[Update 30-05-2010] This article is the 3rd part of basic 3-part series on Bali: South, East, & West. The 1st and 2nd installments are:
Not your typical tourist destination
I’d guess that 95{97de8d2e860196f43620abbbd870152438d0e1a3bef5042cd7be1942d94df9d0} of the tourists that come to Bali barely make it further than Ubud if they even make it that far. They have everything they came for provided in Kuta and Seminyak, or perhaps south in Uluwatu and Jimbaran. Rarely, except in the diving resort towns, did I see any foreign tourists either in east or especially west Bali. I guess this comes down to infrastructure and convenience since getting to and from these places can be a little arduous. But the payoff is well worth the efforts to get there.
West Bali didn’t seem quite a luscious as the east and that is perhaps due to less rainfall there, but they do have a fairly massive National Park into you which you can explore. On the Saturday we drove into the park near the point where they have the Bali Starling reserve and headed south/south-west towards 2 of the temples situated along the coast. Now that road is arduous and it took approximately 1hr to make the ~12km journey. Not recommended.
There are also trekking opportunities (that I never undertook) within the park, but it is strictly with the accompaniment of a guide or park ranger who require a “donation”. I asked why this was the case and was told basically, “Er, it’s our national park and we need to preserve it.”, but the cynic in me just couldn’t help point out (to myself) that it isn’t foreign tourists who are the real threat to the bird’s future – at one point they were down to 6 remaining birds in 2001! Anyway, the Starling population is on the way back so all’s well that end’s well – the same can’t be said about the Bali tiger.
Part of the national park also includes a marine sanctuary, but where exactly that is was never clear to me. I believe it included the small island just northeast of the park to which you can take diving and snorkeling excursions typically arranged from Permuteran. As with the starlings it comes a bit late after the cyanide and dynamite “fishing” of yester-year, but better late than never.
Bali and religion
Bali is an island in Indonesia. Indonesia has the largest population of Muslims in the world but the predominant (93{97de8d2e860196f43620abbbd870152438d0e1a3bef5042cd7be1942d94df9d0}) religion practiced in Bali is a form of Hindu – Agama Hindu Dharma. However, Christianity does exist here also and part of my trip west brought me to a place that was oddly the closest feeling to being “at home” as I’ve felt at any stage of my travels so far. I can’t quite figure out why exactly, but it did. It might have been the Christian (Roman Catholic) influence in the area, whatever that means, but I just don’t know.
As we drove along the streets here, one thing stood out as being very different in its “urban planning” than any other town/village in Bali. Normally, you have the road that carves its way through the village. On either side of the road is the “got”, or the drainage system, and then immediately beside/on/overhanging this ‘got’ you have the house/shop/building. Here, in Blimbingsari, the order was: road – 4ft grass lawn – ‘got’ – (optional pavement) – building.
So what? It makes a HUGE difference in the feel of a place. Normally houses and shops are practically hanging into the street or over the drains, but here, there was a peaceful separation between the roads and everyday life. Strange, but the difference really struck me and it holds in my memory as one of the nicest places I’ve ever visited in Bali.
The Christian church in Blimbingsari was also very cool. A real fusion between the Balinese/Hindu and an open-plan christian church. It was really very nice and I recommend if you go through west Bali that you take the detour out into this area. In another part of town was a second church, but this looked much more Western, with just a reminder of Balinese architecture. Not far from this church was a graveyard that was again one of the most peaceful and pleasant places on the island. For me. I’m not a religious person, and I don’t believe my experience here was spiritual but rather one that came from a feeling of well-being that existed in the community itself. Nearly 100{97de8d2e860196f43620abbbd870152438d0e1a3bef5042cd7be1942d94df9d0} of the people passing by would greet us with smiles and “hello”, some would stop to chat also and there was very little gawking. Nice.
Going West from the south
It’s very straight forward to get there from the south. Head north for Tabanan and go through it, following the signs for Gilimanuk. It’s highly recommended that you don’t take the southern coastal route as it’s filled with trade-traffic heading to and and from Java as there’s a port in Gilimanuk. Instead, follow signs for Pupuan and you’ll hit a beautiful road with awesome scenery that takes you eventually to the north coast of the island. Once you hit Seririt, turn left / head west and eventually you’ll come to Permuteran. Here you’ll find a heap of accommodation options, starting from about Rp200,000 per night.
I stayed in Man’s Homestay. I like this for several reasons. Firstly it’s locally owned – a husband and wife saved up and created a small outfit of 3~4 bungalows set in a very spacious garden looking up onto the mountains of the national park. It’s very nice. The service is personal and family run which is always preferable over conveyor belt style outfits that squeeze as many bungalows into their space as possible. It’s new, and so it’s very clean.
If you want very cheap, right opposite Man’s is a lane that leads to ‘Kubucu’ that starts at Rp80,000/night. I haven’t seen the rooms so I can’t make any comments about the place, but if it’s budget you’re looking for, you’ll find it here.
Most points referred to in this article are on my Travel Map, or at least will be. If you’ve visited West Bali or have any comments or questions, please use the section below. Any and all feedback is most welcome.
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