Bali: Uluwatu & Legian

After spending three hot and humid days in Ubud, I was aching for some beach time. My friends and I decided that our next stop in Bali would be Uluwatu, a very relaxed town on the southern shore of the island. It was not a very large tourist area, which was actually a problem in the sense that it was pretty difficult to find an ATM anywhere. Nevertheless, Uluwatu was extremely beautiful. The beach that we visited the first day was tucked under an enormous cliff formation, which provided for a gorgeous view but an asthma-attack inducing climb up (and down) about 500 rocky steps. The beach itself was accompanied by a large coral reef set out in the water just enough to create a perfect little wave-less pool to wade in. My friends and I passed time staying cool in the water until the tide began to rise and there was hardly any beach left to stand on.

The next day we decided to visit a beach further away, which required renting motorbikes. Since there were only four of us girls and one boy, Derek picked us up and dropped us off one at a time at the top of the stairs that led down to the beach. After hopping off Derek’s shuttle service, I followed the signs that lead to the beach and began to climb down stairs that cut through a cliff. Suddenly I noticed a repetitive drum beat, and it grew louder as I descended down the stairs. As I rounded a corner of the cliff, what I saw before me was truly spectacular. I happened to walk right into the middle of a Hindu ceremony; hundreds of people dressed in white faced an elaborate gold altar, a band played their drums and chanted along to the beat, and animals such as goats and chickens were tied up, sure to be presented as offerings to their deities. The sight stopped me in my tracks. I did not see any other tourists and had no idea what step to take next; to continue on to the beach required me to walk through this ceremony. I felt rude and out of place, but the native Balinese people waved me on and I hurried as fast as I could past them. This was undoubtedly my favorite moment out of the week, and I will likely never experience something quite like that ever again.

After Uluwatu we moved on to Legian and had our first accommodation with air conditioning! Legian is highly populated with tourists, and it reminded me of Ubud if Ubud was a beach town. Even still, Legian lacked the rich culture that Ubud had. Let’s say that Legian was not my favorite Bali town.

After ten days of high temperatures and low prices, it was time to return to the low temperatures and high prices of Melbourne. Bali is a one of a kind place and I will never forget my time spent there.

Bali: Ubud

Unlike Loyola, Monash University gives its students an entire week for studying before final exams as opposed to one measly day. Since none of us would actually study that far in advance anyway, we decided to spend the allotted week in Bali, Indonesia. Perhaps we were not hitting the books during that time, but it was still a learning experience.

Our first Bali destination was Ubud, an inland village with an abundance of culture and a lack of air conditioning. From our first day in Ubud, we could tell that we would be very sweaty and smelly for the duration of the trip. But once I was able to look past my physical discomfort, I was able to absorb all that Ubud had to offer: street vendors, the huge village market, rice fields, the monkey forest (filled with thieves disguised as adorable little primates) and beautiful temples. Possibly one of my favorite moments in Bali was when my two friends and I discovered a gorgeous temple tucked behind a Starbucks (yes, a Starbucks in Bali!). This particular temple was intricate to a breathtaking degree if one is not expecting to find it. Its symmetry was designated by the pathway that lead straight down the middle; on either side were lily pad-infested waters, yellow-green and dotted with pink flowers. At the end of the path was the entrance, where about ten steps lead up to a flamboyant red and gold-plated door. The door was covered in both swirling floral designs and hard geometrical lines, the combination of which might remind one of early Italian Renaissance art. To the left, right and above the door were stone figures with large eyes and ferocious teeth, which are clearly figures of Hindu worship. The entrance continued to wind up into a pyramid-like shape, and both sides of the entrance sprawled outwards to create a sort of patio. The fact that such a beautiful structure could exist behind an American coffee shop reflects the merging of Eastern and Western cultures.

Ubud was unlike any place I had ever been before. Its beauty and uniqueness is something that I will always remember, and I hope that some day I may return to experience it all over again.