Bali
See also: A Balinese Funeral; Bali-2; Tips for Travelers
In the 1960s and 70s Bali was an almost legendary place. It was synonymous with beauty - of its setting, its culture and its women. And the women were supposed to be willing of course. It obviously changed over the years, especially with the Australian (and Japanese) tourist influx. By 2004, Bali's major tourist areas had largely become one of many Asian tourist resorts, hard to distinguish from a dozen others.
The natural beauty still exists, as you will see from some of the pictures here. And if you move away from the population centers then another side of the Balinese character becomes evident.
While tourism has brought economic progress, it has also introduced greed to an extraordinary degree. It is hard to find so many touts anywhere - they literally grab you off the streets to try to get you to buy watches, shirts, tours, whatever. And in certain areas - read the comments about the villagers at the Besakih temple - supposedly the holiest temple in Bali, the greed and deceit can overpower what is a wonderful experience.
All this should not put you off visiting Bali. It still has great natural beauty, cheap shopping and plenty of places to get drunk if that is what you want. And if you want introspection, you can get away to any number of places for it.
 A panoramic view of Mt.Batur and Lake Batur. |
 One of Bali's famed rice terraces. Every inch of land seems to be cultivated and people survive on amazingly small acreage. Owning as little as one-twentieth of one hectare is common. |
 The tiger from the Barung dance. It consists of two people joined together. Some (or all) of Bali's dances originate in Hinduism. The Kecak dance is Bali's version of the Ramayana. |
 The Bounty Hotel's swimming pool early in the morning - an hour later it will be crowded with Australians. 95 percent of the guests were Aussies. |
 A dancer, also from the Barung dance. |
 The under-construction monument to the 200 (134 from Australia) who died in the 2002 bomb blast. |
 The bottom of the Gitgit Falls. As a whole not very impressive, but okay if you have time. |
 Overlooking one of the 'three lakes'. A beautiful site that most tourists do not get to. |
 The stunning site of the temple at Besakih, high on the slopes of the Agung volcano, rising into the mists. This is the holiest temple in Bali. |
 A path in a temple near Kuta. The red foliaged plants are typical of Bali and exist everywhere. |
 A Balinese home. The shrine (in the foreground, with a skirt around its ... lingam?) is something every home has. Some are more elaborate than others. |
 The very famous Tanah Lot temple. This picture was taken at low tide. In high tide the temple seems to rise out of the ocean. |
|
|
|
|