One of the images that cropped up repeatedly during my online searches for sights to see in Bali was the instagram-popular Tegallalang rice fields. Unsurprisingly I was struck by the immediately appealing beauty of what I saw represented in various online photos so it was a no-brainer that this location was quickly added to the top of my trip itinerary.

Fast forward to my stay in Ubud and it wasn’t long before I had booked a private driver for a half-day visit (courtesy of the place I was staying at the time) to see and tour the rice fields at Tegallalang.

The journey from central Ubud took about 35 - 40 minutes courtesy of the infamous Indonesian macet experience (got to love those traffic delays….ironically, it’s interesting how this rarely fazes me now - unless I’m trying to get to the airport!).

As always the experience of driving through suburbs and villages that I otherwise would have never known existed is always appreciated due to the sights offered. The variety of stores, the different people going about their day and that momentary glimpse into lives that I will never know adds a flavour to the human experience that I will never be able to articulate but I feel resonating deep down all the same.

We arrive at the village of Tegallalang, early in the morning to avoid the expected crowds of visitors, outside a row of store fronts opposite the entrance to the rice fields. The entrance fee is 50,000 IDR (equivalent to £2.74 GBP or $3.54 USD) and I begin making my way down the steps to the sight of the terraced rice fields.

…..and what a sight this is.

Surrounded by a combination of forest, houses and various cafes, restaurants, selfie-spots, swings and tourist souvenir stores the rice fields form a series of descending terraces in what is known as Subak (a method of irrigation where water flows from higher areas to lower areas).

These are incredibly beautiful to see with the naked eye and can be navigated courtesy of a series of paths that allow visitors (as well as workers whose livelihoods depend on cultivating the rice crops from those fields) to enter the environment.

Along the way there are various stalls selling refreshments and souvenirs as well as a number of donation points for the upkeep of the paths and viewing areas situated within the rice fields. The suggested amount to donate is 10,000 IDR although, in my experience at least, the people manning these donation points leave you feeling like this is just a nice little cash cow that they have operating there.

Don’t misunderstand me here, I’m all for supporting local business and helping the environment (especially in countries like Indonesia that are rich in natural beauty but low in wages for many workers) and will happily part with my money where appropriate. That said I got the undeniable feeling - right or wrong - whilst visiting the rice fields that I, and many other tourists, were simply seen as nothing more than walking wallets by the locals.

This unfortunately is an experience I have seen repeated in many areas during my travels and I doubt that will fade away any time soon given the existence of what is a pervasively low wage economy and the expectations set by perceptions of tourists and the money they bring.

Make of my words what you will but it does piss me off when I am trying to contribute to the local economy, be respectful (unlike the behaviour of many tourists that I have seen) and honour the people and their culture only to be treated with what I can only describe as a tolerance for my presence based on what my wallet can provide in return.

It’s a mildly sour perspective to come away with but, if nothing else, at least I have the experience of visiting amazing locations such as Tegallalang rice fields and witnessing their natural beauty with my own eyes. That’s a blessing I will always be grateful for (as well as the opportunity to try capturing that as best I can with my limited photographic skills).

During my visit I instantly “got” why this was so instagram-friendly (you’d be hard pushed not to - unless you have no capacity for feeling awe at such natural beauty) and whether you are native Indonesian or a foreign visitor to these shores this is one location that has to be on your must-see itinerary when traveling in Bali.

Do be warned though the climb down to and up from the ground floor level of the rice fields can be quite taxing so this might be unsuitable for people with health problems (even with my moderate fitness-levels I still felt impacted by my walk around the location).

As always when travelling in Indonesia (and South-east Asia generally) don’t forget to apply that sunscreen, bring plenty of water and stay hydrated - the heat in this part of the world can be very unforgiving.

Ps. can anyone imagine trying to research travel locations these days without using the internet? I dread to think how much more challenging this must have been in the “old days” before Google, TripAdvisor and various other sites/social media outlets. Granted wading through various selfies and the endless procession of self-absorbed poses gets a little tedious but that’s the price of dealing with a democratic (even if only in pretence) medium such as the web…