Dreaming Big in Bali: Beach Bliss and Balance

Thursday, June 20^th

Today we rented a boat and went along the coastline to look at the view from off shore and to snorkel in the Blue Lagoon where the water is crystal clear and the fish are abundant. I noticed that there aren’t many sandy beaches in much of this area where the unobtrusive little one-story hotels, bungalows and private homes are built. Instead there are seawalls. I was told these ramparts were built to keep the rising sea from flooding the land---evidence of climate change, along with weather that is no longer predictable in terms of rainy or dry season, and the increasing heat and humidity. Gaylon says this is the hottest year he has ever experienced in Bali.

As our little craft chugged along, past the tourist structures to the undeveloped part of the shoreline, I recognized that I was looking at the Bali of my dreams….rugged hills and mountains covered in dense green forests of tropical plants. Alas, I had no camera in the boat with me to show you these wondrous views.

The snorkeling over the coral reefs was also like something out of a dream with hundreds of fish of various hues and designs, shapes and sizes. There were yellow fish with black stripes like one sees in aquariums, there were luminescent little green fish, medium sized cobalt blue fish, large black fish, and every other color you can imagine, all feeding on the coral colonies. Much of the coral was multiple shades of brown which might reflect a dying reef from the acid in the oceans. But there is coral that is orange, purple, green, and white. There is coral in the shape of green fans, white and grey round mounds like brain matter from inside a skull, orange crenelated plants like decorative kale, yellow coral florets that look like cauliflower, light brown flat round shapes like shitake mushrooms. It was like a psychedelic movie we were watching while our bodies were being gently rocked by the waves. We reluctantly got back into the boat when our time was up. As you might have guessed, I feel the happiest in nature.

When I see this kind of breathtaking beauty, I feel grief well up in me that, like every other pristine place in the world, Bali is being overtaken by what comes under the name of “progress.” Gaylon and Zinnia describe in detail what life was like in Bali over the 30 years they’ve been coming here, before it became such a popular destination spot. They speak with a matter of fact tone of voice, as though they have made peace with the inevitable and take life as it is presented, in true Bali spirit, always focusing on the positive---of which there is much indeed. But I am not as evolved in this arena and find myself feeling such sadness as I hear them describe the erosion of traditional Balinese culture, an erosion they say is rapidly accelerating. They report a big change even from their visit last year. In the city, there is significantly more traffic, more congestion, more development, more adoption of western ways. The people are not as slender. People walk less. Motor scooters have replaced bicycles. Some of the tiny supermarkets sell junk food. It’s the story that is repeated throughout the globe when traditional cultures meet western influences.

Having said all that, Bali is still full of magic and beauty. These smiling people are enchanting, kind, and generous. There is an openness and acceptance here that is disarming and touches the heart. We have been welcomed into people’s homes and served tea as though we were long time friends of the family. There is a flexibility in the Balinese nature that truly allows them to go with the flow. “Tidak apa apa.” (no problem). No wonder so many westerners are attracted to this place where they can take a break from their high-pressured, highly scheduled, and linear and logical lives to a place that is so warm and heart centered and beautiful and all embracing…at least it appears that way.

I found the following quote from Buddhist scriptures useful in reminding me to keep things in perspective and not project too much western nostalgia onto Bali:

“And if you hit upon the idea that this or that country is safe, prosperous, or fortunate, give it up, my friend….for you ought to know that the world is ablaze with the fires of some faults or others. There is certain to be some suffering…and a wholly fortunate country does not exist anywhere. Whether it be excessive cold or heat, sickness or danger, something always afflicts people everywhere; no safe refuge can thus be found in the world.”

----Buddhist Scriptures