Bert Vierstra is a Dutchman who has lived in Bali for the past four years. His love for his adopted home is apparent in the care he has taken in selecting panos that represent the varied landscape, character, culture and people of the island, rather than the usual touristy places, on his blog-style website, Bali 3D.
Click here to view Bali3D“When I first came to Bali, about six years ago, I was totally knocked off my feet by the island,” says Vierstra, who only got involved with VR photography a few months ago. “I never knew the meaning of the word ‘homesick’ until I landed in Amsterdam after my first holiday on Bali; I almost felt physical pain.”
Vierstra doesn’t have a specific “program” in mind for his Bali website, preferring to shoot when the mood and location excite him. As such, the dozens of panoramas found on Bali 3D present an ideal browsing opportunity for those considering moving to the island as many are off the beaten track, like those taken at the home of his Balinese in-laws, who run a business selling “offers” and gasoline, or that of his wife’s reputedly 117 year old grandfather, caught taking a nap. There’s even the rather tacky Bali Galleria, a shopping mall complete with artificial sky and temple.
Sections are mostly arranged based on geographic location and each one contains a good selection of panoramas, along with an introduction with some orienting descriptions of the area and people. Panos are available in three formats: medium-resolution fullscreen QTVR, high-resolution fullscreen QTVR, and high-resolution fullscreen Shockwave.
Kuta Beach, South Bali
Kuta Beach is well known by tourists and the first place Vierstra visited when he first came to Bali six years ago. “I was overwhelmed by the beach hawkers, and I wondered what this island really was about,” he writes on his website, before going on to explain the turbulent history o the area from a small village to a popular backpacker destination in the 70s and 80s and then to a “tourist ghetto” before the bombings in 2002.
Ogoh Ogoh
”Large monsters, named Ogoh-Ogoh, made from bamboo and other materials, symbolize the evil spirits that one can encounter in life. On the day before Nyepi, the Balinese new year (usually in March), these monsters are carried around in the villages and cities in a spectacular carnival, and finally burned as a way of exorcising evil.”
Kampung Bugis, Singaraja, North Bali
In North Bali there is an area that is called Kampung Bugis. “The atmosphere in this part of Singaraja is quiet and friendly,” Vierstra writes. “The people seem very poor, the streets and houses are small and colorful. You find many, many jukungs (small fishing boats) on the shore …”
Ubud
The town of Ubud, located in the middle of Bali, is the heart and soul of the island; a center for fine arts, dance and music, surrounded by scenic rice fields, arts and craft communities, ancient temples, rivers and accommodations that run the gamut from cheap hostels to elegant five-star hotels.
To the left is a panorama of Puri Bayu, a great villa overlooking the Ayung River that Vierstra reports has been featured in many books about Bali architecture and which he had the opportunity to stay in. (If you’d like to rent this villa and spend your afternoons napping on the hammock, Puri Bayu has its own website and features a main house and guest house, which accommodate four people and can be rented for US$400 per night, prices include a staff of seven.)
Buddhist Temples
“The Buddhist temple and Monastery in Banjar North Bali, near Lovina, is more then just a ‘tourist attraction’. It is still used, and you can find groups of people staying in the Ashram nearby. The Buddhist temple is not a tourist trap, entrance is free, but donations are welcome. …”
Bali is obviously more than a superficial beauty, but the ravages of tourism are taking their toll and the commoditization of its culture worries Vierstra, who also runs a Bali expat forum. “The dynamics of all influences and changes on Bali, the strong Hindu culture, the beautiful landscapes but also the pollution, make Bali a very interesting environment for doing VR photography. If I could I would do VR on Bali everyday, and the rest of my life.”
