Dear Reader: In order to view all colored text and non-English text accurately, please ensure that the PUBLISHER DEFAULTS SETTING on your reading device is switched to ON. This will allow you to view all non-English characters and colored text in this book. —Tuttle Publishing
Paul Greenway is physically based in Adelaide, South Australia, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually he resides in Indonesia, particularly Bali. He wrote over 30 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, including about Bali, Lombok, and Indonesia; lived in Jakarta for years, from where he taught students and trained teachers across the region; studied Indonesian in Bali and other provinces; and taught Indonesian at Australian high schools. Paul has also traveled extensively throughout the archipelago from—as the nationalistic song goes—“Sabang to Merauke.” During the rare times he’s not traveling, living, or working in Bali, he’s trying to concoct some reason to go back there. Paul´s first novel, Bali & Oates (based you know where) has recently been published. More details are available through www.paulgreenway.net.
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
Copyright © 2014 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-4629-1445-6 (ebook)
Distributed by
North America, Latin America & Europe
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A.
Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930
Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993
Japan
Tuttle Publishing
Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor
5-4-12 Osaki
Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141-0032
Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171
Fax: (81) 3 5437-0755
Asia Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd.
61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12
Singapore 534167
Tel: (65) 6280-1330
Fax: (65) 6280-6290
17 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Singapore 1312CP
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Bali
& Lombok
Paul Greenway
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
PARADISE BECKONS
Bali is many things to many people. To some, the attractions are the sun, sea and shopping, and the never-ending search for The Happiest Hour. Many admire the variety of landscapes while hiking around volcanoes, whirling across lakes on speedboats, and rafting down rivers. And others prefer Bali’s cultural riches, seeking spiritual enlightenment from visiting temples and attending yoga retreats. In fact, it’s possible to attend a majestic Hindu ceremony at a 1,000-year-old temple in eastern Bali in the morning, walk around a volcanic lake during the afternoon, watch the dripping sunset at Tanah Lot and finish up at a Seminyak nightclub as trendy as anything in Europe. But Bali is somewhere to dawdle, not run; a place to linger and relish its distinctive sights, sounds, and tastes.
The unique, ancient culture and religion that dominates every aspect of Balinese life remarkably somehow survives and even co-exists with the malls, resorts, and nightclubs that tourism and modernism has brought. Unshakeable values regarding family and village ensure that faith, traditions, and rituals have rarely changed for centuries, yet allow for inevitable modern intrusions. The Balinese are blessed and they know it, as they constantly give thanks to the gods for the climate and topography that allow them to be self-sufficient, while relishing a life on one of the most glorious places on earth.
The Balinese have always resisted intrusion and repelled invasion, whether from Islam during the 16th century or interference by Jakarta since independence; even many of the Dutch colonialists could see the benefits of preserving rather than destroying Balinese culture. But rampant development continues and is now more relentless than ever as tourists—foreign and Indonesian—arrive with insatiable needs from finite resources. As more rice fields disappear to build bungalows for foreigners, Bali may soon reach its zenith; maybe, it already has become a “Paradise Lost.” But the pessimists have been saying that ever since the 1930s, when an average of three westerners arrived per day.
Although nearby, and with a similar landscape of rice fields, volcanoes, and surfing beaches, Lombok is vastly different in numerous ways, most notably because the dominant religion is Islam, not Hinduism, and the indigenous people are Sasak. Consequently, ceremonies are infrequent and traditions and cultures less obvious, but the people are also warm and inviting. Tourism flourishes at Senggigi, the Gili Islands, and Kuta beach to the south, but not (yet) in the unabated and unabashed ways found on Bali. Yet, ironically, more and more tourists are finding out that a primary attraction of Lombok is the lack of other tourists.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
1 Tanah Lot Temple
2 Lake Bratan, Bedugul Highlands
3 Jimbaran Beach Seafood Dinner
4