Work trips are bittersweet. There’s this excitement of going to a new place with plans of exploring the city buzzing in your head. But usually, these plans stay just that way, plans that is, after all, you are at work!!
When I got to know about my 3-day work trip to Bali, Indonesia, I was thrilled. Despite knowing the schedule, there was this small glimmer of hope that I might be able to squeeze in some time to check out a bit of the city.
While the days were spent working, I got the opportunity to see a bit of Bali in the evenings. Though I couldn’t go hiking Mount Merapi, one of the most active volcanoes on earth, or walk through the rainforest Canopy in Kalimantan, or chase the blue flames at sulfuric lake Ijen, or drink from the fountain of youth at Goa Gajah, or watch the sunrise from the top of Mount Batur, or let monkeys climb all over you at Ubud Monkey Forest, I did roam around on the streets of Bali.
Here are some of the unusual and interesting sights and experiences from my recent Bali Trip…
1. Malindo Air needs better translators.
2. Offerings on the roads!! Small squarish open baskets made of palm or banana leaves with flowers, fruits, rice, cookies, money, oil, incense sticks etc, known as canag sari, are seen everywhere, on the sidewalks, streets, stairwells, ledges, temples, in front of shops, homes, hotels etc. These are the offerings for the Gods and the demons, to ask the good for assistance and appease the evil respectively. So one has to walk carefully without stepping on them. These are swept or thrown away to be replaced the next day.
3. Udeng : I saw the hotel staff and some taxi drivers wear Udeng. It is headband for a Balinese man. Udeng is used by the Balinese, during traditional and religious ceremonies and gatherings and can be worn every day too.
This is the ever smiling Steven from The Stones – Legian Bali, Marriott’s Autograph Collection Hotel, wearing Udeng.
4. The currency that makes you feel super rich: When our driver asked us for 2 lakhs for the drive from the airport to the hotel, we were pleasantly shocked cum surprised.
The Indonesian Rupiah is available in the denominations of Rp. 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 as bills. Rp.100 and 100 are in the form of coins, Rp. 500 and 1,000 are in either coins or bills. For the first time ever, I had Rp. 4 lakhs in my wallet.
That’s another story that Rp 400,000 is equal to Rs 2148 only!!
5. Amazing food at beachside and roadside cafes. Had heard and seen on TV about the Indonesian cuisine which is vibrant, colourful, rich in spices and full of intense flavours. Since, our package had only Indian food (yeah that’s simply ridiculous!), I couldn’t explore much from the Indonesian cuisine. But I tried Nasi Goreng, a staple dish, comprising of fried rice with a fried egg on top and tons of other ingredients like prawns, chicken, vegetables, chilies and more at just about any local eatery. This can be had at breakfast, lunch and even dinner.
Seafood is pretty popular in Bali and we had seafood cascade consisting of tuna, snapper, lobster, squid and prawn which can be enjoyed with local beer.
6. What’s that in Absolut Bottles? No, it’s not what you are thinking. In Bali petrol is sold in Absolut bottles along the roadsides. They say that the petrol pumps are far in the city so bikers can buy petrol from these roadside stalls. Why only Absolut bottles, I asked the vendor. ‘Absolut holds exactly one litre of petrol, other bottles hold a little more or a little less’, he said in halting English.
7. Art on the streets. There’s something special on the walls of Bali. Yes, it’s the Balinese street art and graffiti which can be seen everywhere, even on the shutters of the closed shops.
8. Beauty, beauty everywhere. As we drove from the airport to our hotel, I felt I was at a place which is an amalgamation of Kerala and Goa. The Legian and Kuta beach near our hotel was clean and so welcoming. And the aerial view from the aircraft is simply beautiful.
9. Shop till you drop… if you are looking for cheap and mostly fake products. T-shirts, shorts, beach wear, sarongs, wrap-arounds, sunglasses, bags, shoes, slippers, hats etc can be bought at throwaway prices. What caught my attention were exclusive shops of dream-catchers!! And there were exclusive showrooms for just slippers!!
10. Souvenirs galore. Bali also has a great tradition of woodcraft. Wood carved items like masks, artifacts, toys, figurines can be seen all around. It is probably rude, but I cant help but share these phallic souvenirs which are hung in huge bunches like grapes everywhere.
How do you make the most of a work trip?
Have you been to Bali? How has been your experience and what would you recommend if one goes for a vacation at Bali?
24 Responses
Haha yes, the rupiah is very different from our rupee .
When I was in Bali, there was a storm and I was trapped in a resort– your trip sounds so much better!
My trip to Bali also had amazing memories. Ubud was our final destination, but the memories of Samayak as well as Kuta are still afresh. By chance it was Ganesh Chaturthi, and i cannot forget the prasad of Duck and Pork in the making.
I was looking for something on pork in your blog. which i tried for the first time as i was amazed to see the way it is presented. Enjoyed reading your blog.
Wow! What fun you had there, Shilpa! Despite being on a work trip and very little time to actually sight see, you did pretty well, because of which I got to enjoy a foreign tour vicariously!
I liked those wooden artefacts and the fact that the Balinese currency can make you feel richer than you are in our own country! 😛
Good for you, Shilp! Next trip to? 🙂
Thanks for showing us the “non touristy” things about Bali. Love the photos. Bali is a favorite honeymoon destination of Americans. Also, Obama spent a few yeas as a youth in Bali.
I last went to Bali 30 years ago and look forward to going again next year for my birthday treat with the family. It is a fascinating place . I’d love to feel rich too with lakhs in my wallet!
It’s so good you were able to find some time to check out Bali. Maybe next time, you can explore more. I have never been to Bali so would love to travel 🙂 The currency thing is so unique and the Absolut bottles too.
I have never been here, and had no intentions of going only because I’d barely heard of it. It’s on my bucket list now. Thank you for providing such a raw showing of what this place looks like. The markets look really intriguing.
Bali sounds perfect. Would love to visit some day.The aerial view is stunning .This was a fun virtual trip for me.
Wow – this is such a warm and chatty post with some amazing pics and references. I am inspired to write a travel post in this style Shilpz – this made for a lovely fun read and kept me hooked till the end.
BTW what did you buy? I loved the dreamcatchers shop pic a lot 🙂
My son goes regularly to Bali on business trips, but his experiences are nothing like yours. I didn’t know there were two Balis in the world. Maybe more, who knows? The Bali he goes to is in North Africa. Thanks for sharing. It sounds like a super break. The Best of Everything. #SYW
Bali has been on my to-visit list since a while! Loved these little tidbits from your trip. Just the thought of walking around with 4 lakh rupiah makes me a little giddy with excitement – maybe because it sounds so much like rupiya 😉
You have shared some wonderful things about Bali. I am adding it to my wish list of places to visit.
I loved your smart red wallet & the loads of money in it 😀 what delight! Their hindi sure needs work and what use for the absolute bottles! 😀 reminded me of my college days when my friend had a Luna and we needed to fill small quantities of petrol. Rs 5 ka petrol! What cheap times 😉
Glad to know you had a fun trip inspite of the hectic schedule.
I love Nasi goreng because it is so flavourful. Wow you did cover a lot. I didn’t know about the money denomination… You must have felt so rich over there I hope I get to visit Bali and do hiking there.
Its a different side of Bali you have shown. With the photographs, they are a delightful read. mmm… did you get back the phallic souvenirs?
Doing a Bali trip this december…Bookmarking this post Shilpa
wow Shilpa, enjoyed reading your colourful post. I have not heard of this place and now after reading this post, I am interested to visit this place and I am already feeling rich reading about the currency. The view from the aircraft is awesome, captured so well. Thank you for sharing:)
So you turned a lakhpati in bali :-)! That’s great. I do wish you’d gone to that Fountain of Youth, though.
Wow….This is lovely travel story
I only need to hear the name, Bali, and I’m in a romantic mood. What a beautiful place to explore. Thanks for letting us do that vicariously.
Looks like a grew trip! And the fruit bowl! Wow!
So definitely this place is a must visit one. Food, shopping, views … what more to demand.
Shilpa, I must say that I found this post more interesting than the regular touristy posts that I keep reading.
It gave an interesting insight into the country and the culture, not to mention that currency – lol. Thanks for sharing with us.
Looks like you were able to do a lot of exploring during your trip.Good for you! Like you said, it’s not always easy to squeeze in some sightseeing while you’re on a work trip to a new city…