Bali's True Nature

Nature in Bali is quite unique. Separated from Java by a slim strait just 2 kilometers wide, this small islands is only a 30-minutes ferry hop from her Islamic sister, Java, but a unique Hindu aura is immediately apparent upon stepping over this quiter shores. Tough the islands is just 8 degrees south of equator and the sunlight equally scorching, life is visibly more relaxed; shadows seem cooler, voice softer, movement more gentle. It is this mood of subtle glances and slow, genuine smiles that has for centuries attracted Western tourist attentions, a mindset of time-honed Balinese traditions laced with deep respect for this small island's unpredictable nature.

Just a droplet in the archipelago's long volcanic chain, Bali hold several powerful peaks of her own. Gunung Agung (Agung Mountain), the "Abode of the Gods" or the "Mother Mountain," is the sacred summit above which islands deities reside, and it is thought of as a "navel" of Balinese culture. It was Agung that exloded in 1963, believed by the Balinese to be a sign of anger about human corupption of their beautiful Eden. This 3,142 meters peak is encircled by two mountaints equally imposing in stature and history: Gunung Penulisan to the East and GUnung Batur to the West, with serene Lake Batur spread in a smooth mirror across the sheltered valley between them. GUnung Batur erupted just six years after Agung, and today Bali still quakes with this volcano's activity. A summit of equal concern is Gunung Batukau, the peak that showered the area with flaming lava in 1994.

However, amid the lush but volatile landscape and despite her diminutive size, Bali cradles a diverse selection of flora and fauna. At first glance, is it palm (coconut trees) or Nyuh in local language, that are most striking, with 12 varieties fringing her shores. Found in setting from mangroves and monsoon forests to mountain jungles, every part of this versatile tree is interwooven into Balinese life, from leaf-braided walls and mats to miniatur basket for spirituals offerings at the temples and oil for cooking. Even the husks of the palm coconut, are multipurpose, their thick outer shredded for brooms and brushes, burned as fuel, or spread on the roof for shelter of the homes during rains.

Jepun is popular flower in Bali

All short of flowers flourish in Bali and their blooms are everywhere, for they are an integral part of Bali and their expressions of spirituals belief. Petals are placed in small baskets and burned with incense at family shrines or scattered about the streets in small offerings. Ceremonies are graced not only with colorfl costumes but by brilliant floral decorations as well, wheter dangling from long bamboo colomns or delicately tucked into the dark hair behind young dancer's ear. 

As for fauna, there was once an abiundance of large animal life in the heartland of Bali, including both elephants and tigers. Asian pachyderms were documented trampling camps arround the turn of the twentieth century; however by 1920 they had disappeared altogether. About this time, numbers of Bali tigers were dwindling quickly as well, due to accelerated hunting both for sport and for trade in the black market. THe last tiger on the island is said to have been shot in 1937 for a museum specimen, but a few more still existed outside the county at the time, own by private collectors specializing in illegal wild life trade.

Today, despite the tiger and elephant extinctions, there is still quite a variety of life within Bali's forrest. Wild deer and pig are commonly seen at the outskirts of settlements, while Banteng (bull) graze in the fields of the reserves. All in all, Bali shelters 32 types of mammals, including two civet species, a mongoose and the miniatue squirrel. The presence of primates alone can't be overlooked, with lively troops of long-tailed macaques and leaf monkey spotted easily as they frolic by the roadsides and temples.

Avifauna are amazingly varied on this small island, sith more than 300 species flitting between Bali's mountains and mangrooves-lined shores. Bali's coastal areas a natural nesting ground for wading birds as well as the hunting territory for birds of prey such as eagles and hawks, while field spicies include a selection of kingfishers, sunbirds, and shrikes. though it hasn't the bright parrots and cockatoos found east of the nearby Wallace line, Bali is the home of rare Jalak Putih (Leucopsar rothschildi), A.K.A the Rothschild's mynah or the Bali Sterling. Brilliant white with a band of azure across its eyes a spring of blue in its tail, this is currently the focus of an ongoing rehabilitation and release program centered in Bali Barat National Park.

This species stil plenty in Bali

Underwater, Bali is both colorful and tame, with coral reefs and warm currents leading to the stunning sheer drops that mark the deep Wallace Line trench, which devides the archipelago's east and west sides. While perhaps not astunning as those of Maluku or Irian Jaya, the reef and wrecks here offer a pleasant day's exploration without fear of riptides and unpredictable offshore weather that often hampers other locations. Bali's seas are also a surfer's paradise, attracting attention on an international scale. Rivers too, are now a growing source of adventure, the rapids of the Ayung with visits to Balinese temples and villages.

Always graceful and scenic, Bali's natural beauty blushes modestly in all season, the dry summer months bringing sunshine that heat the landscape in hues of yellow and brown, while jungle lushness returns with the autums rains that begin in September. Best of all, Bali's parks and wildlife are accessible year-round,a nd conditions are tame enough to make travel both entertaining and educational for anyone who ventures a visit.

Source: Adventuring In Indonesia by Holly S. Smith