A Journey Through Time in Photos: Rediscovering Bali in the 1970s
A selection of photographs from The Un-Hippy Trail's 'Bali' diaries, 1976
As I sift through the pages of my parents' travel diaries, the warmth and wonder of Bali fill my mind, mirroring the same enchantment they felt when they first set foot in Kuta back in 1976. My father's words from that time resonate deeply with me: “We are here and what can I say, an island of magic, no way could I imagine it could be anything like this.”
My inaugural overseas adventure was a pilgrimage to Bali with my dad when I was 13. Throughout my childhood, he regaled me with tales of their escapades on the ‘Island of Gods,’ and just like them, I was captivated by Bali's charm, and have visited multiple times. Delving into their stories and photographs has been a bittersweet experience for me. On one hand, their narratives and cultural discoveries deeply inspire me. On the other, they evoke a profound yearning to witness the world as they did – during a time when mass tourism hadn't yet altered the landscape, and when the allure of slow, overland travel was not just a dream but an affordable reality.
However, through their stories and photographs, we can turn back the hands of time. As we conclude this inaugural chapter of their journey and gear up to virtually travel back in time to Java and beyond, let's immerse ourselves in a selection of captivating photographs from their Bali slides. These images are, to me, portals to an era, a testament to the timeless allure of exploration and discovery.
Regards,
Angie, daughter of Rose and Alan - the OG -Un-Hippy trail travellers.
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