SOME tourist magnets get ravaged through time and mass commercialisation, but not so the Island of the Gods.
Despite drawing some million tourists annually, Bali has so far managed to stave off the destructive ills that are associated with tourism, such as losing one's cultural identity.
"The Balinese are very good at staying true to themselves", says Ryan Ver Berkmoes, the Coordinating Author of Lonely Planet's newest edition of the Bali & Lombok guidebook to be launched this month.
Ryan Ver Berkmoes
Ryan is no stranger to Bali; since 1993 he has returned several times and seems to have explored almost every corner of the island - along with trips to surrounding regions like Nusas Lembongan and Penida and Lombok.
Yet, even to someone so experienced and road-hardened, Bali continues to delight and maintain its ethos of friendly folk and rich tradition right in the face of change.
Ryan shares with AsiaOne Travel his affinity for Bali, and some tips for the seasoned and novice island visitor.
You have been to Bali twice in four years and several more times in the past decade: what is it about Bali that keeps drawing you back, and how has it evolved or changed over the years?
Bali changes faster than any place I go. I've actually been here eight times in the last four years and I am amazed that the new restaurant I saw one trip vanished only three months later, replaced by another new restaurant, with virtually no trace, not even the foundation, of the previous one.
The culture on Bali is so rich, unlike any place else I visit. Too many people stick to the south of the island where it is impossible to realize why Bali is so extraordinarily different from, say, Tahiti or Fiji or the Maldives etc.
The Floating Pavillion at Kertha Gosa - Semerapura Bali.
Having had so much experience with Bali, what would you highly recommend to a first time traveller and why, in terms of:
(i) places of interest
Spend some days in Ubud. Go see traditional dance, sit on your patio and listen to the birds, frogs and insects. Listen for traditional music echoing across the rice fields at night.
(ii) food to sample
Babi Guling: which is very tender roast pork where the entire pig is filled with spices and then cooked. You find it in all the small towns, just ask a local where there's a nearby spot.
(iii) things to do/ experience
Walk some of the ancient rice terraces, there's not enough words for green to describe them.
What would you highly recommend to a seasoned traveller and why, in terms of:
(i) places of interest
Go hiking in the lush rainforests around Munduk in the central mountains.
(ii) food to sample
Go to a night market and just pick and choose whatever looks good. They are busy and the food can't be fresher.
(iii) things to do/ experience
Go exploring for hidden beaches. Along the west and east coasts are long strands of sand where you'll have the beach to yourself.
The anti-porn law passed recently by the Indonesian government based in Jakarta has created a furor in the region - how has this affected Bali?
Bali will do its best to ignore it as it has outside interlopers for centuries. The Balinese are very good at staying true to themselves, even as, say, two million tourists arrive a year.
Do you have any words for the traveller hesitating to make a journey to Bali?
Just go. It couldn't be an easier place to visit. You can get your money from ATMs, you can buy anything you forgot, people speak English, it's a friendly culture and it's an amazing place that will reward you for every effort you make to appreciate it.
Girl in rice fields near Gunung Agung, Bali.
You have been writing for Lonely Planet for nearly twelve years. How has it enriched your life, having been a professional traveller/writer for over a decade?
Working as a professional travel writer has allowed me to see and do things that I would never enjoy or experience otherwise. From East Timor to the backroads of California to chic Sydney, my work lets me explore places in detail.
The world seems both smaller and larger.
Smaller in that you see that humans are usually pretty wonderful people across continents and cultures, we share far more than what separates us. Larger in that the more I see the more I realize that I haven't seen. When you discover a new mountain, there are the 12 behind it you didn't know about before.
What inspired you to launch yourself onto such a career path, and how did you get there?
I always loved traveling from the time I was very young and herded my family through airports like a little annoying wrangler. I read Paul Theroux's Great Railway Bazaar when I was young and knew that's what I wanted to do. I worked as a journalist for many years before I started writing about travel, the traveling was the part I loved best about being a journalist.
Buy it: RRP: AUS $38.99 (S$43)
◊Bali & Lombok 12th edition
◊The 12th edition of this longstanding and best selling guide
◊Get the inside knowledge with interviews with locals and expats living in Bali and Lombok
