National Geographic Traveller India – July 2019

THE ITINERARY INDONESIA

KATE HIGGS/SHUTTERSTOCK

(FOOD),

SIMONLONG/MOMENT/GETTY

IMAGES

(VILLAGE),

EDMUND LOWE PHOTOGRAPHY/MOMENT/GETTY

IMAGES

(MONKEY)

just like the ice that chills their Bintang
beer. They all seek a slice of paradise,
whether it be forests, sea or zen.
When work brought me to Indonesia
I decided to add on a five-day long solo
trip in Bali. My mind needed some
clearing and my heart some mending.
With a suitcase, bookings to my hostels
and an appetite for adventure, I arrived
on a corrosively hot, tropical evening.
The plan was not to have a plan.
Kuta was my first stop. Crowded and
frenzied, this southwestern town is the
island’s party pocket. Placard holding
vendors from spas, and souvenir shop
salesmen packed the narrow but well-lit
lanes of Kuta Market, cajoling potential
customers with hard-to-resist offers.
Live music gushed out from open-air
bars, soundtracking the ebb and flow
of taksi cabs filtering through the
pedestrian traffic emerging from the
nearby beach, a crowd that evidently
bought their clothes on the same
market streets they now traversed.
Along with Juan and Younes, two
other solo backpackers I had met
earlier at the hostel, from Switzerland
and Germany, respectively, I followed
the heady scent of spices wafting from
warungs (local eateries). We dined at
an al fresco restaurant with Chinese
lanterns and steel furniture. We tucked
into hot plates of nasi goreng (fried
r ic e), mie goreng (fried noodles) and

chicken satay on skewers served with

a side of piquant peanut sauce— all

Indonesian staples. Socialising has

not been my strongest suit, but staying

at hostels helped me hone them,

and I gradually shed my inhibitions.

Conversations swirled around Swiss

gold, Germany’s political scenario

and India’s many festivals. In between

embracing cultural differences and

breaking stereotypes, food and

friendship were savoured that night.

No matter the exertion, it is difficult

to resist exploring Kuta’s nightlife.

Acting on an impulse turned into a

night of bar hopping, leading us to

Sky Garden, which is possibly the

region’s most iconic club that has been

graced by the likes of Yellow Claw,

Steve Aoki and Afrojack. The rooftop

bar of the multilevel club flirts with the

sky and dishes out panoramic views of

a glistening Kuta. Hip-hop numbers

brought party goers—mostly local teens

and backpackers—to the dance floor. It

was only at two a.m. that we decided to

call it a night.

***

Sometimes, lounging at a beach is the

perfect antidote to a night out. The sun

blazed the following noon, occasionally

hiding behind puffs of clouds. I skipped

the touristy Nusa Dua and headed far

down south to the secluded Padang

Padang, an oasis of calm water shaded

by soaring cliffs.The 330-foot-long

stretch of golden sand is accessible

down a flight of stairs through a unique

hollow rock entrance. I remembered

the idyllic setting from Hollywood’s

Eat, Pray, Love mega-flick, where grey

long-tailed macaques played around the

stairs on the Balinese gapura gate and

high up in the acacia trees. I parked

myself at the beach, sporadically

taking a swim in the deep blue waters,

watching surfers ride the tide in

the distance.

None of this, however, captures the

spirituality that mantles Bali. I got a

Nasi goreng (top), an egg-topped

Indonesian staple, is relished at local

eateries; Culture infuses with Bali's

traditional setting, where penjors (bottom

lef t) are erected outside houses; Ubud is

home to macaques (bottom right) at the

famous Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary.

28 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | JULY 2019