I’m going to be honest: Dan and I didn’t really like Bali.  Partly this was our own fault.  When we were planning the last part of our Asia itinerary it seemed like a great idea to finish with some relaxing beach time.  In our minds Bali conjured images of sublime natural beauty and calm tropical beaches with bathtub-warm water. Unfortunately, we didn’t bother to do enough research to confirm whether that image was accurate.

So imagine our disappointment when we arrived and realized that Bali’s beaches aren’t really for relaxing, they are for surfing.  That means huge, pounding waves, coarse sand and water that isn’t actually that warm.

But it wasn’t just the beaches that were disappointing.  We stayed in a little town called Canngu which, from what we had read, seemed like a quieter and more authentic alternative to the fancy resort areas and backpacker party towns.  However, when we arrived it was immediately clear that Canngu’s sleepy days are over.  There were massive construction sites everywhere.

We were literally watching rice fields disappear before our eyes as hotels and guesthouses popped up in any open space that could be found.

I hope that the tourism boom is benefiting the local economy but from what we saw there seemed to be a worrisome lack of investment in public infrastructure.  Roads were still unpaved with no sidewalks, traffic was extremely congested and smelly trash fires burned in empty lots.  The lack of proper city planning was apparent at every turn.

Canggu itself felt like an ultra-trendy beach town that could have been anywhere in the world.  It was filled with swimwear boutiques and hip cafes but totally lacked in charm. The whole place felt like a playground for Western tourists and it was nearly  impossible to find local shops and restaurants in town.

We did still get little glimpses of Balinese culture.  Each morning colorful offerings appeared in front of storefronts and on beaches.

Sometimes hidden between beach bars and vacation rentals, Balinese Hindu temples can still be found tucked around Canggu.

Even though Canggu didn’t turn out to be the tropical paradise we were looking for, we did try to make the best of it.  We enjoyed some delicious (if slightly overpriced) food and coffee.

We splurged on a fun night at The Lawn, a bar/restaurant right on the beach with outdoor seating and a pool overlooking the ocean.  (I never understood why anyone would want a pool right next to the beach until we came to Bali and I got smashed by a few of the waves.)

After a few days in Canggu we took a boat to Nusa Lambongan, one of the smaller islands nearby.  We had heard that the Nusa islands were quieter and less touristy than Bali’s main island.  Lambongan did prove to be a nice getaway from Bali’s main island but the negative effects of mass tourism are starting to appear there as well.  Oyster Bay, the calmest beach on the island, would be ideal for swimming but during the day it is jam packed with boats dropping off and picking up day trippers.

We took a snorkel cruise around the island and witnessed some of the most devastating effects of unregulated tourism.  The waters surrounding Nusa Lambongan were still filled with colorful tropical fish but the corral reefs we saw were completely smashed to bits, probably by boats like ours.  It was amazing to read blogs written only a few years ago raving about these gorgeous reefs and compare their descriptions to what we were seeing.

However, Lambongan did have it’s high points as well.  There are still cheap restaurants sprinkled around the island serving good local food.  Our money went further there than it did on Bali and we were able to stay at a cute guesthouse, run by a friendly local family.

We also stumbled on this awesome little bar while looking for a place to watch the sunset.

Overall we managed to have a nice time in Bali and Nusa Lambongan but if I had the opportunity to do it over again I wouldn’t go back.  I’m always hesitant to complain about places being ‘discovered’ or ‘too touristy’.  I don’t feel like we deserve to travel and enjoy new places any more than anyone else does.  However, I do think that Bali (at least the parts we saw) can serve as a warning to other parts of Southeast Asia about what can happen if there aren’t measures put in place to protect the natural environment.  It made us wonder how long visitors would keep coming to a place after all of the original reasons for visiting are destroyed by unrestricted development.