Quest for the Black Sand Beach (Bali Part 2)

And so the adventure continues. We left our hero falling asleep on the drive from Kintamani to his next beach destination. (Read Part 1 if you haven't)


Padang Bai

Padang Bai is a fishing and Scuba village on the Southeastern coast of Bali. An interesting choice of location for me, as the village is used mostly as a pitstop for people traveling to Lombok and the Gili Islands, and for Scuba Divers. As I was neither, I got a chance to enjoy the quiet village, and the nearby beaches. It was the only city where I stayed two nights in and the quiet nature of the area allowed me to catch up on sleep and relaxation that I had been in need of for some time, especially right after my volcano trek.

One of my biggest adventures here, was the search for the Black Sand Beach.

I would first like to preface this adventure with this-- There are a number of black sand beaches in Bali that are A: Not in the region I went to, and B: Much easier to get to. If you are looking for one, I'd recommend West Bali or North Eastern Bali (Near Lovina or Amed). However, rumor on many of the travel sites that I went to, is that there are a few EXCELLENT beaches on Bali, both white sand and black sand, that have avoided heavy traffic. The have avoided the eye of tourists and remain local secrets by being either hard to get to or not directions not being publicized. These beaches are legendary and, if their secrets are kept, beautifully perfect for anyone who takes the time to look for them. Soka beach is one of such beaches somewhere along the Southwest coast that is now becoming less of a secret to exploring tourists, though still directions and exact locations remain relatively secretive.

So I will do my best to preserve what I found. Especially because there are not many black sand beaches in the Padang Bai area and it was quite the gem. I had heard that this relatively hidden beach was one of the best black sand beaches in Bali, but there was very little information, except for another blog that I found like this, describing their search for it.

I started my adventure by asking some locals in Padang Bai who ran restaurants and travel services. When I asked directions for "Black Sand Beach" (I don't think it has a name, it's just called "Black Sand Beach") many said, "You mean, White Sand Beach?". "White Sand Beach" used to be called "Hidden Beach", also known as Bias Tugal, it was once one of the more secretive beaches, a small cove that took an uphill hike and then a steep drop to get too. Now it is on many maps and decently trafficked. However, while I did visit this beach (it was pretty nice, though I think there are better white sand beaches on the island, if you are going, try to find a hidden one), I had my eyes set on the black sand.

Finally, one of the locals I talked to said he knew it and was willing to point me in the right direction. However, he decided to point West. Past White Sand Beach. Somewhere. And with that descriptive knowledge, I walked. After the first two hills and a little trailblazing, I started to regret my choice of flip flops, especially because of a few friendly snakes I encountered. But I trekked on. Using a few slightly overgrown paths, I found a road, and followed it past a few houses and up another hill. I won't put the exact location on here, but while it's quite a trek, it's not too hard to get to if you know where you're going which I now do. Message me if you are ever interested.

But after long last, I came up over the hill and saw it spralled out before me.

With a beach so big that I could see much of the Southeastern coastline, I'm not sure how it has remained a secret to tourists. When I arrived, there was one local fisherman on the beach holding a line in the waves and picking up little scraps of trash that washed up on shore. He grinned when he saw me stumble down the steep slope and onto the beach. Walking over to me he smiled and told me to walk near the water so that the waves would wash away my footprints. The beach was clear and pristine, black sand is truly something to see and I highly recommend a visit. It gives the beach this clear, untouched look.

Walking farther along as the sun went down, some locals came out from their homes nearby to eat near the beach. I walked over to a group of kids who came out to play soccer in the sand and had a great conversation with their teacher. They all looked amused to see a foreigner on the beach.

The beach was large enough that while some locals did come out to eat, play, and fly kites, there were stretches of the beach where I couldn't see anyone from where I walked. It was a huge highlight from the trip and my favorite beach in the world so far. If you go to Bali, don't just settle for the popular beaches, though they are nice, I recommend you at least look for one hidden one, it could make your trip.


Kuta

Finally, my trip came to an end with a night in Kuta, which is relatively near the airport and in the heavily touristed Southern part of Bali. I wanted a place that I could stay before my flight and also to experience what Bali was like in the heavily touristed areas. In my opinion, it didn't feel like the Bali I had come to know and love. Kuta reminded me a lot of other over-established, over-touristed areas of Southeast Asia (like downtown Phuket, but worse). Not to say that this is particularly a bad thing (especially if you like Magic Mushrooms, not my thing, but there are advertisements everywhere), Kuta is a great vacation spot, and excellent for tourists. Many shops and restaurants, and GREAT beaches, the region didn't get heavily trafficked for no reason. The hotels are great, and I actually welcomed the established nature of the place after my days of travel.

I caved and went to the Hard Rock Cafe. Don't judge me! I had to, I've been to them all over the US and now all over the world. Plus, I had a need for some really intense Western food, and a 10 ounce burger and a milkshake was perfect. I could actually go for another right now. The Hard Rock Cafe also has a resort attached to it that has very high ratings, as well as the number one family resort award on trip advisor. If you are coming with children, sticking to the touristed South may be a good idea and this hotel comes highly recommended.

While there are many beaches and sights to see in South Bali, I stuck to the beach and the restaurants and actually didn't get a chance to head out to other hot spots in the area. If I ever go back, I will hopefully check some of them out. Bali is one of those places where everyone who goes wants to go back, and there's no way you can see it all in one visit.


Well, there's much more I could say about the island; whether it's the technical stuff like the visa on arrival, or the subtleties like the extensive number of traffic weaving motorcycles throughout the island. But, I think I'll stop here, I've written a short novel, and I really should focus that effort on studying for my last final (or actually writing for my novel).

I have my last final coming up and I will be flying home again in 2 weeks. As my time here draws to a close, really all I have left is my birthday, this final, and then hopefully another trip where I hope to climb an actively erupting volcano if I can get the permits and the paperwork cleared in time. I'll keep you posted! It's crazy to think that my time in Asia has almost come to a close now, but I feel ready to come home. Exciting things to come, and I look forward to sharing my deep inner thoughts and beach adventures with you.

Let me know if you have any questions about Bali in the comments below, I'd love to talk about it more! Until next time!

Volcanoes and Good Coffee, what more do you need? (Bali Part 1)

Landing in Bali was an instant breath of fresh air (very warm fresh air) the second I stepped out of the airport. Feeling the weight of a stressful and high blood pressured Singapore and Presentation Week, reaching the island paradise was exactly what I needed. The people of Bali and the atmosphere were what struck me the most. While the island has embraced it's high tourism, it has managed to not succumb to many downsides that I've noticed in other places; the people are extremely friendly, not too pushy in my experience (especially compared to Thailand), and very accommodating to tourists. Even while chatting with my drivers about life and Bali as they politely honked their way through the busy streets (yes, polite honking is a thing apparently), I could see a different attitude among the people who interacted with tourists. It was refreshing.

And despite it's high tourism traffic, it wasn't difficult for me to find the less traveled areas of Bali in an attempt to get a taste for what all the island had to offer other than beaches and resorts (which are fabulous, don't get me wrong).

My Bali vacation has easily been one of the top highlights of my time abroad so far, and the bottom line to all of this is: GO! Bali is very diverse and will provide whatever kind of getaway you are looking for. I made it a point to see as much of Bali as I could in my short visit, and like most people who visit, I want to go back! There's so much of the island I didn't see, even though I spent my 6 days in 4 different regions of Bali. This will be a longer post, so I will split this into two parts; the first covering the first 3 days in Ubud and Kintamani, and the second covering the last 3 days in Padang Bai and Kuta. So let's get started!

Ubud

My first stop was the Biyukukung Suites in Ubud, a nice little accommodation in the heart of Ubud and nestled among a few rice paddies. Relatively cheap, but with great service and actually one of the better rooms that I stayed in over my trip. I had a wonderful conversation with the owner of the hotel for a good hour; discussing Singapore, America, Obama, world traveling, and life. Surprisingly wise words and a very friendly man, I highly recommend his place!

Ubud is a great center for arts and food. Hundreds of craft shops and cafes line the streets, and with it's central location in Bali, many stay here and schedule tours and travel to other parts of the island. I can't exactly share what my main reason was for coming to Ubud, as it involves a gift for someone who will read this, which I'm trying to keep a surprise. But, I will hopefully mention it in a future post, and if you have any questions, just message me. But if you find yourself asking "Huh, I wonder if I should do this thing in Ubud that looks pretty cool and is highly rated?" Do it. It's cool.

Aside from my secretive motives, I was also coming to try one of the highest rated coffee shops in Bali, and as someone who loves coffee and lives in Seattle: Wow. Easily some of the best coffe I've had. (and the iced coffee with a martini shaker? So smart, why haven't I thought of doing that?) In fact, when you're this close to Java, it was hard to have bad coffee in Bali, but this place took the cake for not only coffee, but atmosphere and style. It reminded me a lot of cafes in Bellingham or Seattle, just with crazy good coffee. (no hate, Northwest Washington, I miss your coffee, but this stuff was excellent)

(Best Coffee in a Jar I've ever had)

After a day in Ubud, I headed over to the Kintamani region. To travel in Bali, many use scooters or motorcycles. There are shuttle buses available, but run only once or twice a day at times that were not good for me (specifically early morning. I consider 9am early.) Bicycles can be used for shorter distances, but as I was covering most of the Eastern half of the island and I can't drive a motorcycle, I stuck to taxis and chartered transports. Compared to Singapore, taxis are very cheap, use the blue ones if you go. Private charter is what I used for most of my travels and it was very easy to find in all of my hotels and cities. It was also easier for me to schedule them when I wanted and while I had to pay another 10 or 20 dollars more at times, it was worth it for me.

In fact, while on my drive from Ubud to Kintamani, my driver took me to a great coffee shop where I got to try Kopi Luwak. It was great, even though I was very skeptical at first, wikipedia it and you'll see why. My driver no doubt got compensated by the company to take me to these places but in the end what does it matter. He even helped me schedule my climb in Kintamani, which was the main reason I traveled to that region.


Kintamani

I came for the volcano. As most who visit this region do, Mt. Batur is hard to miss here; it's the most active volcano on the island and one of the best climbs next to Mt. Agung (which takes multiple days and was unfortunately closed during April. Highest mountain in Bali though). There are a lot of issues on travel sites with climbing Mt. Batur, as you are forced to pay for a guide. The mountain trek is monopolized by one guide company who has grown accustomed to physically forcing trekkers to pay outrageously high prices for a guide. Some try without and their interactions with the agency and the guides can be borderline violent and ruin the trip, which I wanted to avoid. As it was something I really wanted to do, I was ok with the price (I paid close to $60 USD, which seemed about the average for my group, but I heard of people who got everywhere from $30 to $90). If you come expecting to be over charged, it really won't be an issue, and the currency exchange rate really helps put a damper on financial woes here.

I didn't let petty scams ruin the trip, and in my opinion the experience was well worth the money. My climbing group was made of 3 other travelers, we all met on the trip (except for two who met in another part of Bali) and together, we all came from 4 different continents, which was very interesting. Meeting people can be the best part of traveling and conversation was excellent between all of us and our guide, a local college student, was very friendly. We started our trip at 3am and climbed for 3 and a half hours to reach the summit by sunrise, and what a sunrise it was. The view was gorgeous and lent to many excellent pictures (I'll restrain myself to two, but there's more on Facebook). What was exciting to me was that not only did it provide an excellent view of the island, but you could see the coastlines of the entire Eastern half of Bali from that height, as well as Mt. Rinjani on the neighboring island. To add to the view of the neighboring islands and ocean was an excellent view of Mt. Agung and the scorched earth near Batur which was stained black from past eruptions. It was well worth the early morning and the hike. Not too difficult a climb, especially if you've had experience trekking or summiting before, though if I had climbed the mountain in the heat of the day, I might have had a little trouble.

(Just before Sunrise, Lake Batur and behind the near mountain you can see the top of Agung)

(Obligatory Sunrise photo, in the distance on the horizon line you can see Mt. Rinjani faintly)

Climbing Mt. Batur was easily one of the biggest highlights for my trip and got me even more excited about hopefully climbing more mountains and volcanos in the region. I stayed the night at Lakeview Hotel on the lake near the mountain, which boasted excellent views as well and afterwards headed off to the small coastal village of Padang Bai and the second half of my Bali vacation.

To be continued...

Ah, It Feels Good to be Back to the Normal, Unrelated Titles

Well hello there. I'd like to start off by saying thanks for putting up with that long essay that I posted, I actually got some great feedback and conversation from that. And thank you to the two readers who check my blog every day, even when I don't announce that I post, it's very sweet. (Mom and Dad, stop using Internet Explorer, I can track what browser you use) (Also to the people using safari... stop... even the iPhone has a Google Chrome app, you have no excuse)

Anyway, I digress. I promise I won't judge you on your browser choice.

Another week survived. It was touch and go with a few of the projects and presentations that were due this week, but with a little bit of the Team America Theme Song, I was able to pull through. (I mean I was called smartest person in the class by the professor. I'm not bragging or anything, I'm just saying what happened) (Marketing group, don't ruin this for me, let me have my moment) But despite all the school work, I took the time to reward myself a little this weekend before heading back into the fray of final projects and presentations.

This weekend was filled with great music. Friday night was spent at the Sultan Jazz Club. A wonderful little hole in the wall where I got to revive my love for jazz and relax after a very stressful week. Seriously, I miss jazz a lot, probably one of the only times in about 2 years that I've really missed improv jazz on my saxophone back home. It was a tribute night to the songs of Nina Simone, and I fan-girl yelled in the coolest, manliest way possible when the first few notes of "Feeling Good" came out of what really was a great jazz group. If you're not familiar with the song, google it, it's one of my favorites. (Yes, even if it is "mainstream" and Michael Buble did a cover of it, be quiet jazz hipsters, let me have my moment)

(Great atmosphere, Great crowd, Great Group)

The venue and the group were just what I needed after a long week and I had a wonderful night. I recommend this if you are a jazz fan and in Singapore. Which, I mean, is very unlikely that you are and reading this, but hey, who knows.

The following evening in my musical adventure of a weekend, I flipped to the opposite spectrum for a very different concert. I took a trip to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and even if you aren't into classical music, or symphonies, the Esplanade is a beautiful place to visit while in Singapore. The mall, the food and park area, as well as the indoor and outdoor theaters are great. The Esplanade concert hall is the location for the top performances in the country and is quite a beautiful building inside and out.

(It's the one that "Looks like Epcot at Disney" as my Dad said while my family was visiting)

The concert itself was great, and I had a wonderful time. But I mean, I'm into that kind of stuff. Great collection of pieces surrounding Turkish themes and colors. The program was mostly Mozart, but had a piece by Beethoven and one by Haydn. I do not remember the conductors name, though he was a very charming and reputable man I'm sure. (And yes, I'm too lazy to reach over and look at my program that I still have) However, the Violin Soloist I do remember. Jennifer Pike was phenomenal and after her performance in Mozart's concerto, and after a lot of applause, she graced us with a beautiful performance of "Partita No. 3" by Bach. Which I think she may have taken a few clicks to fast, but I mean hey, it was even more impressive that she played it impeccably. Easily one of the highlights for me, great violinist.

It was fun to change pace from a chill jazz club, where hooting and yelling in the middle of a song was encouraged, to a symphony hall where there were rules about applause. (Rules that always one person forgets, I mean come on, stop clapping in between the movements, his hands were still up and everything) But all in all, it was a great weekend. (Oooh, was that a little too 5-paragraph-essay-conclusion-sentence from elementary school? I think it was. Was I the only one who had to underline things like that in colored pencil?)

(My view before the concert began)

Thank you non-music people for enduring my slight nerd session over jazz and classical pieces. I promise I'll get back to more beaches and travels soon so you aren't bogged down by classical analysis and long essays on cultural differentiations. (Could have said differences, chose differentiations. Not sure why. Or if it's grammatically correct) In fact, I am just finishing up my reservations for my excursion across the island of Bali. I'll be traveling to 4 cities over the span of 6 days on the island, and I'm leaving next Sunday. Hopefully I'll get another post off before then, but we'll see.

It's crazy to think that I'm going into my last week of classes here. While I feel ready to go home, this has been quite an experience, and something that I've learned a lot from. As my birthday approaches and my time in Asia draws closer to an end, I hope that you'll indulge my sentimental-philosophical-inward-thinking-over-adjectived posts about life and crap like that. I might mix a few in there, in between the tropical islands and volcanoes. (Plus I have to figure out if I should keep blogging or not, but I mean, that's a whole different topic) But that might be jumping to conclusions a little too quickly, for now, I will continue to procrastinate on my studying and plan which beaches I'm going to lay down on.

Until next time!

Western vs. Eastern Education and a Sourced Excuse for Why I’m Failing Finance

Preview of what will hopefully/eventually be sent to the Foster website for publication. I'll post the link here when that happens. I think it still needs edits, but for now, enjoy my thought provoking, opinionated article. There are no pictures, I'm sorry, your normal programming will return next weekend.

Ok, so I’m not “failing” Finance per say, C’s get degrees as they say, but I know I’m not alone in looking at my own grades with an extremely critical eye. Many of us students spend our days and nights stressing and pulling our hair out over a number typically below 4 that we have deemed to be “a measurement of our future success and self worth as a student”. Recent trends in American Education and Societal values that I have experienced involve a high focus on grades. Before I left to study for half a year in Singapore, I heard more than once from people back home say, when talking about education on an international level, “Well, the rest of the world, like Asia, is getting smarter than us and we need to revamp the education system and get smarter so we can keep up!” (I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea) This talk is being echoed in American Congress, most recently brought up over the proposition for universal preschool education, as presented by Obama. And while I do agree with the whole “revamp” part of this statement, there is something we need to keep in mind. What is our definition of “smart”?

Years and years of public school have trained me to start off the second paragraph with a quote from Miriam-Webster, stating the “dictionary definition of smart”. But I’m not going to do that. I Googled “Intelligence” instead. And what I found was insanely vague, something about learning and stuff. But it doesn’t really matter what a dictionary says about intelligence and learning, because it is defined differently across the world. A brilliant book that I recently read excerpts from (I’m not going to lie and say I read it all) written by Jin Li titled Cultural Foundations of Learning: East and West, has some great insight on how the two cultures view education and the learning process very differently. (There’s a great NY Times article on the book if you’re looking for a quick summary, Google “The Learning Virtues”)

Jin Li says that Westerners define learning in a cognitive focus; learning is what you do to “understand and master the external world”. Easterners on the other hand take a moral focus and “see learning as an arduous process you undertake in order to cultivate virtues inside the self”. In elaboration, Westerners approach material with active learning and curiosity over certain subject matters. The Western concept of the “Eureka!” moment where you gain sudden understanding is very different from Eastern ideas of the arduous and ongoing process of understanding. Easterners tend to focus on the learning process itself as a source of virtue and morality alongside “intellectual” materials.

But if I learned anything from B CMU 301, it’s that personal experience provides much better ethos than quoting someone else. I am currently in Singapore studying for a semester, and with Singapore being a strange influx of Western themes into a very Eastern culture, I’ve seen this cross-cultural education focus create some interesting situations. For example: my Finance grade.

First off, for those who aren’t aware, I was surprised to see just how much Eastern students study. It was frightening at first, and while I used to love the curve (it carried me through Financial Accounting) now it has become a thing that I fear greatly. But after talking to some students here, they say they study not because they need to understand the material, but because it is a part of the time and effort commitment they have made to the class and the learning process. Which is a lot different from why I study.

Furthermore to explain our different mentalities; one day in Finance the professor mentioned that our next exam would have more long response questions as opposed to quantitative problems. This was met with a small cheer from the Western students that was drowned out in a sea of sighs from the Eastern students. After some discussion, we found that most of the Western students felt much more comfortable with essay questions and short answer problems that focus on cognition and application of big ideas and problem solving. In contrast, the Eastern students were much more inclined to formulaic and qualitative questions that relied on strong base knowledge and memorization. Pulling us back on track to our coursework, the TA then asked what the difference was between public stocks and bonds. For those who don’t know, there are a lot of differences that you could say. The interesting thing is that the Eastern students jumped to the formulaic differences and the taxation details, where as the Western students focused on the different impacts they had on both the company and the shareholder. The trend showed up again: formulaic vs. cognitive.

While most of these observations are solely meant to be thought provoking, they do not hold a political or cultural inner message or preference. And while I believe no one person who reads this is ever going to be in a position to alter the course of American Education, there are a few take-away points that I'd like to mention just to get those wheels turning as you go through your life. And I’m not above standing on a small internet soapbox to preach an opinion that, while not universally correct, has important themes that we should focus on when thinking about education; being it that of ourselves or others.

Take-away Number One: If you are planning to study abroad cross-culturally either way, keep this in mind throughout your studies and your time there. It’s great to learn another way to approach education and I’ve learned a lot while I’m here. And while this observation isn’t universally constant, it is widespread that you may run into it and it could cause problems if you are not ready for it.

Take-away Number Two: Take a class that involves creativity! Or please, engineers doodle in your notebook or something (Take that creative design class, I hear its good). I’m a little biased as a marketing/writing/music focus, but I’m telling you that a creative outlet of some kind can help you a lot in your learning process. Plus it can lower the stress level that we all face when struggling to keep up that all-important-but-not-actually-life-threatening GPA. And for the love of all that is holy, stop cutting arts programs from high school schedules. (Or college for that matter) Do me a personal favor and take an art class or something. I don’t care if you or your parents think it’s a waste of time, at least doodle in that Accounting book before you keel over out of sheer boredom. (Come on, even you accounting majors can’t think its that interesting)

Take-away Number Three: The last take-away is the most important, and has to deal specifically with business. Western students and business leaders should focus less on trying to play ball in another culture’s court. Asia’s high educational dedication and standards should not be this new bar that we have to reach. It’s a cultural difference that has existed long before we ever realized it in the current generations. American business students, I want to talk to you for a second. (Sorry everyone else, I love you all the same)

Business Week posted on their website a list of the “100 most globally recognized brands”. These represent the top companies of the world that have projected their ideas globally into all cultures. One of the most prudent trends that I found in their data was that 51% of these companies were based in the US. 51%. Out of the entire world, America houses more globally recognized brands than all other countries combined. I see this number and I wonder; why are we trying to compete in a game of test scores when we boast some of the most innovative and entrepreneurial minds in the world today? Rather than focus on boosting that GPA, come up with a brand new idea. So please, fellow business school students: don’t enter the professional world expecting to use that test score you got, or that definitely-less-than-four number you have on your transcript. If we’re talking meta, (and we are, because I’m writing this) play to your strengths, don’t try to conform your education or your professional endeavors to compete in an area you are weak in. 

The grade does not make you "smart", that's not what smart means. We define "smart" just like we define graduation requirements and standardized testing. It's why those tests don't always work, and it's why GPA's aren't a measure of worth. Should you still study? Yeah, probably. Is getting good grades great? Yes. Is getting bad grades a reflection of your self worth? No. Calm down.

When thinking about how to make education better (whether it's the entire system, or your own personal education) fostering creative ideas is a part of Western culture, and straying to far from that could be what's making us "fall behind" in some peoples eyes. American business leaders, scientists, and creative thinkers have a history of innovative and powerful ideas that have gone on to make a name for themselves on the international level. And students, you’re not going to be counted among them by worrying about your Finance grade.

This article was written as self-administered validation and therapy and also includes insights to some of what I have learned in my time studying in Asia. I’m going to go study now.

I will be back to my usual posts next weekend, have a great week! Until next time!