Beautiful Blissful Bali

Our usual budget-mode of travel is thrown to the soft tropical breezes. Rick and I decide to lavish ourselves in a bit of luxury… heck, über-pampering even. After all, it is our Wedding Anniversary week.

We giddily step into our Four Seasons Sayan Villa with a private pool overlooking lush jungle, a garden-edged patio with overstuffed sofas and dining area, and inside another sumptuous space of comfy couches, a feathery-soft bed, huge soaker tub, king-size shower, plus a rustic outdoor spout for a cooling spray amid leafy surrounds – in total over 2,152 sq ft that has Rick saying, “Hey, we almost need walky-talkies.”

I can only imagine the resort’s Royal Villa, where Julia Roberts puttered about between her jaunts into the nearby town of Ubud to sit in the magical presence of medicine man Ketut Liyer during the filming of Eat, Pray, Love.

Within minutes, we are neck-deep in our tepid pool under an azure sky, an apropos beginning. Then it’s off along the walkways sided by jungle terrain to explore the resort’s amenities, stopping for a mango concoction at the Riverside Café while watching river rafters jostle along the Ayung River below. The most taxing decision during the following days is what will be our dinner delight.

The Indonesian island of Bali has long been known to travellers as paradise. The draw to discover its essence pulls us away from our cocoon, starting with a day trip to the culturally-rich town of Ubud.

The spirituality of the gentle Balinese people rises like an aura from the numerous temples and shrines where worshippers place offerings of flowers, rice and sweets. Ninety-five per cent of the population is of Balinese Hindu descent honouring the same gods as India’s Hindus; though locals are quick to point out they have one supreme god – Sanghyang Widi.

But more prominent in the everyday life of the Balinese is the continual presence of ancestral spirits and myriad of powerful Balinese gods, arising from a strong animistic belief of good spirits living in high places, and demons under the sea, while humans try to balance these forces in the middle world with daily offerings.

We pass bustling markets en route to the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. Outside the entrance, I part with 10,000 IDR ($1.25 CDN) for a half-dozen bananas and call out, “Rick, I want to video you feeding the monkeys.” Signs recommend tossing, not holding bananas while feeding, and further advises that a park attendant be on hand.

Suddenly, a large broad-shouldered male monkey flies out of nowhere aimed at my bananas; my flash reaction is to toss the whole bunch onto the concrete. He scoops them up and runs with his booty to a nearby ledge devouring them, while Rick expounds, “Why’d you do that?”

Banana-less, we start through the sizable park of ancient temples and thick jungle. The Balinese Macaques (also called long-tailed Macaques) are at all sorts of monkey-business – eating bananas at the hands of less edgy visitors, munching on chunks of coconut supplied by park staff, swinging from trees, sitting nonchalantly with legs splayed, tending to rascally youngsters.

Stone steps lead to the Bathing Temple. Our clothes are drenched from the sauna-like atmosphere of dense growth and towering canopy of trees that let in only squints of sunlight. Stone monkeys dating back to when the temple was built in the mid-14th century look like Chia Pets, they are so thick with moss and lichen. We move along to the most prominent temple standing like a massive sentinel with statues of gods and spiritual beings.

From the Sanctuary, we follow paths to artisan villages, each with its own specialty of hand-made crafts. We see one for wood carving, another for paintings and beadwork. Other villages produce stone carvings, batik cloth and jewellery.

Another day’s excursion is to the ancient monuments of Gunung Kawi with our driver/guide Mr. Devi. A steep stone stairway descends to a river and lush valley. At the bottom, our eyes feast on 10 rock-cut shrines, each seven-metres high and chiselled into the cliff face. They are believed to be memorials for members of 11th century Balinese royalty.

Leaving this site, Mr. Devi aims his Suzuki SUV up surrounding hills for a panoramic view of rice terraces. Spectacular lime-coloured paddies stretch out like an irregular patchwork quilt woven around coconut palms for an indeterminable distance.

Mid-week, it’s time to follow our plan and move from Bali’s interior to its beaches and our next Shangri-la – the Jimbaran Four Seasons. We feel like celebrities in the hotel’s chauffeured limo for the 1.5-hour drive.

Our Jimbaran villa is slightly different than Sayan in its over 2,000 sq ft design, but every bit as great at addressing all our creature-comforts. Rick and I look at each other and grin, not needing words to concur that a dip in our ocean-view private pool is foremost on our agenda, after which we meander the resort environs.

Ending up at the Pool Terrace Café, our still water-logged skin endures another soaking, this time in the gigantic infinity pool that seemingly flows into the faultless blue of the Indian Ocean. Plunking onto chaise lounges and sipping iced cappuccinos, Rick voices my thought, “Ahh, life just keeps getting better.”

We are pleased to learn classical dancers will perform in front of the resort temple to the beat of “gong” music (a traditional collection of musical instruments). A welcome dance by three tiny girls, a Balinese warrior waving a dagger and a women’s temple ritual are enthralling with displays of intricate hand, feet and beguiling eye movements.

The next day, it is to the touristy beach town of Kuta to find out why all the fuss about sunsets – which proves to be an event unto itself. Surfer dudes, sun-browned tourists and locals flood the beach in droves, equipped with folding chairs, blankets, picnic lunches and beverages.

Sales are good for hawkers with baskets of snacks and souvenirs. The crowd emits “oohs” and “aahs” as Mother Nature splashes the backdrop pale-blue sky with sultry oranges, rosy pinks and startling yellows for the grandest extravaganza.

Our anniversary falls on our last day in Bali. Decadent nut pancakes with pineapple compote and cups of full-bodied locally grown coffee is a fine start. Our day is wiled away at Coconut Grove Beach where, under umbrella lounges, we sip, munch, read, and watch fishermen’s boats arrive and depart on the deep blue sea.

Back at our villa, a romantic dinner arrives with precision at 6:30 p.m. on trays hoisted by young servers, who adorn our table with candles, linen napkins, and silverware… then lift covers with a flourish off steaming hot delicacies before disappearing, leaving us encased in tantalizing odours while we toast our special occasion with ice-cold Bintang.

The mahi-mahi medallions brazed to perfection, sautéed mushroom, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and the oh-so-good parmesan potato gratin are soon history. We sit back glowing in the after-math of this exquisite feast, patting ourselves on the back for thinking up this outstanding anniversary week.

We bid farewell to this utopia knowing Bali will long be remembered for its remarkable culture, spectacular scenery and our fabulously fantastical resort stay. Bali is truly an earthly paradise.

If you go:

Indonesia’s archipelago is comprised of 17,504 islands; the country’s capital Jakarta is on Java, the most populated island. Bali Island is off the SE tip of Java. Indonesia’s population is 88 per cent Muslim; Balinese Hindus make up 2 per cent of the country’s population.

• Visa-on-Arrival is valid for 30 days.
• Air – international and domestic airlines fly to Bali.
• Bus/Ferry – numerous bus companies have daily bus-and-ferry combo packages from major cities in Java to Bali. Ferry services also run between other major islands and Bali.

Four Seasons Sayan Resort & Spa
www.fourseasons.com/sayan
Four Seasons Jimbaran Resort & Spa
www.fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay

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