How to do Bali without bogans
There’s much more to this Indonesian paradise than Aussies running amok, from beach clubs to yoga retreats, surf spots and lush forests
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I’m sitting in a bar on the main drag in Canggu. It’s one of those classic high-seat, wooden top fronts, fittingly named The Beach, where you can sit and watch the world go by. Soft house music is playing. I’m not familiar with the song but it has shades of Daft Punk’s iconic Get Lucky. One of those foot-tapping beats that also makes your shoulders swing.
For me, I know I’m overseas when I’m content just to sit, often sip, and do nothing.
There’s a young Italian couple sucking on cigarettes like they’re sponsored by Marlboro. They’re getting stuck into bloody Marys in front of me while behind is what appears to be a group of German tourists playing pool.
Short-sleeve button-ups are the go here, with Birkenstocks or sandshoes.
It’s just shy of 4pm on a Monday. I’ve been here since 11am local time and I’m yet to see a Bintang singlet in sight. Unlike most Australians, my first trip to Bali wasn’t until my 30s, not the rite of passage as many 20-somethings do. Had I known what I do now, I would have rocked up a decade ago.
We’re into the first of the three days we’ll spend in Canggu and there’s something different about this beachside paradise.
I was told two things about Canggu prior to my arrival here. Expect to see influencers and Russian models. Both things are true.
From my bar seat I’m noticing a vast array of nationalities cruising by.
Aussies old and young are frequent, but they’re not of the classic bogan variety. In my experience they’re more commonly found in Kuta, Legian or Seminyak.
Canggu, in my eyes, has emerged as a new go-to town for those wanting the best beaches, the best beach clubs and the best hotels but without the chaos provided by some of those singlet-wearing yahoos.
We’re staying at the Aston Canggu, a sprawling high-rise with beach views to die for only a stone’s throw from the water. It has a bar downstairs and a rooftop restaurant complete with a pool, truly magnificent.
One thing you notice immediately about Balinese hospitality staff is how naturally friendly they are. It’s all smiles, they’re genuinely glad to have tourists visit their haven, gainfully glad for the employment after the crushing pandemic.
After the porter showed us to our rooms we’re treated to dinner, and in the morning shown how to cook traditional Balinese food – from fish soup to chicken skewers, steamed corn rice and stir fried beef. We learn about the basic ingredients that form a staple for Balinese meals and are shown how charcoaled coconut can be used for barbecue cooking.
During our stay on the beachside of Bali we are taken on a sunset tour of the Uluwatu temples finished with a wondrous Kecak fire and dance show.
The traditional show is truly captivating with the dancers donning stunning, colourful outfits and timed to finish as the sun sets – unfortunately for us Mother Nature had other ideas as clouds gathered overhead.
You can’t do Canggu without visiting one of its famous beach clubs. From Finns, to the newly opened Atlas, they’re unlike anything in Australia. You’ll pay Australian prices for drinks but with the service and the views on offer from the daybeds it feels a bargain.
But this isn’t all Bali has to offer. Just hours north lies Ubud, quite the opposite of Bali’s popular beach havens.
The hustle and bustle of Bali’s main centres feels like a different country compared to quiet and tranquil Ubud, home to monkeys, yoga and health gurus.
Our hotel, the magnificent Royal Kamuela Villas, in Ubud’s cultural hub, has many of these furry creatures roaming about. We are warned on arrival to keep all doors and windows closed, to ward off any unwanted intruder. For good reason. The monkeys, while cute, are everywhere.
You can see them walking through the hotel, flying from rooftop to rooftop, along power lines and cheekily trying to steal from unwitting punters. Talk about being up close with nature. So long as you don’t look them in their eyes you could watch them for hours.
Staying on this subject, if you have time away from the yoga mat the Monkey Forest is a must do of Ubud. Strolling through the forest seeing the monkeys play fighting, chasing one another around, even using rocks as tools is a sight in itself. They can pose for photos for a relatively small fee to their handlers.
The temperature is cooler here, it feels like you’re deep within the jungle.
Tranquillity is the name of the game here in Ubud, from the Pura Tirta Empul (water temple) where we are blessed and dunked in cool waters to the Don Antonio Blanco Museum (art gallery) where we are greeted by tropical birds including parrots and macaws.
On our last day we are taken to a pottery and paint class in the heart of Ubud. I chose the latter and found myself mesmerised for a full 90 minutes focusing on the task at hand.
The pottery class upstairs seemed a bit more manic, be it the messy nature of getting one’s hands dirty or the leg speed required to work the machine. We all leave satisfied and, for me, with two newly painted pots. It’s now the last remaining hours before we head to the airport and home.
We’ve come into Kuta for a last minute shopping trip and a stroll around.
Within two minutes I’ve seen four Australians in Bintang singlets, Bintang bucket hats and, you betcha, double parked with Bintang stubbies at 2pm. Talk about vindication.
For me, I’m convinced, if you want to do Bali without being swamped by bogans, head to Canggu or head to the jungle.
The writer was a guest of AirAsia and Archipelago International
AirAsia
AirAsia has evolved into a full-fledged travel super app and become one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing travel platforms offering flights from more than 700 airlines, more than 900,000 ride-hailing services globally and more.
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