Bali, Indonesia

Candi Dasa Beach - Bali, Indonesia

Resort on Candi Dasa Beach
- Bali, Indonesia 

Men at Temple Event - Bali, Indonesia

Traditional Music - Bali, Indonesia

Women Taking Offerings to Temple 
- Bali, Indonesia

Candi Dasa Beach - Bali, Indonesia

Bali, Indonesia (11/5/2009) - With a population of 3.5 million, Bali is a peaceful and wonderful Hindu island loved by Indonesians and people from all over the world.

We chose to have a beach day and went to a resort at Candi Dasa where we had a nice day swimming in the warm water of the ocean. A few years before after the disco bombing, we came to Bali with our son, Alden, for a week and had an exceptional travel experience. In Bali, the people, food, spirituality, prices, places to visit, unique architecture, etc. are exceptional. 

Coming this time to Bali on a cruise ship proved to be a different experience. The cruise port was mobbed with aggressive vendors, prices were much higher, and we were directed to overly expensive tourist oriented places.

Even so, if you slightly scratch the surface it is easy to notice the deep rooted culture and the wonderful people. The Earth is a big planet and only a very few places find a position on our revisit travel list. We look forward to coming back and enjoying the Bali again. Getting away from the typical cruise ship locations reveals a totally different and better experience.

Jimbaran Bay is a favorite of ours in Bali. With scores of fish restaurants located on the beautiful 4-mile white sandy beach, you enjoy a freshly caught fish dinner cooked by coconut shells and lightly spiced. Watching the sunset while enjoying dinner is a joy - life is good.

Kuta Beach is the nightclub and shopping mall area of Bali. Worth a visit if you enjoy shopping and nightlife. Some pretty good restaurants are located here. On Bali's northwest coast, Lovina Beach is a quieter alternative to the energetic south coast.

A trip to Ubud in Bali's interior (see photo of rice paddies) is a wonderful retreat from the beach areas to enjoy sophisticated Hindu art culture and beautiful scenery in a mountainous environment.

Rice Paddies - Bali, Indonesia

About 80% of Bali’s economy depends on tourism so the people of Bali were severely affected by the two terrorism bombing attacks in 2002 and 2005. Things are back to normal with a record number of visitors (almost 2 million) in 2008. When we visited Bali again in 2009 they are hurting because the global economic downturn - it was good time to come with less crowds and better prices.

Map of Bali

Some history... Bali is the only Hindu (93%) island in all of Muslim Indonesia. This occurred when a Hindu empire declined on the large island of Java in the 15th century and they set up on the small neighbor island of Bali. The Dutch mounted a large successful assault on Bali in 1906 where an estimated 1,000 Balinese marched to their suicidal death rather than face the humiliation of surrender.

Beautiful Bali Beaches!

Click here to see the best beaches in Bali from Rough Guide

Please see our other 3 posts on interesting Indonesia:

Jakarta (Capital), Indonesia

Komodo Island & Dragons, Indonesia

Makassar (Ujung Pandang), Indonesia

 

 

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