'
Bali bliss: Visitors seek shelter from the sun under a pagoda by the serene waters off Sanur Beach, as traditional Balinese boats float in the background.
Enlarge image Enlarge By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY
Bali bliss: Visitors seek shelter from the sun under a pagoda by the serene waters off Sanur Beach, as traditional Balinese boats float in the background.
By Kitty Bean Yancey, USA TODAY
UBUD, Indonesia — A dozen tourists on an Eat Pray Love-themed tour in Bali are nibbling thin-crust pies with mozzarella, basil and tomato at a long table at Pizza Bagus.
Halle Eavelyn of Spirit Quest Tours, a striking redhead wearing peace-sign earrings, pulls out her iPad and reads from Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat Pray Love about the joys of Naples pizza. That has nothing to do with Bali, of course, but the group — mainly female fans of Gilbert's post-divorce journey to fulfillment by eating in Italy, meditating in India and falling for a sexy Brazilian in Bali — hopes to have her life-transforming experiences, or at least follow in her footsteps.
They've dressed in white to pray at Balinese temples and done yoga. After lunch, they'll consult with Ketut Liyer, an aged Balinese healer who is a central character in Gilbert's book.
"I read it and was so moved. I saw this woman become herself," says tour participant Kiya Coté, 60, a San Francisco-area holistic practitioner. "And I've always wanted to come to Bali."
EPL already has drawn fans of the 2006 best seller to Bali, a mystical island known for its natural beauty, vibrant arts community, colorful religious festivals and gentle, hospitable residents. More visitors are sure to follow after seeing Julia Roberts frolic on the beach and bike under lush palms in the movie, which opens today. In anticipation, hotels and tour companies here and elsewhere have dreamed up EPL deals, from the sublime to the ridiculous.
PHOTO GALLERY: In 'Love' with Bali
READ MORE: A sampling of 'Eat Pray Love' packages
IF YOU GO: Where to stay and eat in Bali
Tourism rebounds to record levels
The Balinese part of the movie was filmed here. Filmmakers were wooed by Deborah Gabinetti, casting director for the Bali Film Center. She went to L.A. and "pitched the benefits of filming here. It was uncharted territory, not having had a major (Hollywood) feature film here," she recalls, as a driver makes the rounds of EPL filming sites on a day when Balinese are buzzing down roads on motor scooters, with girls in sarongs riding sidesaddle, on their way to fill temples and commemorate their ancestors.
MOVIE REVIEW: 'Eat Pray Love'? More like 'Me Me Me'
TRAILER: Get a taste of 'Eat Pray Love'
Spain's Javier Bardem plays Roberts' love interest. Indonesians were chosen to play Ketut and feisty female healer Wayan. Some sets were built, but filming locales in the book include the Ubud marketplace and Liyer's compound.
"I knew Eat Pray Love would work here," Gabinetti says. "There's this whole spirit here, the magic." During filming last fall, the cast fell under Bali's spell, says Gabinetti, an energetic brunette. "Javier came into the airport and expressed concern about paparazzi. I said, 'We don't have any.' " Bardem's now-wife, Penélope Cruz, happily shopped the boutiques selling antiques, jewelry, carvings and batik clothing.
Bali "was humid, was hot, but it was good," Bardem told USA TODAY's Susan Wloszczyna while promoting the movie. "There is no bad sight in Bali," Roberts chimed in, when asked about what she liked here.
Long considered one of the world's dream destinations, Bali welcomes the attention the film brings (save for some expressing "eat, pray, leave" sentiments). It took a beating after 2002 and 2005 terrorist bombings in tourist areas. Today, cars entering hotels are checked for bombs.
But tourism is back, on track to reach a record 2.5 million this year, government statistics say. Australians (clustered in party-hearty Kuta) are the top market, then Japanese. U.S. visitors (in 11th place) were up 4.21% in the first half of the year, to 35,403. The government is inoculating stray dogs against rabies, in part to keep tourism humming.
Bali "is booming, madam," says John Safri, 39, an Oxford-shirted guide, scouting for business in Ubud, where fumes from a noon traffic jam make breathing unpleasant. "People come from other parts of Indonesia to make more money," he says.
What's good for the economy is bad for visitors who remember Ubud as a peaceful place where an art museum, market, crafts shops and Indonesian dance performances were the draw. Streets now are crammed with shops (including Ralph Lauren Polo), bars and restaurants, Circle K convenience markets and touts trying to sell "transport" to every passing tourist.
The low-key Cafe Lotus by a pond with lily pads and terraced Murni's Warung on a steep hillside overlooking a river still are gathering points. But so are cheesier spots where Sweet Home Alabama might be playing at midnight.
There's a big Starbucks adjoining the airport outside Denpasar. McDonald's and KFC compete with local eateries ("warungs") in Kuta.
The island has large resorts including the InterContinental in Jimbaran and ultra-luxe digs, such as the two Four Seasons resorts where Roberts and Bardem stayed. But it still offers hideaways under $150 a night where housekeepers strew sweet-smelling hibiscus flowers on your pillow and breakfast might include fresh watermelon juice. Clean rooms in guesthouses can be found for $60 or less.
Still spiritual amid booming commerce
The Hindu island's ritual-infused culture sets it apart from other tropical destinations. Balinese often greet outsiders with hands held in prayer at chest level, a sign of respect. Incense burns. Women trek along roads to temples carrying offerings stacked high on their heads.
Shops and homes give daily offerings to the gods — such as rice and other food, often laid on palm leaves. The EPL film had a "rain shifter" who used mantras to ward off showers.
In the Ubud-area compound of Ketut Liyer, potential patients and clients lounge on the porch and stone steps of his house or escape the sun in a pavilion near a family temple. Birds trill in ornate cages.
Liyer consults with a teen and his parents. They worry about his lack of focus on school, translates Liyer's granddaughter-in-law, Wayan Puspita Sari, 30. That calls for a cleansing ceremony, in which the father washes his son's hair with holy water while Liyer chants and rings a bell, to help evil spirits leave the boy.
The teen shakes his dripping head sheepishly. His mother shows Liyer their offering of food and money and sits to have her palm read.
What American teen would so calmly bear a public exorcism? "Indonesians still follow what their parents say," Sari explains.
Later, the nearly toothless Liyer — who says he doesn't know his age, though Sari ventures he's in his 90s — inspects this visitor through sharp, clear eyes. He hopes the movie captures Bali's magic — and brings him more business. (Sadly, Liyer was hospitalized this week for heart and prostate problems. Sari fears besiegement by fans also affected his health.)
READ MORE: Overworked 'Eat, Pray, Love' healer hospitalized
Back at Pizza Bagus, guide Eavelyn says Bali has deeply touched her charges. Coté agrees. The spiritual, community-oriented culture is a must-see, she says. "Beauty, bliss and belonging."
No comments:
Post a Comment