Changgu Changga !

Readers might wonder how a Punjabi element crept into the title. That was because Punjabi was the only language which could give me the exclamation that briefly and effectively described my recent visit to that tourist paradise, Bali , in Indonesia. As for Changgu, spelt Canggu in Indonesian, it was pronounced differently and fitted relevantly  into my title as my younger son,Mahesh, my
host in Bali, lived near Canggu beach !

I went for a swift visit of twelve days to join Mahesh’s birthday bash on  his fiftieth. He like me, was never known to observe these “special” days but then he in his Balinese element would naturally observe any day that ended in an evening of celebration and merry-making ! Mine was a reluctant visit to start with as I was engrossed in my activities  in Bangalore. However,once there in Bali,  I was swept away by  a tsunami of unbelievable hospitality of the locals –meaning a huge number of
foreign permanent residents  besides the irresistible Balinese – and an introduction to their profession, almost entirely tourism oriented. This meant that the line between business and
pleasure  was a very thin one.

Business consisted mostly of meetings every day in one or the other of the many authentic multinational, multi-cuisine restaurants run by foreign nationals. Wine and beer were driving influences on all good discussions over lunch while vodka was added to the list at dinner –which often was an extension of lunch ! The local streetside equivalents of our dhabas were also chosen venues and the food, the tidiness and the hygiene were impeccable.

The birthday party itself was so beautifully organised mainly because it was a combination of Mahesh’s and girl friend Trish’s planning plus whatever the collection of friends could contribute in effort and infrastructure. Danielle Van Poppel, a gracious Dutch friend gave Mahesh the free use of her superb  Villa Ylang Ylang resort and its six luxurious suites located on the Saba beach on the eastern side of Bali. Frangipani trees in full bloom skirted the huge pool and a grassy garden sloped into the beach where the three to four metre surf came crashing down during most of the day. The service and the food provided during our two day stay were divine. I personally was so flattered when  the chef surprised me with their superb beef rendang, something I'd die for, beef ban or no beef ban. All that and the beach with its black volcanic sand were a perfect venue for the birthday party.

The party was for an invited fifty or sixty and the general demand was for Indian food. Glasses of champagne and allied libation were generously circulated with a variety of kebabs and dinner was a biriyani one provided by the only Indian restaurant in Bali. After I had walked around and shaken hands with most of the guests, some of them who had flown in that day, I was seated comfortably as guests took turns to sit with me. That was pleasant and educative. 

A remarkable feature of the evening was  that at a certain stage I thought that the party was larger than the intended fifty or so. Even allowing for double vision which afflicts many well into a party the number looked large. It was after  a strange character in  over-casual clothes “shtaggered” up to me and introduced himself unintelligibly and wished me “Happy Daysh, Shir”   that I recognised the local licence of any passer-by on the beach to join any party they passed !Bali beaches are popular party venues at every sunset!

I am not a great tourist in conventional terms and really ought to be ashamed to say that this was my first visit to Bali although I lived in Singapore for six years and went to Jakarta every other month. On this visit I did what pleased me most – to meet people . Mahesh’s friends were generous wih their time and hospitality and besides, I was so impressed by the warmth and the humility that accompanied every greeting of the staff of all the restaurants we went to. The fact that Mahesh was a regular regular and a generous one at that cannot take anything away from the cultural and natural
goodness of the Balinese.

A feature of tourism in Bali is the popular use of motorbikes by tourists. Young couples ,mostly from Australia, but also from Europe and USA could be seen in various stages of dress and undress zipping (pun unintended !) around on hired motorbikes and  heading for the venues of their  preferred mode of enjoyment. Kuta beach,in particular, has been the busy hub of backpacker activities which, of late, have attracted the adverse attention of authorities.

The Balinese follow their version of Hinduism and Ramayana. There are temples and temple rituals. A multi-communal society lives in harmony and every religious festival is supported by all communities. I saw this myself when a nearby temple was celebrating a festival and the roads around were closed at certain times. The owners of the shops on these roads, non-Hindus included, accepted this closure without complaint knowing full well that this would be reciprocated during their festival days.
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Mahesh’s villa itself was a beautiful one with paddy fields stretching on one side. It had an open plan and the omnipresent frangipani trees were present here as well.  A touching and regular sight every day was of an old woman who collected the fallen frangipani flowers from the pavement outside Mahesh's wall. Whenever we bumped into her she immediately stopped picking the flowers and joined her hands  and bowed almost as if to apologise. The flowers went to her temple.

Kite-flying was a popular pastime which, like the Indian IPL has  assumed competitive proportions.. Framed in Mahesh's open picture window kites of all dimensions  and shapes occupied a lot of airspace and obstructed traffic  on the narrowerer roadswhile in transit to competition sites.

My twelve day plan was easily stretched to seventeen and  there was not even a feigned whimper

of complaint from me. But even seventeen days come to a close and I left Bali with a great feeling of having had an invaluable and fulfilling experience. What better expression of my Bali experience can there be than the joyous Punjabi “Bali Bali, Balle Balle”!!