Final week in Bali

Finally my time in Bali comes to an end. I had a great time here with good friends and I am sad to move on. Of course I am also excited because of the new upcoming adventures. My surfing became way better but I’m not satisfied. I need much more experience but now I’m confident that I will progress my surfing skills on this long trip. The next surf spots will be Hawaii and Cabarete (Dominican Republic).

I just moved to a new bungalow and it was quite busy here. Yesterday people have been sleeping everywhere – even in the living room on the floor. I want to save on living costs to afford more stuff that I really need.

The weather in Bali is now slowly changing. It gets hotter and the rain season is coming up. Luckily it is still not raining but more about that later. Hindus celebrated recently Galungan and Kuningan and it was great to see the colourful ceremonies and the devoted people offering to their gods. Beside the beautiful surroundings here there are also a lot of side effects from excessive tourism. There are about 15 Million tourists coming annually to Bali and new resorts and Villas are finished every day. That is a big challenge for the Balinese society and infrastructure.

Environmental Issues

Water: On the first sight Bali is full of water – Rice terraces, waterfalls, hot springs, tropical rain and countless recreation centers and spa’s. The story behind is that an average tourist spends about 3000l water/day and a Balinese just needs 700l/day. Big hotels and golf centers have been established around Bali and worse – also at the driest places, Bukit in the south. The water comes most of the times from ground water and the ground water level is rapidly falling. In the capitol Denpasar the level dropped 5m last year. Some wells are now 40m deep! The risk that salty sea water breaks in is very high and could cause a disaster. Hotels are asked to install desalination units but they refuse because it doesn’t support their business model.

Beside the ground water problem the other problem is the drought. There has been no rain for a long time and more the half of the rivers are dried up and villages are cut off from water.

Power: Since the 10th of October there are planned power cuts around Bali. The power demand is so high that the existing infrastructure can’t deliver the required power. To avoid an overload of the electrical grid planned shut-downs occur. At the evening whole quarters are dark and even the main touristic places having sometimes no power. A second main power cable is planned to be installed between Java and Bali but this will take a lot of time, effort and money to realize this project.

Rabies: Many stray dogs are infected with rabies. The main hospital designated to treat victims of dog bites counts actually 150 dog bites per day. Twelve people already died this year on rabies and there is a shortage of vaccine. The government can’t deliver enough vaccine for the bitten and the people return frequently and desperately to get help.

Crime: Petty crime is on the rise. Many cases of bag snatching robberies occur as well as organized crime. Last week the first armed bank robbery happend and worried the authorities. Also on the rise are scams of the lease of real estate. It is forbidden for foreigners to buy land on Bali. The workaround is a limited lease for 20-25 years. Many foreigners have been tricked by dubious agents who pretend to own the land and then, after the money transfer, they are never seen again.

Religion: "Kuningan celebration ", the last day of Galungan celebration, believed to be the ascendant day of the ancestral holy spirits and Deities to heaven after sojourning for several days on the material world. On this day, special offerings consisting of yellow rice and special dishes are offered while every compound and temple is decorated with ornaments made of young coconut leaves and flowers. I’ve taken many pictures from this celebration at Pura Sakenan, Serangan island ( Turtle Island), Denpasar municipality.

Julia Roberts is also on the island shooting her new movie Eat, Pray, Love. When the movie hits the cinemas some beautiful sites will be shown and the tourism industry hopes for many new visitors in the future.

Galungan

The most holy festival on the Balinese calendar was celebrated this week with ceremonies across the island to welcome the Hindu gods and ancestors to Earth. In Hindu belief, Galungan opens a 10-day celebration of the triumph of good over evil. It is a time when many Balinese return to their ancestral homes to be with family and friends and to prepare offerings and food for their ancestors.

The men prepare towering bamboo poles, decorated with intricate designs made from young coconut leaves, for placement at the front of the houses so that people travelling on the roads through villages move under canopies of the tall, festival poles. Major temples throughout Bali are crowded as Hindus gather to pray, make gifts to the gods and enjoy performances of the traditional barong dance. After 10 days, when the gods and ancestors return from Earth to heaven, the most important day of the festival “Kuningan” is celebrated by people quietly giving thanks for peace, safety and wellbeing. Galungan occurs twice during the 13-month Balinese calendar.

It was fascinating for me to pass through the many villages on the way to the surf spots. So many decorated poles around and all very artfully and with care prepared. The poles also come with a small altar for the offerings to be placed there several times a day. I have also been able to make some nice pictures of the street scenes. By driving through the streets I’ve also spotted traditional Balinese figures – A dragon and a demon accompanied by a traditional band. They were walking around the neighborhoods and entertaining mostly the kids who had great interest and sometimes fear of these figures.

Moving In, Moving Out And Back…

I am now the forth week in Bali and there is still a lot to do all the time. Last week I have finished my second week surf guiding and it is a lot of fun. Pretty exhausting too! After the morning session with the group I often go a second time at the Afternoon with my friends and almost a whole day is gone. On Friday I’ve had a very impressive experience. I got under a giant wave and got pushed to the rocky ground where I have stayed a few seconds after the wave passed by. My surfboard was just showing out buy the tip and winked friendly to the beach. Today I have decided to take a break to recover from the busy Friday night and some minor injuries.

Also last week we had to move out of our nice bungalow at the Double Palm and move to the surf camp. This was necessary because our bungalow was booked for one week by other guests. After two days we got another bungalow and we moved back in to the Double Palm. Now our first bungalow is free again and we will move back today.

Bali has the many festivals and celebrations all the time. I have attended already a Hindu celebration, took part of a memorial and been at a punk concert. There are also often surf contests and the famous Friday night life. It always takes a full day to recover from that. Next week there will be a celebration over multiple days where villages will be beautiful decorated. I will try to take a few pictures of that. Also surf guiding will continue and we will get bigger waves. That will be great if they will not be to high and fast for me.

Second Week On Bali

Today I've just heard that there was a big earthquake on Sumatra. Over 1000 people have died in the earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It's far away from here but it seems that the "ring of fire" is getting more active now. There have been several earthquakes in the region and one bigger 6.4 earthquake happened two weeks ago. People begin to think again what to do in a case of a Tsunami.

This week I have started surf guiding. There are five other surfers, head-coach, assistant and a driver (cameraman). Every day we have two surf sessions at different spots depending on the conditions (waves, swell...). We usually start between six and seven, sometimes even five o'clock in the morning. Surfing is a really physical demanding sport and it takes time for me to get used to it again. Today I have even managed to sneak into a mini barrel.

The previous days I have seen many sunsets because Susi had her final days here and it was cool to sit together and have a Bintang (local beer). We also had many delicious dinners in Kuta. From local food to Indian and Japanese cuisine. During the day and the morning I eat a lot nasi goreng (mixed fried rice). Tomorrow is already Friday and last week we had a big cocktail night at the Balicamp. Maybe we have the same intentions tomorrow. As I know the mates that stay with me at the same bungalow I have few doubts that they want to party.

I didn't take much photos yet. The big camera is still in the closet and I will start taking photos with it more to the end of the stay.

Surfing Bali

Now I feel very comfortable in Bali. I am organised and have also my surfboard ready to ride. After some problems with transport (delay and damaged) everything is ok. Yesterday I had my first surf session at Brava beach. The swell now is very low and the waves too! Good starting point for me!

Today I plan to go with Chris to a spot called "Old Man" We'll drive there with our scooters. Its close to the spot "Canggu" where I made the title photo of this post. The weather is also getting better and better. The first days have been quite rainy and wet. It's a big difference between the dry season and the rest of the year. I prefer the dry season over the wet season because I never have to think about what to do when it rains.

First Days In Bali

I am now in Bali and I have already many interesting experiences to write about. First at all I am very pleased and happy for the very nice welcome of Susi, Moritz, Chris and all others. I live now in a nice apartment close to the surf camp where I have been at my previous stays. Unfortunately I couldn't manage to go surfing because my surfboard wasn't on the plane with me. It couldn't be traced on Monday when I arrived but on Tuesday it was delivered severely damaged. Now it is being repaired and I can get it tomorrow evening. Wednesday will be the first day of action for me.

Speaking about action. My first tasks on Bali where organizing: Tracing the surfboard, renting a scooter, buying an Indo telephone card... Today I went with Susi and Maria to the beach to see them surfing. After watching I went swimming and developed a new master plan. I could claim 218€ from the travel insurance when I present enough receipts. It took me half a day of hard work to buy enough things for 218€. I had to go to many different stores to find nice stuff for me.

The weather is at the moment not so nice. It rains several times a day and it is rather cold. The ocean also gets dirtier because of more rainfall. Tomorrow I want to check how to get to the surf spots and take a few pictures - I will provided next time some nice pictures

Next Stop: Bangkok - Bali

I'm just back from our first event after the summer break: FM4 Unlimited with DJ Functionist & DJ Beware. It was a great event and I was happy to meet so many nice friends there. Now I'm back to write my final blog entry and have about three hours to sleep before I go to the airport.

My first stop will be in Munich where I eat my final "Weisswurst" with Beer before I will enjoy Asian cuisine for the next months. I will have a short stopover in Bangkok before I reach my final destination Bali. After a long absence from surfing I will spend the next weeks at this perfect place. I hope my surfboard will arrive in one piece. It had some cracks from the last transport. It will anyway be a challenge to travel with heavy gear: Big suitcase, surfboard and camera equipment.

It would be a pleasure for me to hook up with fellow travellers and friends. Soon I will post here my full itinerary and would be happy if someone is in the mood to join me.