B
ALI NEVER GETS OLD. Holidaying
families for generations have discovered time and again why this small island, lying on the eastern tip of the island of Java and west of the island of Lombok, remains magical even as the burgeoning tourist traffic reaches its fever pitch. Bali is all about wonderful choices. Holiday-bound families in particular will find Bali to be the perfect place to spend hours of intimate family bonding time at reasonable costs and magical environment. But be warned: the island’s deceptively small size does not translate to a limited list of choices for exciting activities or adventures. In fact, there are virtually every kinds of activity imaginable in Bali, most of which will easily drain a full day out of your itinerary, that you would be well-advised to carefully plan your trip. To get a taste of what a family can expect when holidaying in Bali, I decided to have a look myself and partake in some family-oriented activities.
BALI FOR EVERYONE
FIRST THINGS FIRST: HIT THE WATER! I landed in Bali in mid-morning and was taken aback to find that the temperature had already inched toward the high 20s. The sun was out in full force and was starting to fry my unprotected skin. And so I decided that a venture into Bali’s famed water sports might be a very good idea. A new and trendy full-service water sports centre in Tanjung Benoa called the Bali Jet Set Dive and Marine Sports captured my attention with its focus on fresh sports such as wakeboarding, kiteboarding, wakeskating and the latest craze from the US, sky ski hydrofoil or “air chair” (once you learn how to operate it, it’s like being on a trampoline on water). Tanjung Benoa is a popular area of Nusa Dua Beach renowned for its water sports, and throngs of tourists visit the beach daily to play on the jet ski, parasail, snorkel or simply bob around on banana boats. Upon my arrival there, I was greeted by the friendly husbandand-wife proprietor, I Nyoman and Rhonda. Rhonda quickly ferried me on a jet boat from the Benoa drop off point to Bali Jet Set’s private beach area, about 5
The Island of the Gods is so aptly named, with its lush tropical greeneries and spectacular beaches, enchanting atmosphere and equally charming locals, and virtually limitless possibilities for families to spend their holiday. Arvada Haradiran explores five attractive family venues. minutes away, complete with a brand-new building facility to tackle on some activities promised by this place. The equipments and facilities of Bali Jet Set are first-rate. By then I was itching to try my hands on parasailing, for the sky was crystal blue with little clouds and the ocean water was a sparkling green tinge. The Island of the Gods seemed to have been positively glowing on that glorious late morning, winking and nudging me to jump right through the sky; the warm
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bali
FROM TOP: Flying fish at
Tanjung Benoa; One of the attractions at Waterbom.
tropical breeze softly caressing my body. The staff operating the parasail efficiently set up my parachute. Before long, I found myself strapped in a harness and, not fully realising the speed with which the men had moved at, felt a soft tug at my core mass and….whoosh….just like that, I was airborne. The view from high up above was even more glorious. The entire island of Bali was lit up that morning. I could see faraway mountains and lush greenies. The ocean glinted a million sparkles. The air was so fresh up here. The powerful jet boat pulling the parachute and I carved the water surface for what seemed to be too short a time before heading off to the shore and dropped me off at the beach. I didn’t have much time to be disappointed for yet another exciting lift off: the Flying Fish. The Flying Fish is unique to Bali and consists of a rocketshaped rubber boat being pulled high into the air by a powerful
THIS SPRAWLING, 3.8 HECTARES COMPLEX SLICING THROUGH DENSE TROPICAL (AND CONCRETE) JUNGLE IS FILLED WITH ENOUGH DISTRACTIONS TO KEEP ENTIRE FAMILIES OCCUPIED FOR HOURS.
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jet boat. It required me to strap on nothing; all I had to do was simply lay down flat on my back on the boat and hold onto the boat’s rope. The jet boat would then take up position, rev up engine and accelerates and upon reaching sufficient speed, Geronimo! You’re lifted off onto the air. It’s somewhat odd to watch a rubber boat soaring through the air, but the feeling was regardless addictively fun. One guy latches onto the boat and acts as weight balancer for the boat. The Flying Fish should be ridden by at least two people lying on each left and right side of the boat for balance. Right after landing, I hopped right onto a powerful, 1100 cc, 4-stroke jet ski. Clutching the throttle, I rumbled slowly at first when exiting the harbour but as soon peeled away at full power, bringing the powerful machine to peak capacity. The feeling was similar to riding your own personal jet boat, the powerful engine humming beneath my legs as I twisted and turned and bobbed in that morning’s wavy surf. The next morning, I headed off to the Waterbom Bali. This sprawling, 3.8 hectares complex slicing through dense tropical (and concrete) jungle is filled with enough distractions to keep entire families occupied for hours on end without realising how fast time flies or even scatter families entirely in hot pursuit of one attractions after another. It’s small wonder: the Waterbom has 17 world-class slides, Water Blaster, Euro-Bungy Trampoline, Climbing Wall, Kiddy Park and Aquatic Playground, Island Ink (Tattoo Corner), the Wantilan Restaurant and various food stalls, various shop selling a variety of merchandises, gazebos for rent and even spa outlets for mums and dads to relax while their little ones run amok through the theme park. My personal favourite was the Climax, the newest thrill slide from Waterbom in which a small chamber with a trap door 19 meters above ground opens up and launches you
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: ATV tour at Kertha Village; Circus at the
Bali Elephant Camp; Horse riding at the Bali Elephant Camp.
without warning straight down with a 2.5 G-Force. The slide banks around and takes my body on a sharp dip before going back up and loops around, finally ejecting me for a major splashdown below. The Smash Down was also fun, the highest and fastest slide ride 25 metres above ground that will accelerate riders up to 70 kilometres per hour. For those less inclined for thrill rides, there are plenty of leisure pools. The Jungle Ride and Lazy River are two mellow rides taking swimmers through the lush tropical jungle of the park with gentle rapids, allowing time to take in the surrounding scenery and catch breath, winding through 250 metres of cascading waterfalls. The Pleasure Pool is Waterbom’s largest pool with water volleyball and swim-up Splash Bar.
LAND ADVENTURE The next day, I was looking for a more land-based activity. I singled out two companies to try my hands on these, which were A True Balinese Experience and Bali Quad Discovery Tours. A True Balinese Experience is a company that runs a variety of products including rafting, wild rafting, elephant ride (one of the group’s division company is called Bali Elephant Camp), cycling, jungle trekking, horse riding and Volkswagen safari cruise. I decided to embark on the company’s Adventure 3 in 1 just to test my mettle. This full-day adventure starts at 8 am with a pick-up from my hotel to the rafting starting point, where I registered and briefed safety procedures. At around 9, my group started to cycle with the final destination of the company’s Bali Elephant Camp. The air was refreshingly cool as we cycled through the rural countryside and sometimes woods areas. At around 9:30, we had reached the camp,
and proceeded to ride the elephant. At 9:45, I was saddled securely on the back of a powerful elephant named Mery. Good Mery shuffled and winded her way through the pristine woods, occasionally shooing away little forest monkeys looking for free food and curious village dogs. Her powerful limbs trucked along the uneven tracks, securely balancing each step with her heavy weight. My guide told me that elephants are powerful enough to pull a 3 tonne object with ease, such as in the case of freeing a stuck minivan from a mud. The elephant ride was truly a wonderful experience. After the elephant ride, we continued on cycling with the final destination of Sangeh Monkey Forest. There, we stopped for a relaxing lunch and rested before undertaking the final adventure
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bali NOTHING WARMS THE HEART AND INSTILLS COMPASSION IN CHILDREN’S HEARTS MORE THAN SEEING BABY CUBS AND ORANGUTAN BABIES UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL. that is rafting. We started rafting at around 1 pm, and the journey took us through the winding, sometimes turbulent but nonetheless extremely fun Ayung River ride on a rubber boat. The rafting experience itself is almost a spiritual journey, as we passed through some of the most stunningly beautiful sceneries of the Ayung River. Down at the river, I saw intricate stone carvings on my left and large, impressive slabs of overhanging rock cliff walls
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
Jalak Bali, famous local bird; Enjoying a meal with the lion at the Bali Safari Park’s Tsavo Lions restaurant is quite possible; Meet the orangutan at the Bali Safari Park.
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on the right. Occasional waterfalls, some with calm stream and some with fierce stream, adorn the journey. Droplets of rain-like water drip from millions of twines although the day was dry bone. Where did all of these waters come from? “The spring,” answered Leonardo, our rafting guide, “all of these waters come from the water spring high up in Kintamani.” Such hauntingly beautiful scenery. The riverside was serene, save for the constant low rumbling of the ever-flowing current. Ayung River is the longest stretch of river in the island and snakes its way through the lush jungle in a tropical paradise, along with hidden surprises along the way. “Eek,” one of the girls behind me peeped, “what’s that on the rock?” “Oh, that’s just common iguana,” Leonardo said casually, waving his hand dismissively. She did not look reassured. Very dense, absurdly green forests cover the upper part of the river. Having achieved one of my targets, the next day I came to Bali Quad Discovery Tours, which runs both All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and Buggy vehicles. The same company also runs a canyon tubing adventure, which is akin to a personal whitewater rafting sans the paddle (you steer the boat or
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“tube” with the weight of your body). The off-road camp is located in Kertha Village in Payangan, an area known for its cooler climate and mountainous range, so I knew that this was a great site to satisfy my off-roading impulses. After a short registration, I found myself sitting on a rugged ATV, powering my way through various off-road tracks, some of them quite heinous. The ATV vehicle was rudimentary, and going up and down the off-road tracks for close to two hours proved to be too much for my old bones. Kids, however, giddily screamed for their mums or dads to go faster and faster, although the possibility of toppling over a major obstacle is not entirely impossible with these four-wheeled vehicles. Having rattled off my bone enough, I made my way to a major family attraction in Bali that cannot be missed while you’re here: the Bali Safari & Marine Park, located in Gianyar kilometres 19.8. Nothing warms the heart and instills compassion in children’s hearts more than seeing baby cubs and orangutan babies up close and personal. The Safari Journey alone is fun, but at the Bali Safari and Marine Park two of the better highlights would include the elephant educational show at Kampung Gajah and the all-new Bali Agung show at the Bali Theatre. Kampung Gajah (Elephant Village) features an inspiring elephant educational show daily and elephant ride while the Bali Theatre is the park’s newest indoor mega-stage venue featuring 1,200 seating capacity with state-of-the-art audio and video facilities that makes watching the show “Bali Agung” an exceptional experience to remember. Kids’ favourite venues, however, will remain the Fun Zone & Waterpark and the Fresh Water Aquarium, where a piranha feeding attraction will draw curious young onlookers to watch the process of how a chicken will be devoured by hordes of ravenous piranhas.