Bali

For 16 years, my wife and I never get to travel together abroad. So this holiday, we went to Bali for a once-a-lifetime experience to destress ourselves and to give her what a wife ought to have. It wasn't really a holiday for me cos it cost a lot to live like a king.

Here's my experience in Bali from a Singaporean perspective. People say that Singaporeans are generally picky, petty and complain a lot. We are so conditioned to a high standard of living that when we are in a different environment, we can't help complaining about it. We are spoilt.

The prices in Bali are more expensive than Singapore. They charge 3 x the normal price. If their starting price is $10, ask for $2 and then raise it to $3. If you think you can get a good bargain in Bali, forget about it, unless you know from a local insider what the local price is.

In Bali, a highway is defined as a road with 2 lanes. All roads are one-lane. In Singapore, all roads are two-lane and a highway is four-lane.

Most motorists wear helmet. But some don't. It's their choice. It's their lives. They are mature enough to think and decide for themselves. In contrast, in Singapore, we are not governed by choice, but by the law. Abide by the law or you will be fined. In Singapore, motorists have to wear helmets cos the law say so.

We stayed in a village hotel. It is like a chalet, with a courtyard garden, and authentic paintings on the wall. It was an authentic Bali setting. I observed that the staff do not clean the furniture. It was dusty. To them, dust is nature, and that's something to live with. Not in Singapore.

There were bats flying round and round outside our room. The mosquitoes were having a bloody good time in our room. We had mutiple mosquito bites. We were sucked by those blood suckers.

In the evening, the restaurant had a live band. Guests were allowed to join in the singing. I'm not sure if that would be allowed in Singapore.

What's attractive in Bali was the sight of the rice terrace, the old temples (some older than a thousand years), the lakes, the mountains, the Bali dances, the sea, and the exquisite handicraft by craftmen. The customer services were friendly. They make small talk.

Compared to Singapore, we pale. I have never once hear our shop keepers make small talk with customers. We don't have natural beauty to boast of. Sentosa is fake. We don't have many old buildings to remind us of our past. The old YMCA is gone. The old Cathay building is gone. The dear old Library is gone. The Victoria theatre is gone. There is little to remind us of our past.

We don't have a past. We have nothing to remind us of our roots. Our knowledge of our own dialects are lost forever cos we are not allowed to watch TV programmes in dialect or listen to radio in our dialect. I remembered when I was young, we are entranced by the stories by the Cantonese 'Lei Tai Sor'. We can't wait to sit by the Rediffision radio for the next installment of the story. Modernisation has empty our soul.

In Bali, people give offering of flowers to the Gods three times a day. The offering adorn their houses, their shops and even their vehicles. At every full moon, they visit the temples. The Bali are spiritually minded.

The dances and the stories depicted on TV are always a reflection of good versus evil. In the end, good triumphs over evil.

Many of the lands are still in their natural state. If Bali is in Singapore, we would have convert every swamp to concrete, and every old building would be demolished. We would have remove the souls and the characters that inhabit these objects. Just take a look at the buildings in Singapore. Does it have a soul or a character?

I had a chat with the Abung who man the cybercafe. It cost 80 cents per half hour. He said he looks after the kid at home in the morning while his wife works. In the evening, his wife takes over the care of the home while he work in the cybercafe until 11pm. He feels tired. He didn't get to spend time with his wife.

Tourism is the number revenue earner for Bali. We went to the Legian Beach where the waves were high enough for the surfers. We were swamped with people offering a myriad of services- from massage, plaiting of hair, nail painting, temporary tattooing and all sorts. We were like a cash cows walking on the beach. We are hounded. I didn't like that. We could not enjoy the sunset peacefully.

I discovered that my tour guide is a freelancer. That means he works for more than one tour agency. He is paid on commission.

The curry are so mild. It wasn't spicy. It was tailored for the Aussie tongues. Most of the Chinese dishes in the menu are of the sweet-and-sour type with pork. Isn't that a stereotype of Chinese food?

My favourite food was the prawns grilled in banana leaf.

In departure hall, we had McDonald for lunch. The signboard says we have to wait for 15 minutes for our meals. Never heard of that before. It came to us in a paperbag. I had a plate of noodle. That cost me $6.

At the gate, I saw many Chinese. I heard the Singapore accent. I feel at home already. Two hours 15 minutes later, Garuda touched down.

More than $2,000. Seven days. Just for a few seconds standing at the thousand year old cliff to catch a glimpse of the sea. And capture the spirit of Bali and keep it in my heart forever.