B A L I
The island of gods as Bali is often referred to is known for its magnificent mountains, volcanic hillsides, serene sandy beaches, rugged coastlines and endless green jungles. It was clear to me that to truly explore the island and capture iconic Bali Photography I would need more than just a couple of days to immerse myself into Balinese life and their tradition. So, how about spending a full month in different parts of Bali? Sign me up. In the following journey post I will talk about my first thoughts of Bali after leaving Singapore, my travel route, people I have met along the way, Balinese culture and religion as well as my thoughts on experiencing multiple earthquakes and how they still affect me.
| Impressions |
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| First Thoughts |
I spent a little more than a week in Singapore shooting modern architecture (unlike my Paris city trip). After enjoying Singapore, I moved on to travel to Bali to find some peace in Bali’s picturesque nature. While taking the plane on a Tuesday evening I was imagining arriving in a small paradise. Truth be told, the moment I arrived and left the airport I thought:
“Gosh, I really loved Singapore for its cleanliness, modern style and cultural blend. Bali appears to be dirty, people are chasing me to offer an overpriced ride. What am I going to shoot here anyways? I want to return.”
Let me explain my thought process a bit. As soon as you leave the airport area you are “greeted” by a crowd of private drivers. Rushing towards you they try to get your attention (and money) by all means. I understand that competition is rough for this line of work on Bali. However, I was displeased by how reluctant some of them kept chasing me while I was trying to ignore them as best as I could. Needless to say, my little paradise imagination bubble of Bali was popped and I got thrown into reality. Things could only get better from there on and they sure did.
| Travel Route |
Spending a full month on Bali allowed me to explore various different aspects of the island for my Bali Photography. From peaceful small village vibes in Sanur in the South East to the heart of real Balinese life in Ubud in the Center, stunning landscape views in the North East to untouched wild nature on Nusa Penida as well as artsy westernized places such as Kuta and Seminyak in the West of the island. Ready for the ride?
1. Sanur [South East]
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To be frank, Sanur is not the first to-go place that comes up when you plan on traveling for Bali Photography. That being said though, it’s a great place to find some relaxed atmosphere. At the same time you are still having civilization in form of a small fishing village around you. Sanur features a coastal ambience, an eclectic mix of great local restaurants and bars as well as art galleries along the main road. I decided to come here because it was quite the opposite of modern Singaporean city life. Moreover, it signaled the start of a more laidback photography vacation trip.
2. Ubud [Center]
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Known for traditional crafts and dances, Ubud serves as the hotspot for experiencing the cultural heart of Bali. Located in the cool mountains, Ubud features the iconic Tegallang rice terraces, a monkey forest, art market, several Hindu temples and various waterfalls around. Though I am not into yoga, many travelers come here to practice and to find inner peace. For me, Ubud also served as a logistical spot for Bali Photography. I could easily go on multiple day trips to the North and North East of Bali while also immersing into Balinese culture just a bit more.
3. Lempuyang Temple [North East]
If you can only photograph one scene on Bali this would probably be my pick. It takes a while to actually get there unless you stay in a remote place off the more touristy areas of the island. One piece of advice: Get up early, get there early, hope for a clear sky and capture your moment of Wowness. To get to the iconic Hindu Temple, you‘ll probably need to get a private tour guide or rent a motorcycle which are popular means of transportation throughout Bali.
As soon as you get to the entrance of the temple you are asked to wear a sarong. You can see me wearing a grey and white one in the picture as well. I got there quite early thanks to my friend @joel_ambara planning all of that beforehand and taking me there together with another Instagrammer @dimasramadhan who just came to Bali to explore the island with me for Bali Photography for a couple of days. 30 minutes after we had arrived and started to shoot, many of the local Tourguides arrived with a crowd of tourists creating a line for taking a picture. I was so glad that we got there early.
The photograph above captures Mount Agung in the background, a volcano which last erupted just a little over a year ago. The iconic gate view from Pura Lempuyang Hindu Temple adds great vertical and horizontal lines. The reflection seen on the lower half of the photograph is not edited but a smart mirror trick done by the Hindu priests. It’s indeed just a small 10×10 piece of glass with darkened (vignette) edges. They told me it takes some practice to get the symmetry and reflection line on point.
4. Mount Agung [North East]
The highest point of Bali dominates the surrounding Karangesem area not only because of its enormous size but also because of influencing the climate around. Rainfall can be predicted based on the frequently found nearby clouds. My alarm was set to 4am to get ready for one of the most stunning sunrises I have witnessed.
Overlooking rice terraces, I experienced how the sunlight slowly started to first touch Mount Agung before illuminating the trees and fields on the ground. It was fascinating to watch how the shadows got smaller and smaller within a couple of minutes. Now if you plan on traveling to Bali yourself one day for Bali Photography, here is a pro tip on where to find this hidden nature spot. The location is off the main road quite a bit, so it’s very hard to navigate there using street names or village names. However, there is a local restaurant named Bali Asli just next to it for some reason. You can also search for Bukit Cinta Bali on Google Maps to find this little gem of nature.
5. Nusa Penida [Island South East of Bali]
I spent two days on this untouched island just an hour away by speedboat. The ticket for both ways was around €18 ($20) and it was quite the unique experience to say the least. Locals have told me how high the waves were at the time. The harbor had just started to allow boat rides again. Since I was young I didn’t like rollercoasters at all, and the boat trip sure felt like a 40 minute ride of bumping and free fall.
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Once off the boat, my friend @dimasramadhan and I got ourselves a motorcycle since there was no way of getting around without one. Though there are some more modern streets, the majority of them are still very old and can be quite dangerous to the inexperienced driver. I would not recommend going there alone under all costs. It’s much(!!!) easier to hire a local guide to take you around. Anyways, we didn’t. We explored the island for two days on our own before returning to the main island. We would have probably needed another two days to see all of the points of interest we had in mind for our Bali Photography.
The highlight of Nusa Penida was the view over the T-Rex shaped coastal cliff side. The photograph spot above became an iconic representation for Bali traveling over the last couple of years featuring untouched nature. Climbing down the bamboo stairs can be challenging and quite frankly a bit dangerous. We had to watch the little space we had to step on and check how loose the sticks were. It took us about 30 minutes to get all the way down after capturing some photographs on the way. Again, come early to have the place to yourself and to avoid many tour groups on your way back up.
6. Banyuwana Amerta Waterfall [North]
Bali Photography has more than 20 unique waterfalls to choose from found all over the island. The most known and visited ones include Gitgit, Sekumpul, Munduk, Melanting, Tegenungan and Singsing waterfall. Though all of them are little gems in their own way, the one that I still remember the best is this little hidden Banyuwana Amerta Waterfall. This is mainly because of the moment of tranquility I found there.
After hiking down for about 20 minutes to get to this place, we were literally all by ourselves. Imagine the sound of water crushing, wind hitting the trees and noises from some birds and monkeys watching us. We decided to spend some time napping on an old wooden pavilion nearby. No one was passing by, no communication to the outside world and, somehow, this felt like being free to me. I treasure this memory and every time I look at this photograph I remember this feeling for just a little moment.
7. Ulun Danu Temple [North]
There are seven sea temples around the Balinese coast. This significant complex Temple though is located on the western side of Beraten Lake in Bedugul. To understand how Hinduism plays a central part of Balinese you just have to look at the number of temples scattered all over the island. Every single village has at least three local temples called Khayangan Tiga. Pura Puseh (creation) where god Brahma resides is the first one. Pura Desa where god Vishnu resides is the second one and lastly Pura Dalem where god Shiva resides. Besides these local temples there is an uncountable number of smaller family temples across the island. Not to forget auxiliary temples such as sea temples near rivers or farms and temples near markets related to the goddess of fortune.
The temple in the picture above is one of the most iconic sanctuary of the island with its scenic qualities. The lake surrounding the temple’s base creates a unique impression of floating. The mountain range in the background encircling the Beraten lake provides the temple with a stunning scenic backdrop. I hired a little canoe-like boat to paddle around the temple and to enjoy the scenery. This spot is a must-have for Bali Photography and a fun one to do at the same time.
8. Seminyak
The most stylish and upscale beach resort part of Bali features great fashion stores, dining experiences and nightlife. In comparison to Kuta area, Seminyak has got a more secluded ambiance to it and feels just a bit more mature. Many lifestyle Instagrammer come here because of the trendy little shops with artsy decors found all over the area. Take a look at the photograph below featuring the iconic ice cream spot for Bali Photography. Through smart social media marketing this place has become more than just a place for ice cream. Though I actually did enjoy the Taco waffle filled with coconut ice cream.
9. Beach clubs
Besides having ice cream and drinks on the beach, I spent some of my afternoons relaxing in one of the many beach clubs. If you plan on heading to one of those make sure to book a reservation for their sunbeds. If not, you won’t get any – easy as that. They usually have a minimum amount you have to spend though. So, make sure to ask about the rates.
It’s hard to say which beach club I liked the most since they are all quite different somehow. Potato Head (Seminyak) offers a free Infinity Pool, Finn’s (Seminyak) looks fancier (and pricier) and Mrs. Sippy (Seminyak) has the biggest pool but lacks the beach view. In Sanur the only real beach club is called ABC Beach Club but wasn’t bad at all though not comparable to the ones in Seminyak. Even in Ubud I could find a beach club though there is no beach anywhere nearby. Jungle Fish promote themselves as “No Beach Beach Club” featuring an infinity pool and a stunning background scenery.
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More places
While writing this Bali Photography journey post I realized I couldn’t mention every single stop on the way. Listing them here doesn’t mean they were any less memorable or less significant. Moreover, even though I spent a full month on Bali I still haven’t explored all of Bali (looking especially towards the North coast and Nusa Dua here). Some of the places I haven’t mentioned above include:
- • Tirta Gangga in Karangasem where I jumped on water stones
- • Pandawa Beach where I jumped on a street for some reason
- • Uluwatu where I explored a cave and watched surfers
- • Wanagiri Hidden Hills where I was sitting on a swing
- • Taman Festival where I explored an abandoned theme park
- • Handara Golf Gate where I found another iconic spot
- • Ubud Monkey Forest where I almost got attacked
- • South Kuta where I found an abandoned aircraft
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| Earthquake Experiences |
This final part of my Bali Photography journey post deals with my memories of experiencing multiple strong earthquakes while exploring Bali. Though I was familiar with very minor ones back when I used to live in California, those on Bali in summer 2018 were frightening. If you haven’t heard or read about what happened on neighboring island of Lombok just google it now before continue reading.
Foreschock – First Earthquake
On July 29 in the early morning I was still sleeping in my Sanur hotel bed but woke up feeling a shake for a couple of seconds. At this time I didn’t think about what I just experienced and continued to just sleep. It was after I went for breakfast when the hotel staff asked me if I was alright. They told me that it’s usual for Bali to experience earthquakes here and there. While eating my morning favorite Nasi Goreng, I read online that the earthquake was actually measured a 6,4. Having no real understanding of what that mean I looked more into it and realized that this wasn’t a minor earthquake. The weird part was that friends from Germany and my family texted me later to ask if I was alright. That’s when it became clear to me that earthquakes could happen at any time.
Mainschock – Second Earthquake
About a week later on the evening of August 5, I experienced to strongest earthquake I have ever witnessed. It was around 8pm and I was editing some photographs. Suddenly, there was a harsh bump and the ground was slowly starting to shake. For a couple of seconds I was just observing what was going on but after I heard other guests running outside I joined them. The worst part of it was that the shake lasted for roughly 40-45 seconds and got stronger and stronger. In addition, this time I could see with my own eyes that the ground was shaking. Lamps were swinging, stuff fell of the tables and the pool water was floating over. I knew that this was very very bad.
After the shake had finally calmed down I spent the next hour checking news online which, in retrospect, was anything but smart to do. Though I did not panic during the earthquake I felt how my legs were still shaking and fear started to form inside me. As soon as I saw the 6,9 strength rating I knew that this would shape my memory of Bali. Even locals told me that they have never had such a strong shake in their life. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the end since there was a 6+ aftershock an hour later. From this point on I got very anxious about any little shake I felt. My family asked me to come back to Germany after they saw the damage done on the news. Over 500 people lost their lives on Lombok.
Afterschocks
There were three more major earthquakes over the next two weeks and I tried to keep calm even though the fear of another one was there all the time. I actually had booked a hotel on the Gili Islands which is right next to Lombok but obviously canceled them. I remember seeing a video of the Gili T harbor where more than 4000 tourists were trying to get on one of the few rescue boats. It was frightening. In Kuta, I was staying on the second floor of a hotel. Even though I knew that the chances of any building falling apart were close to non-existent on Bali it was a thought I could not get rid off. In that regard I was happy when I was finally departing Bali and returning to Singapore for another night. I still feel a little bit anxious when I something is shaking around me.
| Final Words |
Will I ever return to Bali? Maybe. The island of gods has a stunning nature that was stunning to look at. I met a lot of friendly people and made new international friends. I learnt a lot about Balinese culture, tradition and religion. At times I felt free, at times I felt frightened. I don’t plan on visiting Bali again in the near future but Indonesia has plenty more to offer. Will I avoid Indonesia because of the earthquakes? No way!
