National Geographic Traveller India – July 2019

26 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JULY 2019

A BACKPACKER’S BALI

SAVOURING FOOD, FRIENDSHIP, AND FREEDOM ON A SOLO TRIP TO UBUD AND KUTA BY POOJA NAIK

I

waited at the edge of a cliff that

dropped straight into the Indian

Ocean. A shoulder-high brick wall

scaling the far ends was the only

barricade that separated me from

the tumbling surf below. Draped in

orange sarongs, tourists gathered at the

sea-facing Uluwatu Temple to witness

the Kecak dance, a Balinese rendition

of the Ramayana. Perched atop the

southwestern tip of Bukit Peninsula,

the temple welcomes all with gateways

flanked by Ganesha statues. Inside,

the coral-covered walls featured

intricate carvings of Bali’s mythological

creatures. The cherry-red sun began

to dip behind the sea, as if igniting the

small amphitheatre, where the stage

was set for the fire dance.

“Chak, chak, chak-a, chak,” the chant

reverberated as 30-odd men, wearing

only checkered skirts, marched their

way into the arena. The plot was the

same as the Indian version of the epic.

Almost hypnotic, trance-like, a masked

Ravan and a doe-eyed Sita—the

antagonist and protagonist—entered,

commanding complete attention. Their

eyes widened, expressions shifted from

fear to torment. The rhythmic chants

rose and fell, powering the theatrical

drama. Just then, the sky grew

ominously dark and the story built to a

climax when Hanuman swooped in and

set fire to Ravan’s castle. The burning

embers at the stage centre evoked gasps

from transfixed spectators, including

me. As I sat at the 11th-century temple

bearing witness to a nearly century-

old dance form more than 9,

kilometres away from home, I thought

back to moments in my native India

when I had been rather indifferent to

temple visits. Travel makes you more

accepting of cultures, sometimes, even

your own.

***

Bali is an unabashed cliché—a

harmonious paradox of cultural

rawness and overcooked tourists, the

latter pouring in by the bucketload, PETER SCHICKERT/IMAGEBROKER/DINODIA PHOTO LIBRARY

The Kecak dance, a

Balinese rendition

of Ramayana, takes

place at the sea-facing

Uluwatu Temple.