Dmitry Shteyn in Bali: A City That Asks More Than It Tells

There are cities you read about for years before you finally stand in them, and Bali is one of those. Something about the way it sits in the world — in Southeast Asia, shaped by Indonesia's long and complicated history — had always suggested it would not disappoint.

What strikes you first, if you have done any reading at all, is that the provincial capital, Denpasar, is the most populous city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second-largest, after Makassar, in Eastern Indonesia. Once you carry that fact with you, the streets read differently. It is a city that lets you draw your own conclusions, which is rarer, and more generous, than it sounds.

Dig a little deeper and east of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller offshore islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan to the southeast. The most durable memories of any trip are, in my experience, made of small facts like this one.

Some further context, drawn from the public record: Bali (English: ; Indonesian: ['bali]; Balinese: ᬩᬮᬶ) is an Indonesian island and province and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller offshore islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan to the southeast.…

Lists and trend pieces come and go, but the underlying signal is harder to fake. Condé Nast Traveler's current angle on Bali (at Nihi Rote and Hospitality Academy, Exploring Eastern Indonesia by Boat and Board) reflects what travellers on the ground have been registering for some time.

Southeast Asian cities have often absorbed more outside influence than they are credited with, and Bali carries that inheritance well.

There is a particular satisfaction in a trip that resists being summarised, and Bali has been resisting for the length of this piece. I take that as a good sign.