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Environment
Bali's Breathtaking
Natural Beauty
It has become
something of a cliché to remark upon the beauty of Bali. Of
course, this has not stopped a steady stream of visitors to
the island from weaving flowery words over its celebrated
charms. Bali's stunning scenery has inspired such legendary
descriptions as "the last paradise," "the
island of the gods," and "the morning of the
world." And Bali continues to play gracious host to
hordes of awestruck guests, who return home with glossy
photos and vivid descriptions attesting to the exotic allure
of "the enchanted isle." Yet no matter how many
times it has been said before, there is no denying the fact
that the island of Bali is blessed with incomparable natural
wealth. From shimmering seas and soft sand beaches to cool
volcanic highlands covered with lush green rice fields and
gaudy tropical foliage, the landscape offers picture perfect
vistas at every turn. And for each traveller, no matter how
well prepared beforehand with bright pictures and colorful
words, Bali's beauty comes as a revelation.
Bali's overwhelming
environmental bounty is in part a fortunate result of its
geography. Tucked in between hotter, more humid Java to the
west and drier, more arid Lombok to the east, and encircled
by the cool blue of the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea, the
island sits just eight degrees south of the equator. This
location endows it with a consistently mild tropical
climate, fresh sea breezes, a relatively even range of
variation in temperature and abundant rainfall.
Geologically, Bali is perched
astride the meeting place of two continental plates, the
Sunda plate and the Indian-Australian plate, whose frequent
frictions are responsible for periodic outpourings of lava
from the earth's molten core. Out of one such series of
eruptions Bali itself was born some two to three million
years ago. The rocky spine of volcanoes -- some of them
still quite active -- that bisects the island continues to
periodically remold the landscape and bring fertility to the
fields in the form of rich volcanic soil and rainwater from
the heavy clouds blanketing the high peaks. This underground
activity also bubbles up in the volcanic hot springs that
dot the island, places where the visitor can bathe in the
warm mineral waters reputed to heal illness and certain to
refresh the soul.
The climate of Bali is gently
tropical, with average temperatures ranging between 25 and
30 degrees Celsius. Although travellers from cold northern
lands may look upon Bali as the island of endless summer,
there are actually two seasons, the "hot season"
or musim panas, lasting roughtly from April to
October, and the "rainy season," or musim hujan,
from November to March. But don't let the names fool you.
Temperatures during the rainy season are actually higher,
reaching their peaks in December and January, although the
heat during those months is frequently broken by the soft
showers and torrential downpours that mark the monsoon.
While rains are, of course, most frequent during the rainy
season months, they can occur any time during the year. They
rarely last long, however, and they are inevitably followed
by the sweet smell of the land washed clean and the
shimmering beauty of the foliage dripping with fresh color.
For a place that has inspired
so many volumes of poetic description and attracted such a
long and illustrious list of guests to its shores, Bali is
surprisingly small, stretching only 90 kilometers from north
to south and 135 kilometers from west to east. But within
this area -- approximately the size of the U.S. state of
Delaware -- Bali hosts a stunning range of climactic
contrasts and a diverse collection of plant and animal
life.
The south is the face of Bali
that most travellers see. This is Bali's "rice
bowl," where the grain that provides the major portion
of the Balinese diet and inspires a good part of its
mythology and ritual activity grows in lush wet fields
irrigated with the mountain water that flows down from the
north through a complex series of channels. The southern
shore is the postcard perfect picture of island paradise:
dazzling white sand beaches and azure ocean flanked by
towering coconut palms and filled with the fragrance of
exotic flowers whose very names evoke the tropics:
frangipane, hibiscus, gardenia, bougainvillea and red
ginger. But the sultry south is not the only side of
Bali.
Driving north toward Ubud,
the terrain shifts to softly rolling hills overlooking rocky
ravines, whose slopes are covered with lush tangles of
vegetation. Here the mornings are misty and magical, while
the cool nights arouse a perfect mood for witnessing the
area's renowned traditional performances or simply indulging
in a restorative evening of stargazing. Travelling further
toward the mountains, the topography changes again, offering
breathtaking views of dizzyingly high crags lined with
steeply terraced rice fields, marvels of human engineering
that amaze and inspire with their ingenuity. Here some of
Bali's best produce is grown, including corn, onions, sweet
potatoes, coffee and sparkling fresh strawberries. At these
elevations, be sure to book a hotel room with a fireplace!
The adventurous can climb even further toward the clouds by
braving the ascent to the peaks of Mount Batur or Mount
Agung. From this lofty perch close to the heavens,
surrounded by the barren moonscape that marks the edge of
the volcanic caldera, one can look down on Bali spread out
below in postage stamp miniature.
The west of Bali is the most
sparsely populated area of the island, traversed by few
tourists. But those intrepid travellers who venture into its
wild interior will find landscapes that remain almost
unscarred by human habitation. Over fifty percent of the
western regency of Jembrana is still forest, providing
shelter to several rare species of birds and beasts,
including the Bali Starling and the Javan Buffalo, as well
as various deer, monkeys and even an occasional leopard.
Wandering through this virgin forest is like taking a trip
back in time before humans marked the earth with their
presence. With only the rustle of the leaves and the song of
the birds to distract you, it’s hard to imagine that the
bright lights of Kuta are only a few hours away.
East Bali is another side of
Bali few tourists are lucky enough to witness. But those who
make the trek over the magnificent mountain passes and
across the dry plains will arrive at the breathtaking black
sand shores of some of Bali's best beaches, romantic
hideaways where fishermen set out to sea in gaily colored
wooden boats, braving the pounding surf with only the bright
lights of the stars to guide them home. Here at the end of
the road, past the reach of the electric and telephone
wires, you can witness age old patterns of village life that
remain virtually unaffected by the tide of Westernization
sweeping the rest of the island.
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