Living in Bali

The popular vision of Bali as a lush, green paradise with beautiful beaches is, unfortunately, somewhat out of date.  A major problem has been created by overtourism as Bali became popular.  Rice paddies and every piece of bare land were developed.  Traffic clogs the few roads, creating gridlock and hours-long traffic jams.  Sadly, this was the view that I saw most often:

Not very scenic.  I can only imagine what Bali looked like before. 

But overtourism is only part of the story.  Indonesia is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.  Its large income, primarily from oil, does not reach most of the people.  If there are laws, the authorities can easily be bought off, so development can occur anywhere with no oversight and no quality control.  Needless to say, the infrastructure is seriously lacking.  Unlike in Japan where there is no garbage anywhere, in Indonesia, there is garbage everywhere.  The accepted standard is to throw garbage on the ground or in the ocean.  The ocean carries garbage from nearby islands to the beaches of Bali.  Thus a typical beach looks like this:

So what is special about Bali?  The people really do seem to be kind and caring.  The reputation of the Balinese is that they are very welcoming and accepting.  I hear the surfing is great (when there is no garbage around).  And there really are Hindu temples everywhere.  People put out offerings at each temple every day as well as at their stores and businesses.  Our driver always had a fresh offering on the dashboard of the car every day.  I wasn't sure why, but people wrap statues and trees with a black and white checked cloth and put the offering in front of it.

I have seen "local" dance shows that are clearly put on for the tourists, but I also see ceremonies at the temples regularly.  I believe there is a core culture of belief, spirituality, and openness that it is hard for tourists to readily access, but comes across as kindness and warmth.  Again, I wish I could have seen it before.

There is one more thing about Bali ... it is incredibly cheap which is, I'm sure, part of the reason for overtourism.  At a local restaurant, dinner for five of us cost $15.  Even at more touristy restaurants, it was hard to spend more than $20 for a meal.  Our driver (and car) cost about $65 for a day.  Labor is really cheap here, so you can be treated royally for not a lot.  Although, you also get what you pay for as the quality of work here may not be up to our standards.

I had the opportunity to live rather uniquely in Bali.  The villa I stayed in for the first week was spectacular, and since it was in the north of the island, I did see a more uncrowded, somewhat rural landscape.  In the south, we stayed with Peggy's friend Ben who has lived here for twenty five years.  When he built his house near Balangan Beach, there were only open fields around him.  But now there are hotels and other houses surrounding his, and destroying the openness and view.  He used to find the inefficiency of life here the price to pay for living in paradise, but now is not sure that he is still in paradise.

Finally, I boarded a luxury cruise ship and was disoriented in the main lounge which has a mirrored ceiling.  So where is paradise?

Backyard and view from villa

Ben's house

Open patio, living room, and kitchen

Guest bedroom

Main lounge with mirrored ceiling

Finally, we visited one last temple on our last day in Bali.  Tanah Lot is built on an island that you can walk to at low tide, but is inaccessible at high tide.

And that was Bali.  One last drive through traffic to the cruise ship terminal and we are off to some other Indonesian islands.