My Bali

www.stephanesensey.com

Stephane, you responded to the situation in Bali by grabbing your camera and jumping on your bike to explore the island. Where did you head to and what did you find?

I came back to Bali in March after a stay in my hometown, Biarritz, by which time the health situation in Indonesia had become quite worrying. So I decided to confine myself at home in order to avoid any risks. A month later the situation had become even more uncertain, with no more tourists arriving on the island, so I decided to take the weekend off and head into the hinterland. It occurred to me I might be able to record this historic time through photography, and to my great pleasure these few days of freedom turned into an unforgettable immersion of several weeks into authentic Bali.

After some research I decided to head first to Munduk, and after a few photographic stops on the way I arrived at Sanak, a place of great charm and character. “Sanak“ means “family“ in Balinese, and the name perfectly matches the atmosphere of this place. It was to be my home for the next 15 days.

Sanak and its surroundings are the stuff of dreams for a photographer; you only need to take a few steps to chance upon scenes of great beauty. Every day I took to the surrounding roads and then paced the endless maze of small tracks in search of atmosphere that could represent the dignity of this Bali. It was an intense and unforgettable time.

The pandemic situation worsened however, so rather than return to my home in Umalas I decided to move on. I obtained a certificate of good health from Singaraja hospital and despite an accidental fall that forced me to rest for a few days I continued my journey to Sumberkima Hill Retreat, another exceptional place of great beauty which faces the ocean and the majestic Ijen volcano and is located not far from the largest national park on Bali.

This proximity to the ocean would allow me to discover a community very different from that of Munduk, since the vast majority of the populationof Sumberkima relies on the ocean for its livelihood. So after a fewdays of rest I started to explore, taking long boat trips at dawn and spending my days trekking in the hills which surround the property. For the second time in my life I fell in love with Bali and its people.

Do you think it’s easy for many people, especially those centred around the beaches, to forget or even ignore the true nature of Bali?

Bali has for several years now been confronted with mass tourism which is content to follow the arrows on the ground from arrival at the airport until departure. A few visits to highly tourist sites, an evening on the beach at Jimbaran, a stop in an oleh-oleh center … are enough for many of the tourists here. Some have even given up referring to the island as ‘Bali’ – it’s all about going to Canggu, visiting Deus to buy a T-shirt then on to La Brisa to make some selfies before heading out to Batubolong for a night of drinking and dancing. It seems to me only a small percentage of people who visit the island have any real knowledge of what Bali is about. Going forward it makes sense for me that the island should focus on this clientele, creating an authentic experience for visitors, rather than focusing on nightclubs and tattoo studios. It should be about quality not quantity.

Were people friendly towards you?

I’ve lived in Bali for more than 10 years now and I am familiar with the language and culture, and as with many places I have had the opportunity to explore I know that first contact is important – a smile and some kindness go a long way. Given this I experienced total immersion into the authentic and very friendly Bali, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank – from the bottom of my heart – all the people who were part of this adventure with me.

Did you see much evidence of poverty?

Most of the Balinese I met during this escapade in the north of Bali live from agriculture and fishing,andit is not uncommon to find a fisherman crossing the beach in themorningand then on to his piece of land in the afternoon to harvestpeppers orrice. A large portion of the people we see working in thefields are onlyemployees and are paid in kilos of rice at the end ofthe harvest, whichallows them to provide for their families. When itcomes to fishermen,it is not uncommon for them to come home with justenough fish to feedtheir own. It’s true that these men and women arenot very rich but theyshow great dignity and very often smile, eventhough they have verylittle. They deserve great respect.