Bali, Indonesia
BALI,
INDONESIA
FEBRUARY
21 – 22, 2025
With a thriving arts scene and lush seaside paradises, Bali has long beckoned travelers in search of ultimate beauty – AND here we are!!!! This island’s rich Hindu culture has held that gods live in all natural things – from mountains to streams to pebbles on the beach – lending the island a peaceful and serene air as our private local guide for this next two days described (Komang Sherif).
On the first
day, we visited artisan villages and chose to explore the workshops of Batik
and Silver. Of course, there were purchases
of intricately patterned Batik men’s shirts and ladies wear and hand-made silver
jewelry!!!
We then
visited the breathtaking beauty of Tegenungan Waterfall.
There was a glass bridge over this valley that we chose not to experience!
Our next visit
was to a Balinese Family Compound to experience the traditional Balinese way of
life.
AND our last
visit of the day was to a Night Safari with a buffet dinner and a fire dance
performance and then a night safari. Our
group piled into a large cage and were driven into the forest where we
encountered lions, rhinos, zebras, elephants and tigers. Often the tigers jump onto the top of the cage,
just as they did this evening!!! Quite an
exciting first day in Bali for sure.
Day
Two in Bali
Bali is famed
for its spiritual culture and is known as the “Island of the Gods”. The main religion of Bali is Balinese Hinduism, and it is celebrated with pride throughout the country. With more than 10,000 temples across the
island, processions of locals can be seen daily as they attend temple
ceremonies leaving a scattering of flower petals along the way.
Our first visit was to witness the The Barong Kris Dance. This play represents an eternal fight between good and evil spirit. Barong (a mythological animal) represents a good spirit and Rangda (a mythological monster) represents an evil one. An outstanding description of the religion and history of Bali.
Our second visit of the day was to the Ubud Monkey Forest described as the habitat of the “good” monkeys. Because they are so well fed, they do not try to steal sunglasses, cell phones, water bottles and food from the tourists – most of the time!!!!
Our next stop was to the Luwak Coffee Plantation where we sampled six types of delicious herbal teas, six coffees/cocoas and Balinese coffee and the Luwak coffee known as CatPOOchino! This particular cat, called a Luwak, eats the red coffee cherry beans and after they are digested, poos them out and then are processed and roasted to make a very special Balinese coffee ! Will bring some home for you to sample!!
We then explored the stunning Tegalalang Rice Terraces. Ladies can adorn themselves in a flowing red dress and swing over the rice terraces with the huge red train of the dress trailing behind. Others can zip line or ride tandem bicycles on a zip line across these terraces!!!
Our last
visit of a very busy day was to the majestic Uluwatu Hindu Temple with its
cultural significance and spiritual ambiance.
Another bucket list destination!! I would have walked the glass bridge. Wow, Tigers!!! <3
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