We touched down in Denpasar, Bali on Thursday evening, boarded a bus from the plane and were transported to the passenger arrival area at the airport. A sign proclaimed “The Last Paradise in the World.” Benny had intended to rent a car upon arrival in Bali, but quickly discovered that there were no cars available for at least two days. We walked back and forth around the crowded airport, full of cigarette smoke, honking horns and people directing traffic with loud whistles. It sure didn't feel like paradise. We finally loaded into a car driven by an enormously cheerful man, who managed to remain cheerful during the 1 ½ hours it took us to drive the 21 km (14 miles) from the airport. In the nine days I spent with the United Indonesian Jewish Community, I calculated that I spent 21 hours in the back seat of a car. There were a few days when it felt as though we spent more time in the car than doing anything else. Car time can be quality time, especially as Benny peppers us with questions about Jewish practices, ethics, and also presents some of the issues facing his community. But at a certain point, it just ceases to be fun. I was prepared for how bad traffic would be in Jakarta. But nothing prepared me for the horrors that are to be found in Bali in the days after Christmas. I had some vague premonition during that drive from the airport, but in the days that followed, it just got worse and worse. The situation reached its climax Saturday night as we tried to get back to our villa from Seminyak. I was filled with feelings of desperation and hopelessness as we crawled a few metres at a time. I had some snacks in my bag and shared them around with the other hungry passengers, who had begun to worry that we might never get out of the car again. After more than 90 minutes, we’d traveled less than 2 km. The city of Denpasar started out as a sleepy village and has adjusted very poorly to being discovered by the world. The streets in the older parts are often too narrow for two cars to pass each other, especially with hoards of motorbikes maneuvering to get ahead. There simply aren’t enough streets or lanes on those streets to accommodate the thousands upon thousands of cars trying to drive to and from the tourist areas at this time of year. Jakarta sees itself as a big city, and I have seen improvements to the infrastructure just in the 4 years that I have been visiting. A light-rail system is under construction that should make a huge difference for residents there. But I think that Denpasar is still in denial, perhaps hoping that someday everyone will wake up and the tourists will have vanished, allowing people to move back to a simpler time. At long last, Benny found a Vietnamese noodle restaurant on the correct side of the road that offered parking. It was already 9:45 pm. The food turned out to be delicious, if rather pricey for this part of the world, and we had a lovely, relaxing time. Thankfully, by the time we had finished an hour later, the traffic had mostly cleared, and we covered the remaining 14 km in under half an hour. But our adventures for the day had not yet come to an end! As we approached the villa, the heavens opened up. We raced from the car into the house, said goodnight to each other, and David, Shelley and I headed upstairs to bed. I’d just finished brushing my teeth when David noticed enormous quantities of water flooding the upper floor from the balcony. The water flowed right into David and Shelley’s bedroom, and we began madly transferring their luggage to higher ground. Soon after, the water began pouring down the stairs. Our hosts sprang into action, plugging the leak on the balcony, bailing water onto the yard below, and pushing water out the back door. Benny’s nine-year-old son was clearly having great fun; he bailed gallons of water with a gleeful smile on his face and didn’t mind at all that his clothes were completely soaked. Everyone else seemed surprisingly cheerful, especially given the fact that it was already past midnight. At long last we collapsed into bed after a thoroughly exhausting evening. Another day in paradise. I wrote much of this draft on Sunday morning, but in the time since then, we've had a marvelous time in Bali. We've avoided the main tourist areas and the business district and have stuck to lesser known areas. It is here, off the beaten path, that the magic of Bali reveals itself. Hindu temples like the one in the photo below are everywhere, and the Hindu piety that has always captured me here is in evidence all around us. So, the last word is: do visit Bali, but try to do it sometime when tourists are at a minimum. And come for its natural beauty and lovely Hindu culture--not only to party.
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Rabbi Shoshana KaminskyI've been the rabbi of Beit Shalom Progressive Synagogue in Adelaide since 2006. As part of the Council of Progressive Rabbis of Australia, New Zealand and Asia, I'm now on my fifth trip to Indonesia to teach, pray and celebrate with the communities here. Archives
July 2022
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