Bali, a tourist attraction fabled for its uncontaminated culture which it has preserved through countless years. Myriads of tourists flood through the narrow streets to experience the extraordinary and unique culture, a contrast to their commercial life. At every turn of a street, a traditional village can be found. Organic clumps of damp moss coat the ancient blocks of stone, which formed the cornerstone of these rural villages. Roads glisten at the tranquill daybreak, creating a euphoric sense of paradise. This was a place that we had to visit. And so we did.

After a tedious day of travelling, I arrived in Bali on Wednesday evening. Since my soul was fatigued during the endless hours of flight, all I desired was to breathe a lungful of fresh air. We punctually met with our tour guide, Wayang, who drove us to our hotel in Ubud. During the ride, I could not see much, as the night casted a thick blanket over the city, but with the faint glimmer of lights from shops and restaurants, I could see the outlined silhouette of the place. Many luxury shops coexisted with traditional batik outlets in a harmonious manner. In my opinion, the overall outlook of this place did resemble the thin roads that weaved and criss-crossed through each other in my hometown,although there were still numerous differences that were visible to me. For instance, there were only small, stubby buildings in sight, compared to my hometown of Penang, which in contrast proffers some lofty buildings. There were also many more tourists who packed together, scuttling hither and thither through every street corner.

A short while after, the atmosphere changed completely into tranquil, unperturbed farmland. Flooded paddy fields, typical of this area, stretched out everywhere, and beside them yet more villages lived in harmony with the flora surrounding them. The vast fields of rice all whistled to the faint gust of wind, creating a melodic chorus that drowned all my worries and desires. There were no lights that strained to battle the dark with their radiance, only the faint iridescent moon peacefully glimmering.

Promptly we arrived at our stay where we would settle for the night. Even though a great veil of fatigue was cast over us, my dad insisted on finding a place to eat and ‘wind down’. Personally, I prefered ending the day here. In the end, we decided to set out into the foreign yet peaceful night of Ubud, as we embarked on a small quest for a suitable restaurant. During our aimless walk into the vast night, cicadas could be heard, hidden in the depths of the deep, discreet groves which grew beside the road that we walked on. They hummed their unwavering tune in unison, a reverberation which travelled through the night, and drowned out all other faint noises. I looked up, and saw the dark, transparent night which, although pitch black, wore a bright radiance which tantalised me through its pristine lucidity.

In less than a few minutes, we stumbled across a trustworthy restaurant that seemed suitable to dine at. The place was partially made out of ancient wood, which had little varnish, exhibiting the nooks and crevices which weaved its way through the plank, creating a web-like structure. We ate our fill, and I chugged a whole glass of watermelon juice, which instantly replenished my dry and arid mouth. Before leaving, we discussed our first impressions and thoughts of Bali: the diversity in landscape contrasted from our expectations and the ornate detail of temples we found outstanding. My father commented on his sudden attachment to Ubud, and that he didn’t want to leave this place, although we had just arrived and not seen much.

Before we went back to the hotel, we still had a few things to purchase, as we had not fully settled. We went to a shop that neighboured our hotel, and bought a few chargers there. The place was brightly lit, and sold products for a miniscule price. As we exited the stall, I spotted a stone carving nearby depicting the laughing Buddha (Budai). I could see a thin layer of moss which coated the sculpture that reflected off the light of the shop; as we walked back, I saw the statue staring at me with omnipotent grandeur, a wide smile covering his face.