by Monica Crânganu
To feel the reality of any place,
one must experiment the street life, must interact with the people that live,
eat, sleep and spend their time right on the street. Once you are there, it is
shocking to see the incredible traffic, a chaotic swarm of cars, motto-scooters
and bicycles - all seem to be running without any sense what so ever, ignoring
all rules and logic. All this hustle is inevitably frightening. Jakarta never
sleeps. Yet, I did not see any accident…
The journey to Indonesia started
out with dreams and scenarios, expectations and the enthusiasm of stepping into
a different world. It is the fascination of an exotic country about which I
knew that overwhelms with paradisiacal landscapes and has the philosophy of a
lifestyle taken out of the old story books. It is difficult to describe the
variety of experiences and images that this corner of the world provides; this
is one of the largest countries in the world and it has more than 17,000
islands and 238 million inhabitants.
Looked from above, Indonesia is a
poor country from the point of view of material resources but infinitely rich
in culture and humanity. From the little they have, the Indonesians give out
everything: hospitality and warmth, free smiles everywhere and a lot of faith.
The rainy season often brings storms that trash the poor neighborhoods and
rummage the small houses built from bad quality materials.
Natural disasters don’t bring
unhappiness
What seems to be a disaster is
transformed immediately into the joy of the little things and an unexpected fun
for the little ones that slosh in the huge slops as in the pool of a five star
hotel. Just a few meters away, two men walk and laugh, trying to find shelter
under the massive banana tree leaves, thus improvising some exotic umbrellas.
One journey is certainly not enough to contain the aspects of such a diversity offered by the Indonesian archipelago. Smoking volcanoes, infinite rice terraces, the smell of frankincense and of the flowers of frangipan, music came like from another world, exotic spices, the children`s loud laughter, fire like sunsets, surreal sunrises, a blend of emotions; there are just a few state of minds and images that you can touch just by thinking of all these.
Bali, a Hindu island in a
Muslim archipelago
The Island of Bali contains them
all and many more. This is the only island where the religion is Hindu within a
country with the largest number of Muslim in the entire world; an island full
of mysticism, serenity and ceremonials. The offerings rituals take place in all
the temples and are part of the inhabitants` day to day culture: practices,
small worship places that can be found in each home, but also in fairs, on the
street, among the volcanoes and everywhere you turn and look.
The entire life of the Balinese
people is a mystical ceremony, very distant from all short-lived things and
the illusions of the Western world. Coming from a hyper-developed reality that
is suffocated by the exaggerations of technology and of all the modern
discoveries, this corner of the world seems to belong to some other galaxy
where tropical nature, the joy of living and the honesty of simply existing
mean the daily life.
Bali reunites all type of areas
that even the most demanding tourists may look for: at south-west there are
the resorts Kuta and Seminyak, at south-east there are Sanur and Jimbaran, and
Nusa Dua in the southern part of the island. Seminyak and Nusa Dua are the
most modern and luxurious ones. Kuta is the most popular place for surfers,
while Ubud, the center if the island, located between the forest and rice
terraces, is, without any doubt, the cultural capital of Bali, a place where we
can find the rural peace and the authentic Balinese spirit. The island is known
for its artistic culture; painting and wooden sculpture are some of the well developed
artistic handcrafts, especially in the area of Ubud. Here you can take yoga and
meditation; you can meet the masters and even the characters of the famous
story Eat, Pray, Love. Riding elephants and playing with monkeys and
exotic animals in the parks and observing the free way in which they live
together with humans – all these offer some unique vibrations.
A gastronomic paradise
The Balinese cuisine is slightly
different from the traditional Indonesian one. Fresh (and not dried) spices,
coconut, sweet soya sauce and peanuts are the main specific ingredients. The
authentic Indonesian culinary delights can be enjoyed on the streets or in the
luxurious touristic restaurants. Whoever comes here is able to live the
essence of this place following the nature`s pace, celebrating the sunrise each
day with ceremonials that awake both the body and the mind, while deeply
breathing the air and admiring the fascinating wonders of nature – in the midst
of a pool right in the mountains –, while watching the vastness of the universe
– from a bungalow open to the green infinite -, or enjoying the huge beaches
and all the places that miraculously induce a state of good; all these, in one
of the most magical areas in the world.
Everything becomes a spiritual
experience of deep relaxation and cleansing for those who desire to get to know
this place in spirituality and curiosity.
Whoever comes here is able to
live the essence of this place following the nature’s pace, celebrating the
sunrise each day with ceremonials that awake both the body and the mind, while
deeply breathing the air and admiring the fascinating wonders of nature…
