Starry Balinese Nights

Starry Bali night, Paint your palette blue and grey...

Today is like any other day in Bali with the same sun zealously rising to ensure its rays will shine upon the lands of Bali and later after 12 hours of tireless hard work, it will humbly retreat in a tropical painting of colors as it did yesterday; the same countless coconut trees swaying and dancing in unison with the blow of the sea breeze, and it is also these same sea breezes that shape the face of the ocean, especially the waves by the beaches, providing the surfers with the perfect tube to glide in. But somehow there is something different about the island...

After the recent bombings back in 2002 and in 2005, Bali has been in the pursuit of greater advancement and success. With many projects and resort constructions on the way in many parts of Bali, it is not too hard to see the direction Bali has set its sights on. Despite the bombings which one would expect to deter visitors to this paradise island, Bali has come out stronger and is attracting more visitors than ever. Not to mention expatriates too. With this huge influx of foreigners there is a need to cater to the diverse demands which resulted in the massive constructions.

From resorts and villas to night clubs and shopping centers, Bali has it all or if she doesn't, she definitely will have it all in the near future. From sun rise to sun set and sun set to sun rise Bali provides fun and activities all day/night long!As for me, I was more interested in checking the nocturnal activities out in Bali as I have heard so much about it. Despite some fear of not being able to live to see tomorrow (if you were to do the math, the bombings occur every 3 years and 3 years after 2005 is 2008 – which coincidently is this year!) I gathered some courage and it was with all these hype and courage, that I visited some of these places alive at night.

The most famous of the night life would have to be at Kuta area, as one of my balinese friends says, “is the place where the hip and happening crowd hang out after sun set”. This exciting tourist area on the southern part of Bali and is also one of the most favorite place for shopping and dining and not to mention night life too. When the rest of Bali are tired and ready to get in bed for next morning, Kuta just awakes. 2 of Kuta's most renowned streets for night life are Jalan Legian and Jalan Pantai Kuta.

As the name suggest Jalan Pantai Kuta (pantai means beach in Malay) is located right by the Kuta beach with just a road separating the 2 from each other. Along Jalan Pantai Kuta there are a number of night clubs, pubs and bars to satiate the taste of any discerning night owls. When entering Jalan Pantai Kuta, it is not too hard to see Bali's very own Hard Rock Cafe. Situated right smack at the entrance of the Jalan Pantai Kuta, Hard Rock Cafe Bali is very popular among teenagers and not to mention the locals too. Here live bands are staged every night playing covers and occasionally originals from 11 pm to 2 am after which the music changes to trance and house spun by their own resident DJ. And if you're lucky enough, you get to see world renowned bands perform there, as I was, which saw me catching Click 5 live performance for just 200,000 rupiah - very cheap by Singapore standards!

If a live band is not really your cup of tea, worry not as Jalan Pantai Kuta has got many more alternatives to offer. Walking further down, you will come across a huge pool bar/beach club/relaxing lounge by the name of Ocean Beach Club! Here you can enjoy sunset on the open wood deck or lounge pool side in one of the cozy day beds savoring a glass of lychee martini. Besides the drinks, Ocean Beach Club also provides a smörgåsbord of delectable cuisine to satisfy the hunger of any empty stomach or even the full ones. Furthermore, nightly dinner shows are staged starting at 9pm and 10.30pm with amazing acrobats, mesmerzing fire dancers and beautiful show girls on stilts! Like how ocean beach like to call themselves “Las Vegas Outdoors!”

Jalan Legian on the other hand is located further inside Kuta. This whole stretch of road host a myriad of clubs, pubs, bars and bistros. Jalan Legian reminds me of Singapore's very own Clarke Quay with all the variety of night activities available there. Just that Jalan Legian is short of the river and not to mention the cleanliness too. Here you can find many clubs, some with queer names such as BOUNTY SHIP with a noisy, over-air-conditioned disco in the basement and the re-built PADDY'S not far from the original PADDY'S.

Much more "IN" nowadays is the newer M-BAR-GO which features really good music and a better crowd than most other places. Unlike all the other night clubs that plays house and trance, M-BAR-GO's rise to fame can be simply explained by the music that they play. M-BAR-GO plays R&B music and while its usually empty in the early hours of the night, it gets more crowded after the clock strikes 12. It's not free entry for locals, so do bring along your ID if you want to avoid all the hassle with the bouncers outside.

Opposite M-BAR-GO, is a posh club with nice red interior by the name of HOOK. The songs here like most clubs in Bali is House music and even though it's not really appealing to my aural senses, I paid this club a visit as one of my balinese friend invited me over to watch him spin (he's a resident DJ at HOOK). Surprisingly, I had a great time there as the company I had were fantastic.

Apart from all these clubs, there are still many more along Jalan Legian such as My Room and Sky Garden that are worth the visit as they all provide a subtle different clubbing experience. Besides Jalan Legian places such as Seminyak's Jalan Abimanyu also provides a variety of activities for the party goers. Along Jalan Abimanyu, you can find clubs such as Spy Bar, Liquid, Q BAR and Double Six. All these clubs are unique and have their own individual identity. However, don't get too carried away by the clubs here as places such as the famous KU DE TA (right on the beach adjacent to the Oberoi hotel) is a must go place. Here is a good place to see and be seen!

Of course when you come to Bali do not forget to experience the beach and water activities. Why else would you come to Bali for when, in case you have forgotten, Bali's pretty much surrounded by water and there's no limit to the amount of fun that you can have on these stuff. There's the para sailing, the flying fish, jet skiing and the ever popular surfing and also many many more. However, fun in Bali encompasses more than just fun by the beaches and therefore if you want to experience REAL fun, go check the night life out.

And just a piece of advice, most importantly and the yet very simply, be friendly and always make it a habit to smile and say hello. It requires no experience, no skill and is guaranteed to get you the respect from everyone. It's not too hard to smile to the locals there and if you're lucky you would make some friends in Bali, as I did. Along with this friendship, came along great fun and excitement. As such it was one of my most memorable holiday.

Photo Credits

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