Destination: Bali

I went to Bali recently to attend my cousin Dewi's traditional Balinese wedding. It was interesting, it was also fun to hang out with family again, but when all was said and done, it was time to say goodbye and begin another adventure! We parted ways and I headed to Kuta on the following afternoon. 

The last time I went to Bali was 17 years ago. Almost two decades had passed since then. As the car entered Kuta, I got excited. The beach hadiah ultah changed so much, so different than the way I remembered it! I was like, "I don't recall there was a wall dividing the beach and the road. I seem to remember that there was McD or KFC on the roadside. Hey, there's even a shopping mall now!"

With Alvin in Kuta. 
Photo by Valerie.

But the highlight of the day was meeting Alvin, an old friend of mine. I knew him since primary school, but the last time I met him was probably during college days. We just bumped into each other in Kuching! So there we were, 20 years later. After my visit to Hard Rock Cafe, I met him and we sat together in the beach, watching sunset. I had to say that it felt a bit weird, haha.

Alvin had always been a confident kid, but he looked especially self-assured now. Humble and yet so at ease. I was so intrigued that I had to ask. Then he shared with me that life in Bali had been fulfilling. He could be himself and lead the life he had always wanted. It was a carefree life, almost forever young, with only one constant reminder about how old he actually was: the time we met him with our kids trailing behind us, haha. 

He was once a young architect living in Yogyakarta and, though life had been good there, his journey brought him to Bali. He fell in love with Bali and he had been staying there for 13 years. Bali offered him a peaceful spiritual life, one that he embraced eagerly. He liked the casual lifestyle in conducting business and he enjoyed the fact that he could give back to the society by contributing actively in the charity works. More than that, only in Bali that he could do hobbies such as motorcycling and surfing.

From left: Nasi tempong, crab meat noodles, babi guling rice.

That night ended with a dinner. The mall in Kuta was called Beachwalk and the food court there had many cuisines from Java to Singapore, but nothing with Balinese flavour. I had batagor when I was with Alvin, but then it felt like I still could have one more meal for my dinner, so I went back for crab meat noodles from Pontianak, haha. Not bad, the taste was quite authentic. 

Talk about Indonesian culinary, I had nasi tempong, a cuisine from Banyuwangi, earlier that day. The fried liver and gizzard were good, but the best part was the chilli. I can't take spicy food, but that didn't stop me from dipping the tofu, tempe and the meat into the sauce. It turned out to be a nice surprise. The chilli was spicy, but it also had this unique salty taste. I'm not sure if I had described it correctly, but I confirmed that the taste was very inviting. 

Then of course I had to try babi guling. I had that in Ubud. Before I began the one and a half hours car ride from Kuta, I had my favorite McD breakfast that is available only in Indonesia: Paket Panas. It came with rice, fried chicken and egg. When I met my cousin Andreas, he brought me to Babi Guling Ibu Oka. This one, I'm afraid, was overrated. It was all right, but it didn't feel like something that you'd come back for more.

My cousin and I.

But food aside, I had a good time in Ubud. It was great to meet up with Andreas again. I hadn't met him for the longest time. The last time we really had a chance to sit down and talk was back when I was living in Jakarta. As we talked, I was reminded again that this cousin of mine is a brilliant artist. When we were kids, he would draw comics based on games we played. Now an adult, he is a professional photographer living a secluded life in Ubud. This place was like the antithesis of Kuta. Very tranquil and the atmosphere suited him. 

Right before I left, I found a postcard in Ubud. If you wondered why I had to mention this, it's because postcards were rare in Indonesia, even in a popular tourist destination like Bali! So I rushed back to Kuta in the afternoon, clinging tightly in the back seat of a motorbike. I met another high school friend nicknamed Marga T there (and she told me she was wearing white when there were literally sea of people wearing the same color around me). So we scribbled something on the postcard, chit-chatted a bit and off I went to the nearest post office. Didn't make it, though, haha. 

One fine morning in Bali.

The next morning, the last day in Bali, was another Strava time. I walked from Kuta to Seminyak, passing other beaches such as Legian and Double Six. I immediately thought of the trip I had with Endrico, Jimmy and Ardian when I saw Ku De Ta. I'm pretty sure we came here back in 2005. I eventually walked into Montigo Resorts for breakfast while waiting for Alvin to come and fetch me. 

Alvin had been saying that Bali had everything for everyone, that's why people loved it. Each part of Bali had its own character, which probably explained why my cousin moved to Ubud. For this occasion, he wanted to show me this up-and-coming district called Canggu. He told me that this was the hippest place for the Caucasians and it did look like one! 

But the best part of it was Batu Bolong and Echo Beach. For the first time ever in my life, I observed people surfing while listening intently to Alvin's explanation about the sport. Then, before we left Batu Bolong, he asked if my wife was okay with jokes as he wanted to do pranks. I said she was all right, hence I sat down for a pose and he made this picture up, haha. 

In Batu Bolong.
Photo by Alvin.

But all good things must come to an end. As I was leaving Bali later on that day, I thought of things he said before, that there was everything for everybody in Bali. I recalled the experience of just sitting there in Batu Bolong, doing nothing but enjoying the view of people surfing. It gave me a glimpse of how life in Bali was for my friend. I was happy for him and my cousin that they had the best time in Bali, but I never liked the lifestyle the way they loved it. I was just glad that I was flying back to Singapore, where things were so organized and very much in order...

Destinasi: Bali

Baru-baru ini saya ke Bali untuk menghadiri penikahan sepupu saya Dewi. Pernikahan dengan adat Bali ini sangat menarik. Berkumpul bersama keluarga pun terasa menyenangkan. Namun lantas tiba waktunya untuk berpisah dan memulai petualangan sendiri. Saya akhirnya pamit dan menuju Kuta di sore hari berikutnya. 

Kali terakhir saya ke Bali adalah 17 tahun silam. Sudah hampir dua dekade lamanya. Ketika mobil yang saya tumpangi memasuki kawasan Kuta, hati saya terasa deg-degan dan riang karena saya terkenang dengan masa lalu. Kuta sudah berubah banyak, begitu berbeda dengan yang saya ingat. Saya sampai bergumam kepada supir, "saya tidak ingat kalau dulu ada dinding pembatas antara pantai dan jalan. Sepertinya dulu ada KFC atau McD di tepi jalan. Wah, sekarang bahkan ada mal!"

Bersama Alvin di Kuta.
Foto oleh Valerie.

Namun yang paling berkesan di sore itu adalah pertemuan dengan Alvin. Teman yang ini saya kenal sejak SD, tapi pertemuan kita yang terakhir mungkin terjadi di masa kuliah. Waktu itu kita kebetulan berpapasan di Kuching. Di hari itu, setelah kunjungan saya ke Hard Rock Cafe, saya duduk bersama dengannya di pantai sambil menyaksikan matahari terbenam. Terus-terang agak aneh rasanya, haha. 

Alvin sudah tampak percaya diri dari sejak bocah, tapi kini kian terlihat. Melihat dia begitu rendah hati, tenang dan damai, saya jadi tergelitik untuk bertanya. Dia lalu menjelaskan bahwa kehidupan di Bali sungguh cocok baginya. Dia bisa menjadi dirinya dan hidup seperti kemauannya. Hidupnya bebas, senantiasa terasa muda, dan hanya ada satu yang selalu mengingatkannya tentang usia sebenarnya: saat bertemu dengan kita dan anak-anak kita, haha. 

Dia lantas berkisah tentang kiprahnya sebagai arsitek. Dulu dia kuliah dan tinggal di Yogyakarta, tapi perjalanan hidup membawanya ke Bali. Dia jatuh cinta dengan Bali dan tidak terasa sudah 13 tahun tinggal di sana. Bali menawarkan kedamaian spiritual yang dicarinya. Dia juga senang gaya santai dalam berbisnis dan juga kesempatan untuk bergotong-royong membantu sesama. Selain itu, hobi yang digemarinya, mulai dari bermotor sampai berselancar, hanya bisa ditekuni di Bali. 

Dari kiri: nasi tempong, bakmi kepiting, babi guling.

Santap malam mengakhiri pertemuan saya dengannya. Mal di Kuta yang bernama Beachwalk memiliki pujasera yang menjual beraneka masakan mulai dari Jawa sampai Singapura, tapi tidak memiliki menu yang berasal dari Bali. Saya menyantap batagor saat bersama Alvin, namun rasanya saya bisa makan satu porsi lagi. Akhirnya saya kembali ke pujasera dan memesan bakmi kepiting Pontianak, haha. Lumayan otentik rasanya.

Bicara tentang selera nusantara, saya juga sempat mencicipi nasi tempong, makanan khas Banyuwangi. Hati dan ampelanya enak, tapi yang paling lezat adalah sambal cabenya. Saya tidak bisa makan pedas, tapi suka cocol tahu, tempe dan daging sedikit ke sambal. Ternyata enak sekali rasanya. Sambalnya pedas, tapi juga unik karena terasa asin. Saya tidak tahu apa deskripsi yang tepat untuk rasa sambal ini, tapi yang jelas sangat mengundang. 

Tentu saja saya juga harus mencoba babi guling dan keinginan ini akhirnya terjadi di Ubud. Sebelum menempuh perjalanan satu setengah jam dari Kuta, saya mampir dulu ke McD untuk menikmati Paket Panas kesukaan saya. Yang satu ini hanya ada di Indonesia! Di Ubud, saudara saya Andreas membawa saya ke Babi Guling Ibu Oka. Yang satu ini agak kurang lahap makannya. Rasanya lumayan, tapi tidak masuk kategori yang membuat anda kembali karena ingin makan lagi. 

Bersama sepupu Andreas.

Waktu saya di Ubud terasa cepat berlalu. Senang rasanya bisa bertemu dengan Andreas lagi. Lama tidak berjumpa dengannya. Kali terakhir kita mengobrol seperti ini mungkin saat saya bekerja di Jakarta. Sewaktu berbincang, saya jadi teringat lagi bahwa sepupu saya ini memang sangat berbakat. Di masa kanak-kanak dulu, dia membuat komik berdasarkan game yang kita mainkan. Sekarang dia adalah fotografer profesional yang tinggal di Ubud, tempat yang sungguh bertolak belakang dengan Kuta. Suasananya tentram dan cocok baginya. 

Sebelum saya pulang, saya menemukan kartu pos di Ubud. Jika anda heran kenapa saya sampai harus menyebutkan hal ini, alasannya adalah karena kelangkaan kartu pos di Indonesia, bahkan di daerah yang padat dengan wisatawan seperti Bali. Jadi saya bergegas kembali ke Kuta, kali ini dengan menaiki motor. Sampai di pantai, saya bertemu dengan seorang teman SMA yang dipanggil Marga T (dan dia memberikan petunjuk bahwa dia memakai kaus putih, padahal di sekeliling saya banyak yang memakai warna serupa). Kita tulis sesuatu, berbincang sejenak dan saya lanjut ke kantor pos terdekat, tapi tidak keburu, hehe. 

Pemandangan saat Strava.

Keesokan paginya adalah waktu untuk Strava lagi. Saya berjalan dari Kuta ke Seminyak, melewati pantai lain seperti Legian dan Double Six. Saya jadi terkenang dengan liburan saya bersama Endrico, Jimmy dan Ardian saat melihat Ku De Ta. Seingat saya, kita ada ke sini di tahun 2005. Setelah usai Strava, saya masuk ke Montigo Resorts untuk sarapan pagi sambil menunggu kedatangan Alvin.

Teman saya ini sempat bercerita bahwa Bali memiliki sesuatu untuk setiap orang sehingga banyak yang menyukai Bali. Setiap sudut Bali memiliki karakter tersendiri dan ini mungkin alasannya kenapa sepupu saya pindah ke Ubud. Untuk kesempatan ini, Alvin ingin menunjukkan daerah Canggu pada saya. Katanya ini adalah daerah bule yang paling maju dan memang kelihatannya seperti itu! 

Yang saya sukai dari kunjungan ini adalah pantai Batu Bolong dan Echo Beach. Untuk pertama kalinya dalam hidup ini, saya mengamati orang bermain selancar sambil mendengarkan penjelasan Alvin mengenai olahraga ini. Lantas, di kala kita hendak meninggalkan Batu Bolong, dia bertanya apakah istri saya bisa bergurau. Saya katakan padanya bahwa dia cukup toleran terhadap lelucon, jadi saya pun berpose seperti yang diminta Alvin sehingga dia bisa mengunggah foto ini, haha. 

Di Batu Bolong.
Foto oleh Alvin.

Dan liburan akhirnya selesai. Sewaktu saya meninggalkan Bali, saya jadi kepikiran dengan apa yang Alvin katakan, bahwa Bali memiliki sesuatu untuk setiap orang. Saya teringat dengan pengalaman saya di Batu Bolong, di mana saya hanya duduk santai dan tidak melakukan apa-apa, kecuali memandang orang berselancar di kejauhan. Hal ini memberikan saya sedikit gambaran tentang kehidupan teman saya di Bali. Saya turut gembira karena Alvin dan sepupu saya menikmati kehidupan mereka di Pulau Dewata, tapi saya juga tidak kalah senangnya karena akan kembali ke Singapura, tempat di mana segala sesuatu begitu teratur dan efisien...