Bali - Dream,Travel,Become !

I’ve never made any decision so off hand before but this one time I decided to take that colossal jump, pack my bags and leave on a trip that changed my life. All I knew was that it was a place far south on the right side of India on the Atlas. This was all I knew about Bali, a small island in Indonesia, way before it became a sought after holiday beach destination. Bali is the most traveller friendly destination I have ever had the chance to visit. Simple Carefree lifestyle, friendly people, picturesque landscapes!

Quick stop at Malaysia: Three friends from India, joining their best friend and her husband for a holiday was the simple plan. We routed our trip through Malaysia with an 18-hour transit, which we made the most of trying out street food, bubble tea, taking metro rail journeys, lying down and watching the sky and the towering Petronas tower on a bright early morning in Malaysia.

We were on the edge of our seats as we waited impatiently to land at the Denpasar airport in Bali. Having a bird’s eye view of the landing, it was as if the airport extended itself into the ocean like an endless runway giving the impression that we in fact landing straight into the ocean bed.

Step down at Bali: I was in a land far away from people I knew. The people that judged, the ones who were jealous and unreasonable, caught up with their own work and personal lives, chasing unreasonable targets and all that hustle of life was left behind.

The stay was in a pent house in Kuta (one of Bali’s most popular tourist resort localities) with a spacious room, living room, kitchen with a coffee maker, bathroom with large sliding glass windows and doors opening up to a view of the swimming pool and a balcony with a view of the pink skies where we sat all night sharing dreams over beer.

Day 1 - In Kuta: We wanted to experience the true essence of Bali, and Kuta being Bali’s most crowded area with narrow streets lined with shacks, spa’s and pubs, we decided to spend the entire day here doing all that we wanted to do. Eat local street food, try our hand at surfing, swim in the crystal clear waters of Kuta beach, shop for artifacts, get massages and we even had our hair braided at a local saloon.

The town wakes up as late as 1 p.m.; hence with no activity during the day besides shopping we spent the early part of the day browsing shops selling boomerangs, surfboards and other artifacts in wood and metal. Post 1 p.m. you can find the locals and tourists enjoying their piece of cake, boiled vegetables, brown rice and seafood in a Warung or Ocha (shop) with wooden tables ladies with crisp aprons wrapped around their waists and serving love and cheer with every dish on the table.

Day 2 - Scuba Diving Experience: After a relaxing day at the beach, the next day we set sail on a ferry ride and anchored at the middle of the sea for what would be the experience of a lifetime.

As the five of us signed up for it, we felt that snorkeling was child’s play and we wore our body hugging scuba diving suits zipped up all the way, heavy oxygen cylinders on the back, weights around the hips and goggles around our eyes brimming with confidence. We paid lot of attention as we mastered the under water sign language. I wondered why we ever did have to learn the sign “Out of Oxygen”. Only then it dawned upon us that we had absolutely no idea what we were in for! In minutes we would be joining colorful fishes and corals while swimming around like mermaids.

I vividly remember being carried and thrown into the transparent mirror-like ocean, a move our instructor calls “face your fears”. We held each other’s hands and a few clicks away we were slowly sinking and going underwater to the ocean bed. The fishes swam around as if they were welcoming us, the colored corals danced, the currents tickled our legs and a feeling of heaviness pertained. For the first time I experienced the true meaning of a word. Most of the times meaning of the words can never be understood until you experience it.

“Like Silence….

I closed my eyes and I could hear nothing.

Silence has a color and it is blue,

It has a feeling and it is cold.

And it has a meaning it was solitude”

A sense of victory dawned upon me, was it the exposure to something? Something I never thought I could do? No, it was the feeling you get when what you experience is much more that what you expect it be! It was in a nutshell, life changing!

I stood at the deck facing the wind pushing me behind; I felt I was ahead of the world front leaving everything and everyone behind.

Day 3 – Sightseeing: We went from under water, over, around and everywhere to greenery and more greenery as we explored the terrace farming hanging gardens in Ubud (pronounced oobood). This place is known to have been home to the most famous medicine man that ever lived. It was like letting you loose on a gigantic three-dimensional Maze. It was green lined with small water filled compartments sometimes leading you to another road a level above or below or sometimes to a dead halt. I have never seen so many shades of green in one frame.

Later that evening we visited the Monkey forest. We were warned against Monkey attacks and that we don’t carry bags or pouches through this old abandoned temple for the fear of aggressive monkeys. It had a very old forsaken temple feel where men lived and died, nature grew a cover and concealed old secrets. Much to our dismay we were told that Komodo Dragons walked over these lands. In any case none were sighted and I live to tell you the tale.

Guide: Below mentioned is my version of guide containing everything you need to know if you’d like to visit Bali yourselves.

Where is Bali?

Bali is an island and province located in Indonesia.

Currency – Indonesian Rupiah

1 INR= 192 IDR

Visa can be obtained on arrival or from an Indonesian Embassy in advance

How to get there?

Flights to Ngurah Rai International Airport, also known as Denpasar International Airport, located in Denpasar (capital city of the Bali province) will get you there.

Which airline and route is best?

Tiger Airways and Malaysian Airlines offer the best value if you are on a budget. The former gives you a transit at Singapore and the latter at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Air Asia is also a good option.

Where to stay?

Private villas, Resorts and budget houses available.

Getting around

Bicycle, motor bike and taxi rentals widely available.

Things to do

o   Shopping at Kuta and get a Balinese massage

·        Water sports, snorkelling and Scuba diving at nominal prices

·        Visit - Garuda Wisnu Kencana a  private cultural park dedicated to Lord Vishnu and Garuda.The statue of Lord Vishnu is about 75 ft tall and visiting this place in the night is a delight.

·        Terrace farming at UBUD

·        Sacred monkey forest where the monkeys open doors for us to spend some time in their world.

·        Temples in Ubud

·        Do not return without tasting their local beer “Bintang”

After everything was said and done, it’s needless to say that my colossal jump paid off. Simple as how you want your life to be; sit by the window watching rains, smell of coffee, the places a deep whiff of the pages of the old classic novel would take you to. Be boundless and never ending. If you ever wanted any of these like I always did I give you my word, Bali is the place to be. . With just about a perfect hot humid summer day to cool dry nights the climate plays the best sport. Clear waters with white sands, towering volcanoes in the backdrop you can always sense moderation and slowness around.

* This Article was also featured in the First online edition of Buzz Magazine
Please find link below
http://buzzmagazinestand.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/buzz-magazine-1st-issue/