Postcards from Bali

When we arrived in Bali on the late flight from Singapore, the International Airport at Denpasar was still packed with tourists. Then, Bali was entering its peak season — a time when the island promises pleasant and cool weather conditions from July to September, making it an ideal time to explore Bali. On the way to Ubud, I asked our driver how many visitors come to Bali each year. He told us that Bali gets about 2.5 million tourists per year and the local population stands at close to four million. He drew our attention to the new terminal that was under construction and set to be up and running next year. Despite the terrorist bombings of 2002 and 2005, Bali is still a top choice of travelers from Europe, Australia and a growing number of Asian countries. In 2009, Travel and Leisure magazine named Bali “The World’s Best Island.” I asked myself, why are so many are drawn to this island, and why do they return again and again?

From Denpasar to Ubud, the narrow but smooth road was crammed with vehicles and motorbikes though it was close to midnight; the driver explained these are mostly local workers on their way home. From Denpasar, we headed to Gianyar in central Bali where Ubud is located. We missed all the action in Kuta, Legian and Seminyak — the hubs of Bali’s nightlife. As we got closer to Ubud, it seems as though we were the only travelers on the road. When, an hour later, we finally drove up to the entrance of the resort, the Amandari appeared much like the images in its brochure — a place of quiet repose and understated elegance set in the small village of Kedawatan.

It is said to stand on sacred ground. As legend has it, a Hindu priest once blessed the ground in the seventh century and brought along a tiger from Java. Before his departure, he left a stone replica of the animal to remind the village dwellers that their community was blessed. Down the hill from the Amandari, the original stone statue and a surrounding temple are to be found. Even without knowing this anecdote of local history, you’ll sense an aura of peace and serenity enveloping the place. There is also the sheer beauty of the locale. From daybreak to sunset, the environs are stunning. The resort enjoys a panoramic view of verdant hills and cascading rice terraces from the poolside and each of its 30 villas. During our brief visit, we were blessed with days of cool breezes and gentle sunlight. Coupled with an alluring setting, I wondered what was Bali’s finest hour? It seemed every hour was special as the landscape altered with the subtly changing light. As the Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu once observed, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

We came to Ubud to be near the heart of Bali’s culture — to the places and aspects that define life on this island. A mere 10 minutes way from the resort are a number of museums and art galleries, each celebrating Bali’s rich artistic heritage — a dazzling mix of indigenous arts overlaid with ornate Javanese forms, European influences and modern interpretations of age–old Balinese themes. These multi-layered qualities along with Balinese Hindu traditions give this island its singular appeal.

Even with a steady stream of visitors, Bali holds fast to its rituals and religious traditions. Ritual dance performances are held in the town’s royal palace every evening. On any given day, traffic may come to a standstill as locals dressed in their finery, bear layered offerings of palm leaves, fruit, flowers and rice cakes on their way to a temple ceremony. The temple offerings are themselves a long-established art form — handed down from mother to daughter for generations. Whether you’re an ordinary tourist or a visiting dignitary, it’s hard to resist Bali’s charms. When Prime Minister Nehru of India first came to Bali as a guest of Indonesian President Suharto, he famously referred to Bali as “the morning of the world.”

There are many sides to Bali — the beachfront mega resorts, the happening night scene, trendy shops and restaurant, the upcountry retreats that offer sybaritic pleasures amid nature in abundance. Like every major destination, Bali has made accommodations for the demands of global tourism. Thankfully, there are spots on the island that make you feel like traditional Bali will always be around despite the waves of change.

It’s has been 10 years since our last visit to Bali. We came back to the Amandari to experience the Classic Bali offer. A three-night stay includes a complimentary daily breakfast, one set dinner and one complimentary cultural activity per day. You can take cooking lessons in a traditional Balinese Kitchen, have a session with a local healer, indulge in a Balinese massage treatment, visit the nearby craft villages that trade in silver, woodcarving and stone-carving, take a tour of John Hardy’s silver atelier and a trek down the Ayung River complete with a guide and your own picnic basket.

We opted to explore the craft villages, to visit John Hardy’s jewelry showroom, and to sample a traditional Balinese massage. These allowed us ample time to engage in other leisurely pursuits — spend a lazy day meandering around the resort, sit by the pool that seems to merge with landscape, take in spectacular vistas of the Ayung Valley, and browse through the volumes in Amandari’s library that open up a treasury of knowledge on Indonesia’s proud heritage and its art forms. It was comforting to see that in this fast-changing world, little haså changed in the resort. The physical aspects of the resort remain the same — a tribute to the skills and talents of local artisans and craftsmen. Most of the staff members have been around for over 20 years, with a brand of gracious service has become a rarity in other parts of the world. There is nothing they wouldn’t do for you — including accommodating last-minute schedule changes and fuzzy dietary requirements, arranging appointments at a moment’s notice and sending you off with knowledgeable and thoughtful guides who understand just what you’re looking for.

A visit to the craft villages, each specializing in a particular craft, shows the length and breadth of Bali’s artistic heritage. In the village of Mas, a long street is lined with stores offering furnishings in carved wood. You’ll come across a staggering variety of chests, cabinets, doorframes, dining sets and accent pieces. Since we were looking for decorative objects, we were brought to the home and workshop of Ketut Puja. We entered a gated compound where on one side an artist sat in a pavilion chiseling the figures of two lovers from the Ramayana Epic. Mr. Puja greeted us and led us to a series of rooms inside his workshop. There stood dozens and dozens of Hindu and Buddhist images, epic themes etched on wood panels of varying sizes and shades of wood. There were the more mundane subjects of children at play, farm animals, women depicted in different poses and gestures. It was difficult to make a selection amid so many fine objects but Mr. Puja proved to be a most helpful guide. As we sat around a glass-topped table and laid out our choices, we noted that beneath the glass top were numerous calling cards of visitors from around the world. After much hemming and hawing, we finally settled on the image of a seated Buddha carved from local hibiscus wood. Mr. Puja told us this was a special type of wood with a tonal and textural quality that was hard to come by. We left the place delighted with our purchase and even happier to be given a good price for a beautiful work of art.

Our next stop was Celuk, where much of Bali’s silver jewelry is handcrafted. We visited Prapen, a large showroom surrounded by outdoor water gardens. The modern interior space features finely crafted jewelry, some in intricate Balinese style and others of western-inspired designs. There are sections that showcase bowls, baskets, palm leaves and shells edged in intricate silver motifs. Leaving Prapen, we headed for Batubulan, where artisans turn out imposing figures and panels carved in stone. Carved architectural elements have long adorned all of Bali’s temples, palaces and homes. Stone sculpture is a flourishing industry due to the ongoing demand for the restoration of Bali’s temples. In Bali, it is said that there are thousands of temples including principle temples, village and family temples.

It was late afternoon by the time we got back to the resort. By the poolside, women dressed in traditional lace blouses and printed sarongs were serving a local delicacy of black rice and coconut milk along with Balinese coffee — a strong and sweetened brew. Young village girls in the adjacent pavilion had just finished their dance practice as students of Amandari’s village dance school. Like all girls in Bali, they are trained early on in the exalted art of dance. On the edge of the pool sits a music pavilion where a gamelan ensemble performs every evening, filling the halls with soothing and scintillating notes. Soon it would time for our Balinese massage treatment at the spa. There, we were led to an open-air massage bale set around a lily pool. The treatment blends acupressure techniques with long rhythmic strokes that eases tight muscles and relaxes both mind and body. Lemongrass oil is used to detoxify and warm the body. We ended the treatment feeling refreshed and ready to sample a hearty Indonesian dinner otherwise known as Rijstaffel, a Dutch word which loosely translated, means “rice table.” The meal consisted of small plates of simmered meats, seafood and fish enhanced with aromatic herbs and spices, and taken with rice. On the side are spicy condiments made from mild chilies or fiery peppers. We ended the meal with a lime sorbet and fresh local fruit.

The next day, we were set to visit John Hardy’s jewelry showroom in Badung, a 20-minute drive from Ubud. In contrast to parts of Ubud which are dense with art galleries, open-air bars, boutiques and theme restaurants, Badung is a natural setting of wide rice fields that seems to stretch far into the horizon. The one landmark that stands out is the thatched-roof and bamboo showroom of the Canadian-born jewelry designer, John Hardy. Hardy’s line is sold in Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States, and Lane Crawford in Hongkong. The designer moved to Bali in 1975, lured by the artistry of the island. In many of his pieces, the Balinese aesthetic comes alive in the delicate curves and details that make each piece so desirable. Each piece of jewelry is handcrafted and the fine workmanship is evident from all angles. The Kapal Bambu, as the showroom is called, is a soaring structure accessed by a bridge made from solid bamboo trunks. Inside, glass showcases hold silver jewels entwined with gold or encrusted with colored stones. Decorative items for the home come in silver bowls, flatware in stainless steel and ebony, and silver goblets. Though Hardy sold the business recently and devoted his time to philanthropic causes, the company remains an environmentally-friendly and sustainable enterprise under the new company president, Damien Dernoncourt. It was a joy to spend some time in this natural space, to see time-honored designs fused with modern forms and to take home jewelry with an elegant yet versatile appeal — fine accessories to keep for years to come.

The following day it was time to leave Bali. Though the time passed quickly, we had gotten back in touch with the culture of the island, and hoped that it wouldn’t be too long before we return. We were reminded again why the island takes hold of the hearts and minds of so many visitors. Where do you see so many art forms give meaning to daily life? How many places still exist where spirituality is part of the ebb and flow of life? The romantic images of Bali in the 1930s and ‘40s may be long gone. Yet strangely enough they come to fore when you see the grace of Balinese women bearing temple offerings, when you come across wall panels carved in stone, rich with mythological symbols, when at daybreak, nature rises in all its glory as it always has — long before Bali became known as an island paradise.