Aboriginal Balinese called the Bali Aga make their home on the shore of Bali’s largest freshwater lake, Danau Batur, located at the base of the active volcano Gunung Batur. On a clear day, the viewpoint at nearby Penelokan offers magnificent panoramas. As the road climbs steadily out of Bangli town, the terrain gradually changes from…
Ubud and Surroundings The Gianyar region, to which Ubud belongs, is Bali’s undisputed cultural enclave. This is where to find artists’ studios and galleries together with lush rice fields, ornate temples and ancient historical sites. Ubud is where visitors gravitate to when they want to escape the tourist hordes of the south. Driving northward from…
South Bali Balinese cosmology considers the sea to be inauspicious. Yet it is on the sandy beaches of South Bali where most travellers end up, and where the widest choice of hotels, restaurants, bars and shops are. Culture hounds who search hard enough will find a sprinkling of temples, markets and museums. Southem Bali is…
The order of the cosmos defines how a traditional building is laid out and constructed in Bali. Some of these ideas have inspired contemporary styles that borrow from European design, often embellished with lush, spectacular gardens. For centuries, all Balinese buildings have been laid out according to the principles of sacred space. Even in prehistoric…
Balinese dance and drama are staged purely for entertainment, or more soberly for temple ceremonies. Performed for deities, demons and mere mortals, frenzied spirit possession and trance are key features of some sacred dances. Dance, drama, puppetry and music often take place during religious ceremonies to entertain both divine and human audi¬ences. Performers are often…
A Roast Suckling pig lies among offering for a temple festival. On pavements, under trees, inside cars and at shrines, these exquisitely crafted offerings are ephemeral works of art Banten (offerings) are gifts to deities to ask for blessings and to give thanks, or as payoffs to demons to keep them appeased and away. Flowers,…
Originally, art on Bali was an obligation to the deities. It still is today, but tourism has changed much of Bali’s aesthetic purpose. The beauty of the hand work is still apparent in stone and wood carvings, textiles, metalwork and painting. Balinese art has its primary expression in religion, not as a conscious production for…
Gamelan (gambelan or gong in Bali¬nese), accompanies every theatrical, religious and social event. The music entertains both deities and humans. A ban-jar (neighbourhood) usually owns a game-Ian set, and anyone may join a sekaha gong (music club). Young musicians are developing new ensembles and there are children’s gamelan clubs where boys and girls as young…
Since the mid 1990s hundreds of new restaurants have opened in Bali, mostly serving a variety of cuisines from all corners of the globe. The dining options available in Bali today are quite incredible, and at prices that constantly amaze tourists when they convert the cost back to their own currency. Initially the new restaurants…
Bali’s fertile volcanic soils and surrounding seas assure that one’s taste buds will not lack for challenges or surprises, whether of fish, fruit, meat, or vegetable. In addition to local cuisine, the food of more than a dozen countries is available. It’s surprisingly difficult for the visitor to find genuine Balinese cuisine in Bali. This…