Hooked On Asia

Balinese Temple (From Wikipedia)

I was reading on a forum recently that Bali is great for its nightclub scene! There was an implication that you would go there for no other reason. Well anyone who really knows Bali would know that is very far from the truth.

Yes, there is a blott on the landscape, called Kuta, which is full of bars and clubs but that is it. Go anywhere else on the island and you will discover the essence of Bali. You can walk down any street (actually that includes Kuta) and find someone has left a small, scented offering on the pavement. This is just one obvious sign of Bali’s majority religion, Hinduism.

You will not need to walk down many more streets before you come across a religious festival: there is probably a festival happening almost every day of the year somewhere on the island. And if there isn’t a festival, there will like as not be a funeral.

Funerals are not as we in the west traditionally know them: they are very much a celebration of a life (something we are starting to emulate) and a public affair.

I have attended two funerals in Bali. The first was for a family member of a colleague and the second we happened upon during a sightseeing tour of the island. Yes, you cannot imagine gate-crashing a funeral at home but in Bali it is quite normal: on both occasions we were spontaneously invited to join the mourners. There were hundreds of people everywhere, all dressed in traditional garb, with flower garlands adorning the scene.

No matter what a person’s beliefs I feel certain that most anyone will be touched by the deep spirituality that seems to pervade the island and its people. A spirituality which manifests in the both the natural beauty of the landscape and in the artistry of many Balinese: their skill with wood, stone and canvas is legendary.

It came as no surprise to me then to read recently this piece in The Jakarta Post, “Bali urges revision of airport plan”. It starts:

“Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika has strongly refused the proposed extension design for Ngurah Rai International Airport, saying it focuses only on commercial sites and lacks the Balinese architectural style.” And goes on to say “Governor Pastika was against the company’s plan to build a shopping mall within the airport area” and emphasises the need for improved public services.

I find this typical of the way many Balinese think: they put tradition, Balinese style and community before all other considerations. There are some aberrations on the island but I think many Balinese would recognise these as mistakes. Unlike much of the rest of the world I believe the Balinese generally recognise their mistakes and learn from them. One of the fundamental truths of the Balinese belief system is balance: where there is imbalance there is discord. There must be a balance between the modern world and the traditional. And that is what makes Bali so special for me.

What is it about Bali that you find special?