A partial view of Bali
In early April, we visited Bali.
Compared to the dry climate of Perth, the moment we stepped off the plane, we could feel the humidity of the tropics. It was already midnight when we arrived, and we took the hotel shuttle to our accommodation. It wasn’t until the next day that we truly saw Bali — sun-drenched and completely exposed under the daylight.
Like a Run-down County Town #
On social media, I had seen countless beautiful, sunny photos and glowing descriptions of Bali. But once we got in a car and drove through its streets, I was struck by a sense of unexpected disparity.
Bali follows the same British-style traffic rules as Australia. The roads are narrow, usually just one lane in each direction. Cars and motorbikes share the road, creating a scene of chaos and congestion. On smaller roads — often still two-way streets — passing vehicles becomes a real test of driver skill.
Looking through the car window, the urban landscape reminded me of a run-down county town in China from 15 or 20 years ago. The houses, shops, and infrastructure along the roads startled me — I’m used to a sense of “order,” and this was far from it. To think that such a messy and dilapidated place is a top destination for vacationers was a surprise.
Walking along the street deepens this impression. Though motorbikes and cars aren’t separated, there are still sidewalks. But walking on them requires caution — you need to watch out for motorbikes brushing past. On one busy road, we didn’t dare cross for quite a while. Thankfully, a kind motorcyclist slowed down to let us pass.
The buildings along the streets were all aged — some open, some abandoned. Even under the bright tropical sun, they seemed to wear a layer of dust. Still, the lush tropical vegetation added a hint of freshness. Especially when we drove into the Ubud area — dense forests and religious statues brought a sense of history and mystery to the buildings, making me turn my head for a second look.
So no, I don’t reject Bali’s “shabbiness”. I just needed time to adjust to the gap between expectation and reality. I haven’t been to other Southeast Asian countries — only had airport layovers — but W said they’re more or less the same.
A Partial View of Bali, A Partial Journey #
No matter what, a five-day trip is, by nature, partial — geographically limited, and cognitively biased.
Just like how social media and films tend to romanticize Bali, those less-than-beautiful corners are often conveniently left out. Even we found ourselves saying that Ubud didn’t feel so chaotic at night — perhaps the chaos just faded into the shadows or got lost in the darkness beyond the lights and lenses.
At night, Ubud feels a bit like Wuzhen — or maybe Bali is a kind of Wuzhen, a place made of curated scenery. Someone on Xiaohongshu described Bali as “one giant photo studio.” Tourists wander between photo ops, capturing picture-perfect moments for their feeds — and the rest of the time, they just close their eyes.
We didn’t visit too many places. The most notable was Alas Harum Bali, famous for its terraced rice fields. You’d expect a natural landscape, but in reality, it’s more like a theme park centered on rice terraces. There’s even a massive open-mouthed head sculpture, reminiscent of Temple Run — everyone lines up to take photos.
The rest of the time, we mostly stayed in our resort hotels — one in Uluwatu, the other in Ubud. The former sits atop a seaside cliff, with a public pool overlooking the ocean, and a decent restaurant. Uluwatu felt even hotter and more humid than Ubud — just standing outside made you sweat. The Ubud resort was nestled in a rainforest, with a small stream flowing through a gorge. Our room hung over the valley — at night, the sound of running water lulled us to sleep. In the morning, I’d wake up naturally, like a plant responding to the sun.
This was our first time abandoning the “commando-style” travel itinerary, where every minute is scheduled — and instead embraced the so-called “white people vacation mode”: waking naturally, loose planning, avoiding the messy “outside,” retreating into the hotel for food, entertainment, massages, and exploration. Immersing ourselves in another kind of partiality.
Watching some young influencers dressed in vibrant outfits, striking dramatic poses like spider demons from Journey to the West, taking 30 minutes just to get a perfect shot — I couldn’t help but wonder, why does Chinese-style tourism feel like a job? Are people really enjoying their vacation?
Would I Return to Bali? #
All the downsides mentioned aside, Bali still has many upsides. For one, it’s close to Perth — just over three hours by plane, even shorter than flying to Sydney. Secondly, it’s cheap. For the same Australian dollars, you can get much more in terms of goods and services. In that sense, it’s very cost-effective.
All in all, this trip was relaxing and enjoyable. Next time, we might just pick a resort with a different vibe and continue chasing that feeling of quiet, peaceful time.
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