| |
Bali + Singapore 2015 |
 |
This trip was born out of a crazy dream to swim in the most amazing pool in the world - the Infinity Pool on top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore. But since not even I was crazy enough to fly twelve hours just for a weekend out, I decided to explore another part of my beloved South East Asia, which was as yet unknown to me: Bali, the island of demons, Australians and package tourism.
Since Lufthansa had annoyed me once too often with their strikes, I threw my lot in with Singapore Airlines who flew me from Frankfurt to Bali via Singapore on their A380, another first for me. Though while the Big Bird looks impressive from outside, once you’re stuck in cattle class, it’s very much the same as any other plane. I was also blessed with a seat neighbour from hell, who thought nothing of changing from jeans into jogging pants in her seat (Lady, that’s what toilets in the airport are for) or to rudely shake me awake when she needed the potty.
Having made it to Bali at last, I was picked up at the airport by a charming fella called Dewa who drove me to my hotel in Ubud, Bali’s "cultural capital" in the middle of the island. It seemed the best base for sightseeing trips as well as for picking up some genuine Balinese culture. A first walk took me to the old palace which, with its surrounding temples and the tourist information next door, also forms the center of the town. A genuine town, rather choked with traffic, it was and certainly not the sleepy village in the jungle I had expected!
I went to bed early after the long journey, emerging next morning to visit Ubud's main sight, the Monkey Forest. Basically a small forest area around ancient temples where dozens of grey monkeys now live in various gangs. Since I was there just as it opened in the morning, the area was still wonderfully quiet and I really enjoyed watching the playful monkeys for some time:
 |
 |
Here are the monkeys and also a view on an old bathing pond and the dragon bridge inside the forest:
 |
 |
From here I walked back to the center of town to visit the other temples, including the beautiful Pura Saraswati with its lotus pond, have lunch and buy a ticket for one of the evening performances of classical Balinese music and dance that Ubud is famous for.
 |
 |
The main show for the evening (in the grounds of the palace) was classic "Legong", a dance once reserved for young girls but now done by women (and a few men) of all ages, accompanied by the famous Indonesian Gamelan orchestra. Neither the sounds of the Gamelan nor the dance was like anything I had ever witnessed before and while it was rather strange, it was also oddly mesmerizing. There is little movement as such, but each finger waggle and eyeroll apparently has some deeper meaning and it takes girls years to perfect all the gestures and looks.
Next morning it was time to go daytripping and explore the island properly. I was lucky because there was only one other lady who had booked the trip, so it felt like being driven around with a friend in a regular car instead of a tour bus and I enjoyed her company immensely. Our first stop was the "Goa Gajah" cave outside Ubud, a holy temple (of course) but beyond the spectacular entrance not much to write home about.
The next stop however more than made up for it, the old palace of Klungkung and its tragic tale. When Europe rushed to grab colonies in South East Asia in 19th century, the Dutch got hold of most what's now Indonesia, including the northern half of Bali. The three southern Balinese kingdoms, among them Bandung (modern Denpasar) and Klungkung, hung on to their independence for some time until the Dutch found a flimsy pretext for invasion in 1906. Not wanting to surrender to the Europeans, the royal courts of Bandung and Klungkung rather committed collective suicide - an event that shocked not only the Dutch, but most of Europe. However it didn't stop the Dutch from burning down most of the buildings in the palace grounds except for the "Hall of Justice" and its incredible roof paintings which survived in Klungkung. Other buildings have been rebuilt and a museum has been set up commemorating bygone days and the events of 1906:
 |
 |
On we drove through beautiful areas that allow a glimpse into the Bali of yesteryear before the arrival of rampant commercialism and mass tourism - a breather before we reached the scammer paradise of Besakih, Bali's most important temple complex on the slopes of holy Mount Agung, seat of the Gods.
Unlike other temples which are well-regulated with one entrance gate where you pay a ticket to enter the complex and guards make sure everyone is properly dressed, Besakih is pretty much wide open with some shoddy housing strewn between the many temples. It also means that there are scammers galore, claiming that you need a guide to enter the complex and charging dearly for it. Luckily my trusty Lonely Planet had warned me, so my companion and I shook off the first scammers - until we came to the main temple, where scammers had even erected a barrier and wouldn't let anyone pass who didn't pay for a "guide" (who then led you about five steps into the temple before disappearing). At least we could haggle him down to 60,000 rupiah for his "service" and the whole complex is definitely worth seeing - but bring strong nerves and a thick skin along (and an umbrella, because the clouds get stuck on Mount Agung, so it frequently rains).
 |
 |
From Besakih (above) we continued our journey, stopping at a fairly touristy coffee plantation where we could try various coffees and teas and see the "luwaks", the cat-like creatures that are used to create the infamous Kopi Luwak coffee: Coffee beans are eaten by the luwaks and once they've come out the other end, are turned into coffee. Nope, didn't try, but I did like the coconut coffee.
Our last stop were the famous Holy Springs of Tirta Empul, another beautiful (and regulated!) temple complex, where people can bathe in the holy waters or just wander around and enjoy the beautiful buildings and serene atmosphere. All in all we were on the move for around seven hours at a price of 12 Euro for each passenger - it doesn't get better than that!
 |
 |
On my last day in Ubud I first visited the Agung Rai Museum of Art, one of the most important museums in Ubud that displays paintings of various local and international artists. It's also the only museum in town that has a room dedicated to German painter Walter Spies who came to Ubud in the 20s and pretty much put it on the map. He drew not only several other artists to Ubud but also famous visitors like Charlie Chaplin, Barbara Hutton and German writer Vicki Baum, who wrote the fantastic "Love and Death on Bali" here (about the events of 1906). Even today Ubud is still full of artists and galleries flogging a mix of truly beautiful paintings and generic tourist stuff.
After a shopping trip around the market and some quiet hours by the pool, I wandered into town once more for an evening performance, this time a ballet based on the Indian Ramayana epic. I hoped that since I knew the story of Rama and Sita at least vaguely, I would know what's going on - and it did turn into a truly interesting evening with great dancing and some real "action" when Rama goes to free his beloved Sita from the clutches of the demon Ravana. Loved it!
 |
 |
Next morning it was time for the beach! I had asked my airport pick-up Dewa about driving me from Ubud to the beach resort of Seminyak since I already knew he was reliable and I was vaguely suspicious of all the guys lounging on the main street of Ubud, offering "Taxi!" services. A good decision I think for he sent his son Weda to pick me up after breakfast and it was time to leave beautiful Ubud behind. When I had booked a hotel in Seminyak, I had expected the whole area to be like Chaweng on Ko Samui, which I had very much enjoyed. But Kuta-Legian-Seminyak was an immense sprawl with absolutely insane traffic that seems to have grown far too fast far too much. It took us almost two hours to get to my hotel, the second hour spent mostly in traffic jams. Still, at least the long lovely beach made up for it and this is where I spent the rest of the day.
Having found Dewa and Weda so reliable, I decided to book another private tour with them instead of running around to try and find a local agency in Seminyak. It cost more of course, but with Bali being so cheap overall, it was still a decent deal for a half-day tour starting next day at noon after a morning by the pool. Again, I had vastly underestimated the insane traffic, so it took us nearly two hours to get from Seminyak to the sea temple of Tanah Lot on the west coast and then another two hours to the famous rice terraces of Northern Bali which the UNESCO has even declared a world heritage site. While I found Tanah Lot rather disappointing and touristy (you can't even enter the actual temple on its rock), the incredibly beautiful rice terraces more than made up for it:
 |
 |
And so my week on Bali already drew to a close. On the last morning I went for a long walk down to Kuta to take a look at the place and stop by the memorial for those killed in the horrible 2002 bombings by islamistic fucktards, then spent the rest of the day on the beach. Overall Bali left me a little torn: There are some incredibly beautiful areas and the singular Balinese-Hinduistic culture is fascinating. I also found the people very friendly, chatty and all around lovely. And yet it didn't charm me as much as other places I have visited with too much commercialism and chaos. I got the feeling that Bali grew too fast too much in recent years and I hope they will find a good balance to handle the tourist crowds and profit from their money while retaining the beauty and charm of the island.
 |
My trip wasn't over yet though - the real biggie was still waiting for me: The Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Since you can't access their pool without being a hotel guest and rooms cost an arm and a leg, I could only stay for one night, but even so it turned into an amazing experience that was worth every Singapore dollar spent on it:
 |
 |
Here's the Marina Bay Sands complex in its full glory for those of you who don't know what I'm even talking about - the pool spanning the three towers of the hotel on top (57th floor) and the view from the pool. And yes, here's also the only selfie I've ever been willing to take, since I really just had to capture this moment. It's all really well done with ample space for everyone (probably because there are so few sunlounger-reserving Germans around) and of course the view is utterly incredible. Below is one picture of the view in total across Singapore with the Central Business District to the left, the Colonial District by the river in the middle and the Esplanade with the new concert hall and theatre ("the Durian") on the right, as well as a zoomed version of "old colonial Singapore" with the Fullerton hotel in the foreground, the old English administration buildings and the Chinese shophouses on Boat Quay.
 |
 |
And finally here are two more - one of the pool area on the whole and one of the "other side" of the Marina Bay Sands complex with the beautiful Gardens by the Bay and what seemed like hundreds of huge freighters and oil tankers in the Strait of Singapore:
 |
 |
Alright, enough of the pool already! I spent about two hours up there after checking in before it was time for a walk. The last time I had been to Singapore, the whole Marina Bay land reclamation project was just one huge construction site, so it was quite marvellous to see it all completed now with so many amazing buildings. Because of a new bridge, even the famous Merlion had to move from its old vantage point at the mouth of the Singapore River to a new one on the other side of the bridge! I crossed the Padang, the huge lawn that was central to every English colonial town where troops exercised and dainty damsels strolled with their beaus, and walked along the river where the old shophouses escaped the Chinese mania for tearing down everything vaguely "old" to replace it with something new and shiny.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Exactly 50 years ago Singapore was chucked out of the Union with Malaysia (following independence from Britain) and left to sink or swim on its own. Many feared that the tiny swampy island at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula could never make it on its own, but Singapore surprised the world by becoming an economical powerhouse and one of the richest nations in the world.
So, not surprisingly, the 50th anniversary of independent Singapore is cause for huge celebrations that will continue throughout 2015. On the Marina Promenade (some of you might know it as the final stretch of the Singapore Formula One race with its huge colourful seating area) a huge street party has been set up with stalls, music, food and much more, where Singapore celebrates itself and honors the God of Fortune (the fella on the right) - it was all quite marvellous to see for nobody can do colorful kitsch as the Asians do.
There were also free performances on the open air stage next door, so I was able to see a Chinese Ballet one evening as well as rehearsals for a Chinese orchestra the next afternoon, using classical Chinese instruments. Can't say they did much for my ears, but of course it was still great to be able to catch these cultural offerings for free. I ended the evening back at the pool (where else?), enjoying the view across Singapore By Night with a Singapore Sling in hand.
While I had to check out of the lovely Marina Bay Sands the next morning (not without one last trip to the pool of course!) I wouldn't have to go to the airport until the evening, so I seized the chance to go in the search of the old Singapore once more:
 |
 |
First stop was the old Chinatown behind the CBD with its beautifully restored shophouses and temples, among them the Thian Hock Keng Temple, the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore. The English had their colony arranged so that they would be among themselves on the right bank of the river while the "Eastern rabble" was banished to the left bank (and other areas). So Chinatown does not only boast some beautiful Chinese temples, but also Singapore's oldest Hindu temple, the Sri Mariamman Temple and the oldest mosque, the Jamae Mosque next door. And nobody finds it strange that both mix with the decorations for Chinese New Year, which was just ending that weekend. I loved the little "wish tree" in the Chinese temple, where people would hang their wishes for the new year:
Of course the island wasn't entirely empty when Sir Stamford Raffles decided in early 19th century it would make for a good English trading post - it belonged to the Sultan of Johor, who was unceremoniously moved to the Malay quarter of Kampong Glam. The area around the Sultan Mosque with its towering golden dome has been nicely refurbished in recent years and is worth a look - as is the beautiful Raffles Hotel, the epitome of the colonial era where everyone who was someone stayed, drank and saw tigers in the billiard room (maybe).
And so my wonderful time in Asia came to an end once more with a late-evening flight home to Frankfurt. Singapore is certainly one of those towns I could keep returning to for there is always so much to see and do, but even though Bali was perhaps not the "Island of Dreams" I had hoped for, it was also interesting enough to see and quite an experience. So what next in Asia? Who knows… the big neighbour up north (China) is certainly worth a trip too… :)
