Kopi Luwak: Cat Poo Coffee
Kopi Luwak also known as Civet coffee is one of the world's most expensive coffee due to its rarity and unusual method of production. It is produced mainly on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Bali in Indonesia and in Bali there are a number of plantations that you can visit for a taste of this unconventional coffee. The luwak, a cat-like animal gorges on ripe coffee fruit which is sweet in taste, digests it and expels the beans, which are then collected, washed and roasted to give an exceptional taste. The process improves coffee through two mechanisms, selection- luwaks choosing to eat only certain fruits and - digestion- natural fermentation of cherries in luwak's stomach. Its uncommon and a real delicacy for coffee lovers so next time you are in Bali do try it.
Only locals can pray in Balinese Temples
While in Bali one has to visit all the beautiful sea-side, river-based or country-side temples but one strange thing that will hit you as a Hindu is that you can not go inside the temples to see or pray to the deity/God. It seems fair to me because the crowd there is from all over the world and people from non-Hindu countries might not understand the sanctity of a temple. So only the locals can go inside the main temple to pray and the tourists (be it a Hindu) can only enjoy the beauty from outside.
Honking is for friends
I had the opportunity to ride a scooter on the world's busiest roads of Bali and it sure was chaotic. But one thing that struck me was that no matter how much traffic there was, people were so laid back they did not care to honk. It was a completely new thing for me as in India roads are where we pour out our frustration. I saw that I was the only one honking and thus a change occurred in me. Now while I am driving in India I care not to honk that often but people here are always taking their heads out and they don't stop talking on the roads with fellow car drivers!
When in Bali do as Balinese do.
Eating Pure White Cows is a No-No
In a rather interesting conversation with our cab driver I got to know about importance of color in Bali. So, in Hindu culture cow is considered as sacred and there are almost no beef-eaters but in Bali, Hindus eat beef and its not frowned upon. However, pure white cows are holy so they don't eat meat of white cows instead they worship them. I joked if the color discrimination is applicable to animals only. He laughed.
Water comes in Plastic Bottles
Due to over-commercialization of the place drinking water and beer is approximately of the same rate. If you are trying to reduce your carbon footprint and carry your own metal bottle around, you can not find RO water to fill them up with. This has put a huge burden on the island and one can only imagine the waste all those plastic mineral water bottles produces. If I had to change one thing about Bali this would be it.
No local transport
The traffic in Bali is crazy because there is no local transport provided by the government. Most of the population in Bali is poor and can afford to own a scooter so one can see so many locals on their scooter early in the morning going about doing their business. But if you are thinking about catching a bus or a train for budgeting your travel, then there is none.
