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Wait a minute — Bali Ha’i is not a real place!

In Rogers and Hammerstein’s 1949 musical “South Pacific,” Bali Ha’i is the mystical, elusive island that represents one’s special hopes and dreams, visible but always just out of reach.

Quoting from “South Pacific:”

“Bali Ha’i may call you
Any night, any day
In your heart, you’ll hear it call you
Come away, come away
Bali Ha’i will whisper
On the wind of the sea
Here am I, your special island
Come to me, come to me.”

How can you write a travel story about a place that doesn’t even exist?

Bali Ha’i may not exist, but Bali, Indonesia, certainly does. Indonesians describe Bali as their own “Mystical Island.”

Australians have known this for decades, and they flood Bali’s shoreline with surfers and beach-goers throughout Indonesia’s dry season (April to October).

If it is only beaches and surfing that interest you, however, Bali is a long way away from Minnesota. Most Australians can get to Bali in the same four to six hours it takes us to fly to Mexico’s popular beach resorts. Fortunately, pristine beaches are only a small part of Bali’s mystique.

Bali has been an integral part of Indonesia since their independence in 1947, yet it has always been ethnically and culturally distinct.

Balinese is their first language, and people identify themselves as much as Balinese as they do Indonesian. In the spirit of “Unity in Diversity,” everyone speaks Bahasa Indonesia as a second language, and in tourist areas, they also speak English and/or a smattering of other European and Asian languages.

Another important distinction is that while Indonesia as a whole is 80% Muslim, Bali is 80% Hindu. This manifests itself in many ways, the most striking being the profusion of Hindu temples and shrines.

Many of the shrines you see are graced daily with fresh offerings (called Canang Sari) of flowers, treats, smoldering incense and even the occasional cigarette, packed neatly onto a small straw basket. Yesterday’s offerings litter the streets throughout the island.

Every village has a temple. Every major intersection has shrines or statues invoking the favor of the Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva).

Many families live in “Heritage Compounds,” which are lush and inviting garden courtyards surrounded by communal living spaces, family temples and Hindu shrines. Typically, multiple generations live together in family compounds that may date back centuries. Elaborate stone and multi-level thatched-roof shrines are often oriented within the compound toward the street, leaving the impression that every other building in the village is a temple.

Bali Hinduism maintains subtle but important distinctions from Indian Hinduism. The emphasis on local deities and daily offerings is unique to Balinese Hinduism.

Pork is widely consumed in Balinese cuisine, while meat is widely avoided in India. The 210-day Pawukon calendar is distinct from the Indian Hindu lunar calendar. And while the caste system exists in Bali, it is significantly less rigid than in India. This is another reflection of the Indonesian philosophy of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).

Aside from the beach and Australian surfing culture, the city of Ubud is an arts and cultural center and the hub of tourism in Bali, hosting more than 3 million foreign tourists annually. Ubud features fabulous museums, shopping and many outstanding restaurants.

The Hindu tradition of cremation was on full display during our visit. Funeral ceremonies can be quite elaborate and last for days. Consistent with the Hindu belief in reincarnation, the attitude is more celebration of life than somber remembrance.

They construct elaborate, colorful, multi-tiered towers and a bull-shaped sarcophagus, which are burned to return elements of the body to the universe. There was a funeral pyre at an open-air temple across the street from our hotel that seemed to be an all-day event.

The Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud, Bali, is the most amazing city park I have ever visited. At only 30 acres in size, it is home to roughly 1,200 long-tailed macaques. It is both a temple complex and a nature reserve dedicated to conserving rare plants and animals.

The walking trail through the park winds through jungle ravines and waterfalls, past ancient moss-covered stone temples, statues and carvings, all crawling with (sometimes aggressive) monkeys. Be sure to hold on to your hat, glasses and other personal belongings, or they may be grabbed and held for ransom by a hungry monkey looking for a trade. The impression is like a cross between the Temple of Doom, Super Mario Brothers and the San Diego Zoo.

Another uniquely Balinese cultural experience (and a really unexpected treat for me) was Balinese Dance. The dancers wear brightly colored, elaborate costumes, which are quite beautiful. But what really stands out are the intense, expressive facial gestures (especially the eyes); intricate finger, shoulder, arm and head movements; and fluid footwork. Taken as a whole, the dance movements evoke the traditional Indonesian leather shadow puppets we saw in Jakarta.

The northern reaches of Bali are a delight for lovers of natural history. Lush, green terraced rice patties adorn the mountainsides. Sustenance farmers in their bamboo hats tend to the patties, planting, weeding and harvesting by hand. Harvested rice is dried and hand-threshed by women in the villages.

Lake Batur is located in a massive caldera on Mount Batur volcano in northern Bali. It is known for scenic views and trekking, as well as the isolated village of Trunyan, famous for its unique funeral rites. Instead of cremations, the dead are simply laid on the ground by an ancient banyan tree, covered by cloth and bamboo, and left to decompose. It is believed that the tree mysteriously neutralizes the odor. There was a government research team there during our visit, investigating this traditional belief.

Bali is most famous for its beautiful beaches and surfing. But Bali is so much more than that. The profusion of temples, colorful clothing, traditional dance and shrines with their daily offerings makes Bali a culturally immersive experience. Truly, it is a mystical place.  

“Here am I, your special island
Come to me, come to me.”

(Dan Keyport is a CCLN board member and former Chaska business owner, now retired. His home base for international travel has been Chaska for more than 30 years.)