Previously I had a preconception of Bali as a tourist destination for beach goers, for typical western tourists, actually now I know why it’s on the u map, a unique place. The people here seem much more focussed on life. There are no office workers immersed in the hum drum of everyday western existence, I think of the people on trains in Singapore when I say that. The people here are more focussed on art. Sculpture abounds, also painting and fabrics and music etc. The houses are surrounded by temples even in built up areas. It really is so beautifully designed, bad word, ‘lived’ would be better. The space is human full of history, although it’s becoming hard for the Balinese to maintain the inspiration, the west is taking over and so are cars.
Update: having driven around Bali today for 7 hours it’s as appalling as the rest of the domociles man has created, indeed there is MacDonalds etc, so many traffic jams, except for Ubud and the surrounding area, a real gem of the world
Ubud is the cultural heart and soul of Bali, the land of the gods. It’s where yogis and yoginis, wholistic health zealots and artists gravitate. The energy vortex brimming with spirituality and magic. I’ve always been of the view, just land in Denpasar, jump into a car and head straight to Ubud. The rest, to me, is fodder. And when Ubud has its own airport, life will be even sweeter. Fancy landing here and bypassing the human sprawl in between 🙂