The Unknown Sides of Bali

This video sums up my feelings
quite well.

            At this time I am back in Macau after a 10 day long trip to Bali, Indonesia. I'm slightly peeling from sunburn and have an achy and swollen finger from an unfortunate encounter with a volleyball (I'm not very athletic), but all and all, I'm wishing for those beach days once again! Perhaps the best time we spent on this trip was on the beaches of Nusa Lembongan. It's not that the many other things we did in the other locations in Bali weren't as great, it's just that it was so hot and humid that I was so passionately wishing for a beach breeze and swimming in beautiful water. 

The Devil's Tear.
dun dun dun...

Phase #1: The Wave

Phase #2: The Splash

            One of the best things I saw in Lembongan was something called "The Devil's Tear." Ominous, right? Well it's a large cove on the coast where the waves violently crash into the cliffs surrounding it. You can basically die if you're an idiot, but it's super cool for photos and videos of which I took many. Funny story. So I wanted to get a picture of me facing the waves to make me look cool and stuff. I'm standing there, wave is coming, and it's a good one. Well, a little too good actually, because before I knew it a large splash hit me full force and I was soaked! It was hilarious, I only wish I had a video and not pictures, but I have the event split up into 4 phases. And yes everyone else on the cliff laughed at me 😭.
            There are so many stories that I can recount from my past week in Bali! For example,

How was getting lost trying to find your Airbnb on a moped during a freak tropical storm? 

Phase #3: The Hit

Answer: It wasn't very fun. 

Did you learn to surf?

Answer: I had aboard for 15 minutes, didn't stand up once, and fell many times.

You got to go snorkeling and saw manta rays, right?

Answer: It was incredible, but I got motion sick from swimming in the rough waves and then the boat. And then I got really sick 😷. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Phase #4: The Aftermath

Wait, where's your phone?

Answer: My guess? In Bali being sold at the black market.

            Yeah, my phone was lost/stolen due to my carelessness. It really sucks but nothing I can do about it now. However, this sort of segues into what I really wanted to talk about this week: some of the things I and I'm sure many others wouldn't expect to be part of the Bali experience.

1. Local Transport and App Driver Drama

            While using car transportation, we were shocked to find out about the serious circumstances that surround the drivers of Bali. Everywhere you go, there will be locals sitting around the streets pretty much begging you to use their transportation. "Taxi? Taxi? Taxi?" That's all we heard while walking around, and in all seriousness it was borderline harassment. Despite this, we probably would have taken them up on it more often, but these cars don't use meters, and you have to haggle to get a price on the transport. At the cheapest you can get it, it will still end up being unjustifiably expensive.

            Instead of this, we utilized an app most of the time that is basically Uber for Indonesia. It's called Go-Jek, it's very cheap and the drivers are very nice and courteous. Many gave us suggestions for sightseeing and activities; one suddenly became a DJ and turned it into a party car, another actually tried to help me track down my lost phone. However, despite all this, you can say that this system wasn't the most convenient, mainly due to the animosity the local drivers have towards the Go-Jek drivers.

            You have to choose your pick up location carefully, preferably one without any local drivers around, which is very difficult since they are on every corner. If someone asks if you want transport while you are waiting for pick up or walking to the pick up point, you shouldn't mention that you already have a ride on the way. And once the driver arrives, you shouldn't take your time getting in the car. We've been told that the local drivers can become hostile towards the Go-Jek drivers if they notice them, and even vandalize and purposely bump their car. Apparently it can be dangerous for the people who hire them as well. This was a part of Bali that I was certainly not expecting.

2. Even Paradise is Affected by Trash

Kuta Beach.

            We went to a number of beaches while in Bali and had a great time at them, but more often than not, what I saw was shocking. Trash. Everywhere. The sand, the shore, and the area where we snorkeled was just filled with it. Some places where definitely better than others, but Kuta Beach in particular was simply horrific. Trash extended down the beach as far as I could see, and this was supposedly one of the best beaches in Kuta. It made me very sad to see this. I didn't think I would get so hardly hit by this problem in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

3. Dogs in Bali

            I'm sorry, this one is incredibly dark, and if you are very sensitive towards animal cruelty this is a portion you might want to skip.

            Bali is filled with dogs. Well, they aren't usually the domestic house pets you expect. There are thousands of dogs all over the island living on the streets and beaches. Most of the time, I saw that they looked healthy and just kept to themselves. As a dog lover, I enjoyed seeing them. However, there were a couple times where I did see a few who looked sickly and starving. I was sad for them, but I went on with the trip not thinking very much about their unfortunate circumstances because it seemed like most of them were relatively cared for.

            Upon doing some looking up for this post, however, I feel very uneasy. There is a lot of evidence showing there are tens of thousands of dogs who are tortured and slaughtered ever year for dog meat trade. In fact, this meat has been passed off as other kinds to tourists. Luckily for me, I didn't have any street food and what I had in restaurants were quite clearly chicken and such.

            Thankfully, this isn't the case for all of Bali, because there are locals who do care for them. The Bali Animal Welfare Association work diligently for their protection, making sure they are fed, and have proper medical care. If you want to learn more or donate, here's their website: bawabali.com

            It wasn't my intention to ruin any of the beautiful visions you have in your mind, but these are the unknown sides of Bali. I figured that it's important to keep in mind that however lovely, interesting, and incredible any place is, there's always something underneath all of it. As wonderful as Macau is, I do know that there is a strong underground mafia presence, and who knows what else due to the casino culture. I'll be sure to keep all of this in mind whenever I travel somewhere, and I hope you do as well.

            But absolutely don't get me wrong, because Bali was a great trip! I saw and experienced a lot. And now I have to get caught up in all the classes I've missed 😓. So I'll be back next week, until then

再见！

TL;DR: As wonderful my trip to Bali was, there are many things that will never be mentioned on tourist sites, like what local transportation is really like, some details that beautiful beach photos don't include, and the potential fate of dogs on the streets.

I only just now realized that the videos I've put in my blog posts in the past don't work and the right way to embed them is super annoying. Therefore I urge you to look at my Gallery page for the videos and photos I've taken. Sorry.