Travel blogger Uri Liron, who aims to visit 100 countries before turning 30, didn’t mince words about his recent trip to Indonesia: "The landing in Bali was underwhelming. I found an insanely crowded island drowning in overtourism and commercialization."
Armed with a European passport (required for Israelis since Indonesia lacks diplomatic ties with Israel), Liron encountered breathtaking landscapes alongside overt anti-Israeli sentiment and nature transformed into Instagram backdrops.
Bali: Paradise lost to selfie culture
Unlike predominantly Muslim Indonesia, Hindu-majority Bali lures travelers with beaches, nightlife and spiritual retreats. Yet Liron describes it as "a theme park for Instagram."
"At a famous waterfall, I saw a queue of 20 girls waiting to take photos. No one cared about nature—just the perfect shot. Rice fields? You pay at the entrance. Everything feels staged." After 10 days, he concluded: "I’m not coming back."
The 'Day of Silence' shock
One unexpected bright spot was Nyepi, Bali’s "Day of Silence"—a Hindu holiday forbidding flights, cars and even leaving homes. "It was surreal. The streets emptied, internet slowed and inspectors enforced meditation.
"Stuck in my hostel playing cards with tourists, I explained how Israel’s Yom Kippur has similar restrictions—but here, you can’t even walk outside. It felt like the COVID-19 lockdown meets Yom Kippur on steroids."
Liron found respite in Ubud, Bali’s spiritual hub: "It’s calmer, with yoga, meditation and ice baths. Here, tourism feels less superficial, though still present."
Confronting hostility
In Yogyakarta, a massive graffiti mural of a crossed-out Israeli flag greeted him: "Tens of thousands saw it daily. When I mentioned being Israeli, reactions hardened from surprise to ‘Why are you here?’"
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He noted Indonesia’s staunch pro-Palestinian stance but admitted, "despite the tension, its nature is unparalleled—jungles, active volcanoes, coral reefs with sharks and manta rays."
The 'undercover Israeli' travel guide
Liron operated like "an undercover agent":
- No Israeli symbols: "Leave your passport, Hebrew-labeled items and any identifiers at home."
- Fake backstory: "Memorize details of an obscure ‘home country’—I picked Malta."
- Language lockdown: "Never speak Hebrew. I almost slipped once with European tourists."
When locals probed about Palestine, he played clueless: "I’d say, ‘I’m just a tourist from Malta’—they’d lose interest."
Despite challenges, Liron recommends Java for raw adventure:
- Kawah Ijen Volcano: Hike before dawn for electric-blue sulfur flames.
- Tumpak Sewu Waterfall: The "Niagara Falls of Indonesia" with jungle trails and caves.
- Borobudur Temple: Sunrise views from the world’s largest Buddhist temple.
- Mount Bromo: Volcanic deserts and crater smoke at sunrise.