What I loved about Bali * B

Lush Nature

In all of the rest Southeast Asia I noticed that the people didn’t care for the forests. In a lot of the places that we visited the forests and jungles were being cut down and used for agricultural land. Not in Bali though. On the island the landscapes are stunningly beautiful and the majority of the forests are untouched. And even the cultivated land looks picturesque and natural.

Daily Offerings

On every sidewalk in Bali you have to be careful not to step on offerings. These offerings are placed there every morning, afternoon and evening! During the offering ceremony the woman (always the woman!) performing it waves incense in the air, then places offerings of flowers, bonbons and little cups with drinks in small banana leaf boxes on the sidewalk in front of the home or the shop or the special puja tables on the streets. The offerings are to appease the good and the evil spirits and gods, to bring prosperity and good health.

Black Sand and Black Pebble Beaches

In the North of Bali all the beaches have black pebbles and black sand! I like the black beaches because they are unique and different. In some parts of Indonesia though there are white beaches like in the South of Bali and the three Gilli Islands.

Beautiful Roof Structures

One of my favorite things about Bali is how people construct their roofs. The one I like the most has a pyramid shape. This is how it looks from the inside.

There are also other types of roofs that are spectacular!!!

The Balinese Man Uniform

Bali is the first place that I saw men having to wear a special “Bali uniform” if they are a tour guide, have to go to a ceremony or do an important job. The uniform is a sarong (man skirt) around the waist and a scarf around the head. The head scarf is beautifully tied.

Rice Terraces

When we were in Vietnam, the country famous for its rice patties and terraces, it was the dry season, which meant dry rice terraces without green rice:(  That left the task of showing us green rice terraces to another country, and Bali, Indonesia was the one! What amazed me most about the rice terraces was how they were built on such steep hills and how the water was been taken to each and every terrace by an elaborate irrigation system. Another interesting fact was that the whole village participated in planting, harvesting and eating the rice!

Suicidal Chickens

Why did the chicken cross the road? I know why! Because it wanted to get to the other side… In Bali all the chickens were trying to get to the other side of the road and most of them threw themselves right in front of our scooters! Crazy chickens.

Good Snorkeling

Bali was also the first place that I experienced great snorkeling. It beat the Virgin Islands and even Surin Islands, Thailand! I saw amazing colorful fish and corals!!!

Inquisitive locals

There were three questions that almost every Balinese person we have talked to asked: “What’s your name?”, “Where are you from?” and “Where are you going?” These were the questions that we got asked all the time in Bali, in that particular order. People were also very open and friendly. One man even invited us to his family’s ceremony for releasing his grandma’s ashes in the Bali Sea and guided us step by step through the whole ceremony. At the end he gave us his business card saying we should keep in touch!!!

Boryan