.
Bali Ha’i may call you,
Any night, any day,
In your heart, you’ll hear it call you:
“Come away…Come away.”
Bali Ha’i will whisper
In the wind of the sea:
“Here am I, your special island!
Come to me, come to me!
“Bali Ha’i” from the Rodgers & Hammerstein Musical “South Pacific” (the song though is based on a real lsland of Ambaes located in Vanuatu, and not on the island of Bali, Indonesia).
- Bali and Phuket for Our Wedding Anniversary?
- Abandoned in Bali
- Prambanan and Malioboro
- It’s Raining in Bali Today
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It seems like you had so much executive fun in Bali, ah.
Bali is considered to be a haven by many tourists who have visited the place. Mukha naman talagang maganda ang place from your pics eh. Here’s hoping you can visit this paradise again with your honey.
mukhang enjoy ka naman sa business trip mo kahit paano
kakatuwa naman yung beach pero bakit parang walang tao yata dun?
Ganda nga ng Bali! Thats the problem with business trips…they bring you to nice places, makukulong ka lang pala…eh di sana sa Manila na lang ano? Hehe..at least you got a glimpse of Bali, kahit glimpse lang. How did you like Indonesian food?
That’s the most I get of one place at a time, just a glimpse, and sometimes that suffices. The beach looks clean and pristine.
Was it a touristy place though?
i like the way this piece was written. hehe. In my opinion, Bali is overrated. I’ve been there in 2006, not expecting much and still disappointed. nabundat ako dito ng BreadTalk kase mas marami silang variety ng breads kumpara dito sa Pinas. The beaches are disappointing too (this was after the bomb)…daming cracks and butas sa pavement, hehe. but i enjoyed watching the traditional dances and painting hunts.
in terms of culture, Bali is has an advantage… its collection of flora and fauna is also more diverse.. it’s just a little frightening to think that an earthquake might visit anytime, since Indonesia is situated on the ring of fire…
as always, you made your stay sound so interesting kahit business trip ang punta mo sa Bali. i would have also enjoyed the Kecak dance and Kuta, and the lobster most of all.:D
Abaniko, sana nga kaya lang hindi siya tumama sa lotto e.
Carlotta, kc ayun yung beach ng hotel… so for hotel guests lang… it was quite nice… sayang 2 minutes lang ako don.
Gypsy, hindi kc ako mahilig sa peanut sauce at curry.
Pero sa Bali, hindi naman mainstream Indonesian food. And we loved the fresh seafood so it was great. 
Ewok, yes a glimpse is enough. And if you liked your glimpse, you could dream of coming back and really immerse yourself.
There weren’t too many tourists at that time because of the Australian advisory due to the execution of the Bali bombers. The nice thing about Bali is that the development is controlled so the culture of the place is well intact.
Hehe… thanks Rayts.
Baka sa Kuta Beach yan… some of the beaches are not nice nga. But the hotel private beaches are very good. Haha… nabundat sa tinapay sa Bali. 
Diba parang Cambodia? Pero mas maganda mga temple sa Cambodia siempre.
Hi Crescent.
Yes, very interesting culture in Bali. I like the way it intersperses with the beach and nature… like that temple in the middle of the island. Maybe that’s why their land is so lush… volcanic soil.
Luna Miranda, we were so shocked when we got the bill for the lobster… more than a million rupiahs!
Of course a dollar is worth about 12,000 rupiahs.
is it true that what boracay is to the philippines, is bali to indonesia. i surely would love to go there. thanks for sharing the fun but hectic account. take care.
Hey, you’re back to blogging, finally! Do you know that Butch and I got married in Bali in 1994? We found a Catholic church in Denpasar that looks like a Hindu temple. The parish priest enjoyed our wedding so much and said that it was his first time to witness a Filipino wedding. Anyway, just a bit of trivia: the kecak dance, although based on the Ramayana, was invented by a non-Balinese…not even by an Indonesian. It was invented by Walter Spies, a German national, who lived and died in Bali. He is a famous painter of Balinese scenes and his paintings sell in Christies and Sothebys for millions of dollars.
Hi lawstude! I think Boracay and Bali are very different. The long beach in Boracay is probably much nicer. The two places have varied things to offer. But it’s definitely worthwhile to go to Bali.
Hi Ollie!
Yeah… I know you got married in Bali. Maybe when I go back there, I’ll try to visit your church. Sana nga makabalik ako. Funny name for a German… Walter Spies. 
Hey… great to see you last night! 
great travelogue sort of post, enjoyed it
sounded like you had a brilliant time too!
When I had this consecutive meetings in the resorts, one of the common things I noticed with the European Executive Chefs and F&B Managers is that everytime we asked them “so you’re family’s back in France?”, they would answer “no, they’re in Bali”. Always, walang pinagkaiba. Ganun palagi ang sagot. hehehe
And so we concluded na siguro talagang maganda ang Bali
Anyway I can totally relate with the heat my friend. Super kulot na rin ng hair ko….chorva!!!!!
Wow I can see that you have hectic schedule there in Bali
! I have enjoyed the your travel stories and the pictures are great, bakit hindi ka nag pose man lang ng isa sa “THE BEACH” ??? Ganda pa man din ng whitesand 
! Hooola, when I was in manila I was tempted to do rebonding kaso sabi ko I still have my plancha with me so di bale na lang. At least, I can have choices if I want it curly puede and if I want it straight, that’s the job for my magic hair iron 
!
Oist! Nag-update ka na pala! Galing naman ng venue ng conference niyo, diyan pa sa resort. Oh well, di mo man na-enjoy ang beach at least you enjoyed the company and food…
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hehehe. ganda naman ng view mo. at ang ganda ng venue ng conperens ha. bali! may tanong ako…. when we stayed in bintan, hindi maganda ang cable reception nila, dyan din ba sa bali?
Hahaha. I also check for the Pinoy factor whenever I am overseas. Here in Buffalo, not a lot. In fact, I don’t see Pinoys at all except for the few people I know in the Chemistry department in the university. But outside, not at all.
Last summer, I did some traveling, and I did not see any Pinoy in Colombia, nor in Peru, except for one worker working on a ship docked in Lima, who was heading home to Manila for vacation. He had a long flight in front of him, I chatted with him in Lima airport, and he was about to board the KLM flight to Amsterdam from Lima, which will then connect to a flight to Manila. At that time, I was heading to Bogota en route to New York City.
Pinoys abound in Copenhagen, Denmark. I would only need 5 minutes to spot one. Most are domestic workers perhaps, women who are not so tall, has a non-Tagalog accent, your typical “probinsiyana”. No offense meant here, just an observation.
I did not see any Pinoy in Hungary.
And yes, there are quite a few Pinoys in Canada. I have been crossing the border every now and then, and Toronto just has plenty of Pinoys.
Hi Toe, it’s hard to complain when a job sends you to Bali.
The farthest place my job sends me is to the building next door. 
Drinks at Vi Ai Pi (love that name, btw.. hehe)? I assume its non-alcoholic since you’re a teetotaler.
Wah! Even non-blondes now have all the fun. hehehe…
That’s a comprehensive information I got there about Bali, Toe. good thin I read this so I will get my way around this coming January. It will be my first time though I’ve been in Jakarta so many times.
Bali High! Hahaha! Looks amazing. I should go visit sometime
Thanks for sharing!
bali is one of our targets in the next few years (siguro mga ten years hehe) as it consistently fared better if compared with thailand (lalo na ngayon). pero for now, ikot muna kami sa pinas.
There’s nothing worse than travelling with the bosses…
You’re lucky as you said cool dudes naman sila.
In my case (two years ago) I travelled with boring duds.
Imagine being a captive audience at dinner time and having to still talk about work! GAAADDD. Like I wished and wished we could have seen more of Kerala, which was apparently India’s holiday-destination.
Pero siempre grateful na din for the chance di ba?
I’ve heard about Bali from a very good Indonesian friend, and she has actually recommended it as one of the places to check out in Indonesia. But if I were to go anywhere in Asia for a vacation, I would still prefer to go back to the Philippines.
I’ve never even been to Boracay! 
Hi Toe,
Just want to wish you a merry Christmas. Haven’t kept touch in a while. Hope everything’s fine. Enjoy the holidays!
Maligayang Pasko sa yo Toe.
Very exotic place Bali is, truly a symbol of Sri Vijayan splendor. Now I won’t wonder no more why even famous rockstars like to go there in the past.
Merry Christmas to you and your family and Happy New Year too.
a place i wish to visit someday…
happy holidays
Merry Christmas to you and your family and all the best for the New Year!
Merry Christmas, Toe!
Hi Toe,
May I invite you to please join Filipinos Unite!!!. You may do so by commenting on my blog stating your name, address, name of blog and its url or by sending an email to melalarilla@gmail.com containing the same set of information. Thank you very much. God bless.
Thanks Pining. Glad you liked it.
Verns, magaling din kc ang marketing ng Bali. Achaka maganda yung tourism infrastructure nila.
Hahaha… kelangan na natin magpa-rebond!
Haze, may picture din ako sa beach but I’m not posting it here… nakakahiya… nasa beach nga, pero naka-suit.
Magic iron… I yet have to learn to use that.
But I’m sure you could do wonders with your hair with it. 
Hi Snglguy! Sorry ha… I’ve been such a delinquent blogger. Yes, I did enjoy Bali… it’s one of my favorite places now… even if I didn’t see much of it… what I saw, I liked.
Linguist-in-Waiting, haha… pati ba naman sa Chemistry department nyo, may Pinoy?
I imagine that there are not a lot of Filipinos in South America (ok cguro ma-post d’on 
). In Denmark, I actually have a classmate who lives there now. She’s a doctor married to a Dane. Oo nga… lots of Filipinos in Canada… a lot of them are bloggers too. 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year LIW!
Wil, I had a banana shake.
No, I can’t complain about being sent to Bali.
Merry Christmas Wil!
Hi Rey! So you’re going to Bali this January? What a lot of fun! There’s so much more to Bali then what I have here so be sure you do more research. It’s very different from Jakarta… for one thing, you can eat pork.
Uuuy Ces! How are you?
Myanmar naman next… that would be quite an experience. 
Zherwin, oo naman… the best pa rin ang Pinas… we have the best beaches, the best food, the best mountains, the best culture, the best people.
Hi Auee, my next business trip was in Jakarta… and I was with a total of 4 bosses. I enjoyed myself tremendously, actually… totally immersed myself in their stories. I’m inspired even.
Sayang nga about Kerala. How many times do you get to go there if not for a business trip? Pero ok na din diba?
Kathy, hands down, the Philippines is the best.
For 2009, we want to go to Siquijor. 
Merry Christmas Niceheart!
I’ve been such a delinquent blogger. Hopefully, I could be more diligent in 2009.
I wish you and your family all the best for this coming year Niceheart!
Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa’yo myepinoy!
Hi Major Tom! Yes, Bali is so exotic! All the famous people do go there.
Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones Major Tom!
Tutubi, your New Year’s wish?
Hi Leah! Merry Christmas to you too and may all your wishes come trues this 2009!
Hi Abaniko! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too!
Overrated nga Pattaya. I’ve been there once, and the beach wasn’t so nice. I never really thought about going to Bali, because of all the things people have been saying that it’s not so nice when compared to Boracay. With your post, maybe I’ll think about it.
Hi Mitz! Bali indeed has a lot to offer… beaches, culture, temples, food, etc.. Quite different from Boracay.
Toe, Did you notice a Kuta Beach Club in Bali? I think my little sister and I may stay there. I was just wondering if it looked ok to you. It is difficult to tell from just looking at the web.
Is Kuta like a Boracay?
Hi Pandora.
Kuta is like their party place. I haven’t seen the beach but I heard it’s not that nice (probably that’s why some people say the beaches in Bali are not nice). Other beaches are so much nicer. But from Kuta, it’s so easy to commute to other places. And as I said, Bali is not just about the beaches.
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