More than just sun 'n' sand in detailed Bali guide<\/p>\n
By Bruce Emond<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Travel guides often fall into one of two
\ncategories. They are either weighty picture books, crammed with
\nluscious images but short on information, or seriously
\ninteresting bits of travel scholarship, fit to be thumbed through
\nand returned to long after the vacation has ended.<\/p>\n
Few authors can find a harmonious marriage of the two,
\nparticularly when it comes to a daunting subject like Bali. Feted
\nand sacrificed on the altar of every anthropologist wishing to
\nhead out to sample its legendary charms, the island has been
\npicked apart and analyzed to no end.<\/p>\n
Somber warnings that the real Bali is on the way out, its
\nbeauty trashed by the legions of package tourists setting up camp
\non the beaches and the attendant \"massage, mister\" sullying of
\nBalinese ways, have been made for years. Still, the flock of
\nvisitors, not just the Kuta crowd with its uniform of tie-dyes
\nand beads, keeps coming back.<\/p>\n
Bali -- A Traveller's Companion is a richly illustrated mine
\nof information about what the famed \"island of the gods\" has to
\noffer. First published in 1995, but making its debut in 2000 in a
\nlarge-format edition, it covers almost every base, plus a few
\nthat would not concern those travelers only interested in taking
\nin a little sun and sand on the island's famed beaches.<\/p>\n
Its 16 sections examine flora and fauna, the island's history,
\narts and traditions, architecture, Bali as viewed by painters and
\nwriters and the sights to be taken in around the island -- Ubud
\nand its surroundings, Batur, East Bali, North, \"the wild west\"
\n(West Bali National Park and Menjangan island) and South Bali.<\/p>\n
Style<\/p>\n
It is set out in a simple style of several illustrations and
\nphotographs, with concise explanatory text, on each page. A guide
\nat the front of the book helpfully explains the various symbols
\nused at the top of each page to classify the subject under one of
\nfour parts: Natural environment, understanding Bali, itineraries
\nand practical information.<\/p>\n
There are also cross-references, and a star symbol signifies
\nthat a particular site has been singled out by the editors for
\nits special beauty, atmosphere or cultural interest.<\/p>\n
With such a format, there is always the risk of the pages
\nappearing \"busy\", overloaded with too many images. However, the
\ndesign works in Companion. For examples, the page on \"rites of
\npassage\" provides brief but well-written and interesting
\nparagraphs on infant gods, reincarnation, tooth filing and the
\ncremation ceremony, the latter broken down into sections on the
\nsarcophagus, \"collecting the ashes\" and \"returning home\".<\/p>\n
The book takes the reader off the beaten path of places to
\nvisit on the island, explaining that \"there is no such thing as a
\nsingle 'real Bali' ... but the first time you leave the beaches
\nof Sanur and Kuta behind and turn off the bypass and Tohpati onto
\nthe busy road toward Gianyar, it is easy to feel that you are
\nentering a different and more entrancing Bali\".<\/p>\n
The sections on artists and writers put the island in a
\nfascinating historical perspective. The views of the writers, in
\nparticular, provide a curious window into how much has changed,
\nand remained the same, in Western views of Bali (there is a
\nseparate section about the perspectives of Indonesian writers).<\/p>\n
The comprehensive quality of the work is understandable from
\nthe stellar lineup of editors and writers. They include Adrian
\nVickers, who wrote the section on Balinese history and coauthored
\nthe chapter on writers, and Made Wijaya, himself a famed
\narchitect who penned the section on the island's distinctive
\narchitecture. Rio Helmi, the photographer, is responsible for
\nmost of the stunning images.<\/p>\n
It is plainly evident that the team knows the island's ins and
\nouts from firsthand experience. Yet the book's great attention to
\ndetail and exploration of many aspects of Balinese life
\nundetected by visitors only passing through make it much more
\nthan a travel guide (by its very size, it is more suited to be
\nplaced on a coffee table than squeezed into a large knapsack for
\ntravel).<\/p>\n
The book is marred somewhat by the inclusion of advertisements
\nfor hotels, restaurants, golf clubs, spas and even a brand of
\nmineral water. Still, it is an excusable failing when it is more
\nthan made up for by the excellence of the rest of the book.<\/p>\n
Bali -- A Traveller's Companion is probably not for tourists
\nwhose interest in Bali is limited to a brief stopover for a
\nlittle bit of R & R. Their needs are amply provided for in the
\nmany other guides on Indonesia and Bali itself. The same is true
\nof those earnest visitors who want to plumb the soul of the
\nisland to find out if its cultural greatness is headed into
\noblivion.<\/p>\n
The book is more suitable for longtime expatriate residents of
\nIndonesia and those who have developed an enduring love affair
\nwith the island. With its considerable treasure of information,
\nBali -- A Traveller's Companion is bound to provide something new
\nof interest to readers already familiar with its attractions.
\nThey are likely to discover something new to whet their appetites
\nfor another trip down Bali way.<\/p>",
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