Bali Airport: What To Expect On Arrival

The first time I visited enchanting Bali was in summer 2009, but at that time I was driven to explore the more remote and exotic islands Flores and Sumba, and actually stayed in Bali only for a good week. I recall the Balinese harbor of Padang Bai and it’s little white sand beach where I met my future flatmate, who hosted me after moving to Berlin later that year.

In 2014, I did another trip to Bali, which was planned to be a two weeks break from my work-and- holiday stay in Australia (it was 100% work in fact) and ended up being a turning point in my life so far. Bali and especially Ubud had transformed into a Yoga-Hub and paradise for vegans. On every corner there was something extremely intriguing to discover and this vortex seemed to magnetize the most progressive beings on planet earth. I ended up in a juicy affair with an American Yoga-Teacher (no regrets, it’s all for learning) and discovered magical Bali from the point of view of a nomadic soul-seeker. The steady increase in tourism had of course a downside in Bali, too. I noticed that in place of using small buses for affordable public transport, the so called Bemo’s, everyone seemed to own a car or a motorbike, causing endless traffic jams and toxic air on the narrow Bali streets. No one’s gonna stop the progress in developing countries and I can only hope that technical progress will offer better solutions in the future, so that the Balinese and the tourists will be able to enjoy the marvelous island and its lush jungle without suffocating in traffic.

Last year, in 2016, I heard the island of the gods calling me one more time and I spontaneously decided to visit. At the immigration in Ngurah Rai Airport I was happy to save some 25 or 30 bucks thanks to the newly established visa-rules, but after the happy surprise followed a rather unexpected security-check. The officer gave my large Indian pants a suspicious look and ordered me to the counter. First I was only asked to open my backpack and the officers checked all my belongings, they were especially interested in some crystals and stones. Because of their small size, I happened to carry some of them in little plastic bags. After having established that in my collection there weren’t any illegal substances to be found, the officer referred me to a female immigration staff which asked me to come with her in a separate room. I followed her sheepishly, and she then asked me take off my clothes. I realized that I was being strip-searched. I had to get naked in front of this woman with a Muslim scarf, including showing her my private parts and bending over, spreading my cheeks. No kidding. And the end she asked me to sign some official paper for the records, handed me a copy, and I left feeling slightly unsettled, sneaking by the officers who emphatically ignored me.

Out of the airport in Bali’s hot and steamy air a cab driver started befriending me and followed me around to make sure I would hire him for the ride, but first I had to get some water from the 7/11 at the parking lot. Still tired from the trip and confused about the humiliating body-check, I almost got ripped off by the vendor who withheld a big part of my change, taking advantage of the fact that foreigners struggle in the beginning with the Indonesian rupiah bills. At the moment of boarding the taxi I realized the scam and raced back into the supermarket, where the frightened vendor apologized for his “mistake” and quickly handed me the right change.

On arrival in Ubud I enjoyed a surprisingly spacious room with view to an exotic garden and could finally rest. The unsettling experience at the airport nevertheless left me slightly traumatized and made me look at Bali in a different way. I can sense the deep resentments of the Balinese towards the Millions of visitors, who they cherish and welcome, secretly knowing that the culture and communities is Bali will slowly die due to the foreigners. At the same time, I have met empowered Balinese People, who did not think of themselves as “less than” anybody and would certainly not perpetuate their wounded self-esteem by abusing and belittling others.