One of the great pleasures of this unexpectedly sophisticated island’s tourist culture is indulging in its dinner excursions which have been specially designed for couples, honeymooners or small intimate groups. The fabled holiday island is small enough (90 X 135 kilometers) to make virtually any dinner venue accessible within just a few hours.
These culinary outings can take place at the end of a long pier jutting out into the ocean (The Ritz Carlton, US$190++ for two), alongside an award winning pool overlooking a stupendous river gorge (Alila Ubud, US$100++ for two) or presented as a candle lit dinner on your own private pavilion on a spacious lawn next to the ocean (Alila Manggis, Rp1,800,000 per couple).
But let’s start deep in the forest. You would never be able to find Big Tree Organic Farm’s delightful “Firefly Supper Series” if they didn’t offer to pick you up at your hotel and their driver escort you to the secret location over 1000 meters high on the slopes of Mount Batukaru.
These elegant dinners take place in a rustic dining pavilion with fresh banana leaf roof, natural pandanus mats and tables set with beeswax candles, woven plates and edible centerpieces. Deep in the uplands of Bali, the Jatiluwih area has always been known for its sweeping panoramas, bracing air and great natural beauty.
With the encircling sounds of the woods, steep paths winding through thick vegetation and the flickering coconut oil and firefly lanterns hung in trees and on the edge of nearby cliffs, it feels like you’re inside a Chinese painting or amidst a surreal outer-worldly sylvan pleasure garden.
The rustic farmhouse fare makes the perfect compliment to these wild surroundings. Prepared in open-air kitchens, only traditional cooking methods such as spits, pits and wood fires are used. As any gourmand is aware, food cooked over wood fires just tastes better.
The menus change nightly, always adapting to the ever-changing harvest as the many seasons of Bali come and go. At any given moment, as many as 80 different crops are growing side by side on the lush terraces, making each dinner a wonderful gourmet surprise. The wine is imported, as is the feta cheese which melts in your mouth. The homemade pumpkin ravioli is a rare delicacy on Bali. The spit-roasted chicken with fine herbs confirms the adage that a happy bird imparts more flavor than an unhappy one. The fresh loaves of sourdough are delicious.
The marvellous yet informal presentation and the quality of the fare is made all the merrier by the scintillating conversation of the guests, their voices muffled by the deep, ancient and all enveloping forest.
Ready to whoop it up? Bali Hai Cruises “Sunset Dinner Cruise” begins the moment you drive up dockside and hostesses in legong dance costumes offer a welcome drink and wave goodbye as you scurry up the gangplank and push off.
This motorized catamaran, able to accommodate over 300 passengers, is immensely popular with couples and small groups of friends. The sunset cruise operates only in the still waters of Bali's Benoa Harbor.
Bobbing around in the water with all the other glittering party boats, the ship cruises by marinas of private yachts and common fishing boats, their galleys dimly lit through the dark damp night air.
Messages in English, Japanese and Chinese announce the evening’s entertainment, which immediately unfolds - a whole series of infectious multi-lingual solo singers, dancers, pantomime routines, singalongs and slapstick.
At first everyone smiles almost out of embarrassment, then gradually the whole boat is laughing out loud and just having a plain good time. What’s mind-boggling is that the whole show is completely canned, rigidly choreographed.
The best are the cabaret acts which cover the whole spectrum from sizzling Salsa to risqué Moulin Rouge numbers with acrobatic leg kicks. For the younger hipper crowd, a live top 40 band plays non-stop requests on the upper open-air deck while smokers congregate over the screw.
The Bali Hai’s fresh, well-prepared and extravagant buffet includes cold cuts, sushi, oriental as well as western stick-to-the-ribs meat, potatoes and gravy dishes. For vegetarians, the salad bar alone is more than satisfying. The whole presentation is a multicultural and gastronomic tour de force.
Practicalities:
Big Tree Farm’s “Firefly Supper Series” is presented every two to three weeks during the dry season. Cost is Rp350,000++ for residents and Rp500,000++ for non-residents including supper, wine and transportation. Guests are picked up at their hotel at 3:30pm and expect to get back at between 9 and 10pm. To make reservations, tel. 0361 742 4416 or email farm@bigtreebali.com and ask Ben or Blair.
Reservations for Bali Hai Cruises “Sunset Dinner Cruise” can be made by calling tel. (0361) 720-331, email: sales@balihaicruises.com, website: www.balihaicruises.com <http://www.balihaicruises.com/» . Boarding is at 5:30pm, departure at 5:45pm., returning at 8:45pm. Cost: US$40 per person net (drinks not included).
E-mail : pakbill2003@yahoo.com
Copyright@2003 PakBill
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