The Not-So-Bali Experience

Through the course of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Bali has become synonymous with paradise on earth. Nice sandy beaches, lush paddy fields, a place where artistry and piousness become one. Needless to say, to most people Bali seems to be a place out of this world. It is true even for a person like myself, who happen to be a citizen of a country called the Unitary Republic of Indonesia, a country Bali is actually a part of (although, ironically, not many people realize this fact).

Therefore, when I finally did have the chance to visit the island, I was looking forward to something different. Something that, as I've put it, is out of this world. And I was rather disappointed upon witnessing that Bali is pretty much like other parts of Indonesia that I've gone to so far.

There are the good aspects, like the laid-back attitude and sheer hospitality, which presented itself quite clearly as everyone said, "Hello, mister," to every white person passing by. And there are some not-so-good aspects, like clogged ditches and people defecating at the riverbank. But the place, despite its Hindu population dominating the scene in contrast to the country's Muslim majority, was as close as home to me, because the Balinese are just like the people I've seen and met everyday in my hometown. I can relate to them and I like them for it.

The weird thing was, I felt more connected to the islanders than to fellow tourists/visitors. These visitors, be it Indonesians or foreigners, lived a lifestyle so different from mine that I was often at loss to how to respond to this. These were the people who hung out at cafes and pubs regularly, who had drinks every now and then, who felt the need to dance when the band was playing (even when they didn't fancy that band). I've never been in that sort of circle all my life that it's overwhelming, if stifling (the smoke, man, the smoke!).

The moral of the story is that wherever you go you'd find people similar to you as well as the ones different from you and you'd better deal with it. But never lose your ground. So there, my no-so-Bali experience. The end.