Travelers who are fed up with influencer check-ins are relying on Airbnb's "off-the-beaten-path tours" to rejuvenate their travel experiences.
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For many people, Bali is synonymous with a "spiritual home."
In the movie Eat, Pray, Love, the New York middle-class woman played by Julia Roberts, after experiencing a failed marriage and wanting to restart her life through three trips, chose to enjoy the relaxation of delicious food in Italy, receive the baptism of religion in India, and the last stop must be Bali. This mysterious island, located in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago and adjacent to the Indian Ocean in the south, always seems to be closely linked to the proposition of "finding oneself" - the heroine finally found the meaning of "balancing life" here.
For Chinese travelers, if you get to know Bali through social media, its image is rather one-dimensional. The travel routes are highly repetitive, accommodation recommendations are concentrated in seaside hotels, and the photos are nothing more than sunshine, beaches, and bikinis. As a result, everyone's experiences are highly similar.
The reason why Bali is internationally recognized as a "paradise island" lies in its unique natural and cultural heritage.
To enable travelers to have a more authentic and local Bali trip, recently Airbnb and UNESCO jointly launched a Bali Cultural Travel Guide, deeply exploring and designing a series of local cultural experience projects to lead travelers to discover hidden destinations beyond mainstream travel guides.
The Bali Cultural Travel Guide released by Airbnb and UNESCO
This travel guide covers five regencies on Bali where traditional cultures are concentrated - Tabanan, Gianyar, Bangli, Buleleng, and Badung. It records the local rich cuisine, handicrafts, cultural traditions, and historical sites.
A user survey on the Airbnb platform shows that nearly 95% of Chinese travelers surveyed will book experience projects during their trips, and 60% consider "authenticity" one of the most important factors when booking experience projects. "Living like a local" is becoming a consensus among more and more travelers. This travel guide reflects Airbnb's understanding of "contemporary travel": "The most meaningful moment of travel is the genuine connection between people and places, and between people and cultures."
During the second week of September, I experienced some of the journeys in this travel guide. When I arrived at this mysterious island from books and movies, and the tropical air and highly saturated greenery hit me, I knew that I had embarked on a wonderful journey to explore the unknown and the Balinese philosophy of life -
Staying in a Lush Green Place
Like most areas in Indonesia, Bali has a tropical rainforest climate. September in Bali is the dry season of the year (from May to November). However, the abundant vegetation and water sources won't make people feel hot and dry. Instead, it makes me, someone who has lived in a concrete jungle for a long time, feel gently embraced by nature.
Bali has vibrant villages, sacred natural scenery, and intangible cultural heritages away from the hustle and bustle. Choosing to stay in these places full of natural vitality is actually much more interesting than staying by the sea.
Our accommodation, Villa Dada
The accommodation we booked on Airbnb is located in the center of Ubud. It is a spacious villa with six bedrooms. In simple terms, it's like "living in the jungle." Walking barefoot from the spacious living area along the 20 - meter - long swimming pool to my room, all I could see was lush greenery. Every window framed a natural view.
Pushing open the bedroom door, you can see the greenery and the clear swimming pool at a glance
Due to the extreme closeness to nature, sometimes you may also have close contact with some small creatures. For example, geckos. But don't be nervous. In Balinese culture, geckos are a symbol of good luck. At night, you can hear the chirping of insects and frogs. It's really the best white noise, allowing you to sleep soundly until dawn.
Here, you will feel that time has slowed down. The charm of Bali doesn't lie in grand landscapes, but in these delicate sensory fragments: the moisture in the air, the stretch when walking barefoot, and the fact that the open - style residence makes the whole nature a part of daily life.
The Beauty of Balinese Agriculture
Although tourism is now the pillar industry of Bali, agriculture is the livelihood of traditional Balinese people.
There are two volcanoes on Bali. Around the locations of the volcanoes, because the volcanic ash is soft and rich in nutrients, the vegetation is often lush and suitable for agriculture. Due to the tropical climate in Bali, rice can be planted and harvested more than twice a year.
The Jatiluwih Rice Terraces we visited are located in Tabanan Regency, in a mountainous area at an altitude of about 700 meters. The air is fresh, away from the hustle and bustle of tourist hotspots.
The terraced rice fields spread out along the mountain slopes, and the trickling water irrigates the rows of young seedlings. We walked along the country paths, with the green mountains and terraced fields winding in lines, and coconut trees dotted here and there.
Jatiluwih Rice Terraces
The local guide told us that this place is an important part of the "Bali Cultural Landscape" World Heritage recognized by UNESCO in 2012. It showcases Bali's unique Subak irrigation system.
This cooperative irrigation network (including canals and water temples) dating back to the 9th century reflects the Balinese philosophy of "Tri Hita Karana," which is the core philosophy of the traditional Balinese lifestyle and worldview - emphasizing the balance of three relationships: between humans and gods, between humans and nature, and between humans and humans.
The irrigation system of the rice fields
On the ridges of the rice fields, you can often see shrines for worship. At a higher place, we also saw a statue of the rice goddess Dewi Sri. In Balinese beliefs, she is depicted as a female deity holding rice ears, symbolizing life and reproduction.
The rice goddess Dewi Sri
Believing that all things have spirits, being grateful for the gifts of nature, and emphasizing community cooperation - this is the agricultural wisdom of the Balinese people. Thinking carefully, in life, all we need to deal with is to settle our spirits, find the balance in the material world, and handle relationships with others. And the Balinese people have long understood this.
Gods Everywhere
The Balinese people believe in Hinduism, but Balinese Hinduism is significantly different from Hinduism in other parts of the world. Balinese Hinduism combines various factors of Hinduism, Buddhism, and local Balinese religions, with its own distinct connotations and forms.
In the minds of the Balinese people, gods are everywhere. It is said that a traditional Balinese day starts with placing flower plates in front of the shrine and burning incense to pray.
From a tourist's perspective, the places where you can most intensively feel the sacredness of Balinese Hinduism are the temples.
Inside Pura Luhur Batukau
Pura Luhur Batukau, located in Tabanan Regency, is the first temple we visited. Its origin can be traced back to before the 11th century, and it is regarded as a sacred temple guarding western Bali.
Before entering the temple, the staff carefully helped us put on sarongs. This is the national clothing of Bali, a whole piece of cloth wrapped around the waist. The Balinese tradition is that when entering the temple, you must dress appropriately, especially pay attention to covering your shoulders and knees.
Tourists wearing sarongs
The temple is built in a dense tropical rainforest, surrounded by clouds and mists all year round, creating a mysterious and peaceful atmosphere. There are several pagoda - shaped buildings standing in the temple, and there are also sacred springs and small lakes nearby, which are said to be the water sources for many religious ceremonies.
Gede, a local Balinese, is one of our guides. He wears a traditional headscarf on his head, a dark waistcloth tied around his waist, and a traditional sarong with delicate patterns on his lower body. At Pura Luhur Batukau, the water from the temple's spring is called holy water. Gede will sprinkle the holy water on his head and body. It is said that this symbolizes purifying the mind, communicating with the gods, expelling negative energy, and restoring the body's balance.
Gede (left) and local residents going to the temple to worship
The holy water in the temple
When he was silently praying in front of the shrine with offerings in his hands, I looked at his back and felt a silent power flowing slowly. It seemed that my heart had also become much clearer.
The major temples for the Balinese people to worship gods are often built in beautiful places such as mountains and the seaside. If it's not a major festival, there aren't many people coming to worship. These simple and quiet temples accompany the beautiful natural scenery, endowing the kind - hearted Balinese people on this land with spirituality and tranquility.
The Calm and Peaceful Balinese People
In Bali, what touched me the most were the Balinese people with warm eyes and gentle smiles. Maybe it's the climate and environment of Bali, or maybe it's the religion and culture that give the Balinese people a rare laid - back nature.
Along the way, I chatted with Gede while walking. He can speak fluent English. Unexpectedly, he has been an Airbnb host for six years.
Gede (in the middle) explaining to us during the journey
He lives in Penebel, a rural area under Tabanan Regency. Since 2019, he has rented out the guest rooms in his house on Airbnb. In six years, he has earned extra income from this.
Penebel is not a tourist town, but a typical traditional inland village in Bali. There, people can see a more real and simple side of Bali away from the coastal resorts.
He told me that he likes chatting with his guests very much. The guests mainly come from Europe, especially Italy and Germany. One year during Galungan (one of the most important Hindu festivals in Bali, similar to