Bali : The Goddess and Paradise island

Bali doesn’t extend beyond the tourist leaflet : idyllic tropical beaches, lush green forests and rice fields tripping down hillsides like giant steps. This vision of paradise has been turned into a commodity for the hundreds of thousands of tourists who flood into Bali every year. You discover the extra ordinary richness of Balinese culture which remains unique and authentic, despite the tourist invasion and it’s not hard to find out of the way places where tourists are a rarity.

Some recommended places to visit as follow;

Denpasar. Denpasar is the capital of Bali. It has an interesting museum called "Museum Negeri Propinsi Bali" which comprises several buildings and pavilions including examples of architecture of both the puri (palace) and pura. There are also some arts centre and lots of shops. Denpasar still has some tree-lines streets and pleasant gardens even has a lots of traffic, noise and pollution.

Kuta. Bali’s largest and tackiest tourist beach resort. Most visitors come to the Kuta because it’s close to the airport and has the best range of budgets hotels, restaurants and tourist facilities as well a busy beach scene,shopping and nightlife.You can easily go surfing, sailing, diving, fishing or rafting anywhere in southern Bali.

Sanur. An upmarket alternative to Kuta for those coming to Bali for sea, sand and sun. Its offering good, inexpensive eateries bound so you don’t have to swallow the highest prices at hotels and restaurants. Other services are here with charming craft, clothing and antique shops. The beach is wide and white sheltered by a reef. Some water sports are available – windsurfing, parasailing, padle boards etc .The diving off Sanur is is popular activities including bowling and golf.

Jimbaran. Its located just beyond the airport, south of Kuta as a superb crescent of white sand and blue sea. Jimbaran is a busy fishing village, somehow squeezed between the airport and a number of luxury hotels. It is nice place to enjoying the sunset and scenery with a cool drink and a fresh fish on the fire to spend an evening here.

Uluwatu. Pura Uluwatu is one of several important temples to the spirits of the sea along the southern coast of Bali. The temple is perched at the south-western tip of the peninsula where sheer cliffs drop precipitously into the clear blue sea. The real attraction is the location but watch out for the local monkeys which like to snatch spectacles and sunglasses as well as handbags, hats and anything else can get. Uluwatu is Bali’s surfing mecca featured in several classic surfing films. Other great surf breaks are Padang Padang, Bingin and Balangan.

Nusa Dua. It is known as Bali’s top end beach resort, a collection of suitably sumptuous five star hotels, successfully isolated from the realities of everyday life in Bali. This is where tourists pay almost exclusively but it lacks of shops other than expensive shopping centre and the general isolation. The best surfing at Nusa Dua is on the reef to the north and south of the two islands. Most diving and water sports are based in nearby Tanjung Benoa.

Tanjung Benoa. The peninsula of Tanjung Benoa extends north from Nusa Dua, the Bali’s multi-denominational corners, with an interesting Chinese Temple as well as a mosque and Hindu temple nearby.

Ubud. Ubud is the centre of cultural tourism in Bali and it has attracted visitors interested in Balinese culture. There are also numerous temples and some ancient sites, some fine museums, bookshops, shopping and craft centres, woodcarvings, paintings, galleries and some artists’ homes. You can visit Monkey forest where it is inhabited by a handsome band of monkeys ever ready for passing tourists who just might have peanuts to hand out.

Goa Gajah (Cave). Its only a short distance east of the town Teges where the origins of the cave are uncertain – one tale relates that it was created by the fingernail of the legendary giant Kebo Iwa.

Tampaksiring. It is a small town with probably the most impressive ancient monument in Bali and a large and important temple with public baths.

Gianyar. Gianyar has some textile factories on the Denpasar side of town where we can visit the ikat being woven and can buy some material made up as shirts, dresses, bed cover, etc. There is Puri Gianyar, as a traditional palace architecture.

Pura Besakih. It perched nearly 1000m up the side of Gunung Agung as Bali’s most important temple. It's most enjoyable during one of the frequent festivals when hundreds or perhaps thousands of gorgeously dressed devotees turn up with beautifully arranged offerings.

Padangbai. As the port for ferries between Bali and Lombok, and passenger boats to Nusa Penida.

Candidasa. Candidasa is less hectic than Kuta and is good base to explore eastern Bali. The budget and mid range accommodation is surprisingly good value and popular with divers (scuba and snorkelling).

Nusa Penida. Nusa penida comprises 3 islands – Nusa penida, Nusa lembongan and Nusa Ceningan.

Nusa Penida is a limestone plateau. The main town, Sampaian is quiet but pleasant with market, school and shops along the curving coast road. Nusa Lembongan is popular as the most developed island for tourists where they come for the surf that breaks on the reefs or the quiet beach but still great place to relax even if you are not into swimming. The island has a good range of budget accomodation, most with its own glorious beach. Nusa Ceningan is the smallest island and has a bridge crosses the lagoon between Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. There is a fishing village and several agricultural plots, the island is quite hilly with great scenery as going around the rough tracks.

Tanah Lot. Tanah lot is popular with its venerated sea temples. Tourists come here to enjoy the sunset with its superb temple which delicately lit by the dawn light or starkly outlined at sunset.

Sangeh.The distance is about 20km north of Denpasar, near the village of Sangeh, stands the monkey forest of Bukit sari. It is featured “Ramayana”, the Balinese legend with its interesting old Garuda statue. The place is touristy but the forrest is cool, green and shady and the monkeys are cute as well as cheeky.

Tabanan. Tabanan is the capital of the district “Tabanan”. It consists of South Tabanan which is famous with Kediri (cattle markets), tradional pottery and an old beautiful palace which was built in 17^th century. North Tabanan which popular with its Alas Kedaton (monkey forests), Taman Kupu-kupu Bali features thousands of pretty butterflies in a huge area.

West Bali National Park. It covers 19,003 hectares of western trip of Bali. There is a local trekking to tour inside the park with starting point Labuhan Lalang for trips to Pulau Menjangan. Most of the natural vegetation in the park is not tropical rainforest which requires rain all year but coastal savanna with deciduous trees that become bare in the dry season. Local fauna includes black monkeys, leaf monkeys, macaques, barking, sambar, mouse, Java and muncak deer. There are also squirrels, wild pigs, buffaloes, iguanas, pythons, green snakes.and 300 species represented including very rare Bali starling.

Gunung Batur. This volvanic mountain is located to the north west of Gunung Agung. The popular round trip to the north coast crossess the mountains on one route (via gunung Batur) and returns on the other from Singaraja via Bedugul, thus covering the most interesting parts of the central mountain region.

Singaraja. Singaraja is second largest city in Bali. Some Interesting sites around Singaraja including some of Bali’s best town temples. The north coast sandstone is very soft and easily carved, allowing local sculptors to give free rein to their imagination.

Lovina. Lovina is on the west of Singaraja and becoming a popular beach resort with plenty shops, bars, hotels and other tourist facilities. The sand is black and volcanic not white. The beaches most are thin and don’t offer much privacy but mostly are clean and fine to walk along. No place to surf as a reef ensures that the water is calm of the time. The sunsets are spectacular as those in Kuta.

In this paradise island some top-end hotels recommended to stay include : Natour Bali Hotel, Holiday Inn Bali Hai, Kartika Plaza Hotel, Risata Bali resort, Santika Beach Hotel, Kuta Hotel, Aneka Kuta, Bounty Hotel, Hotel Camplung Mas, Hotel Istana Rama, Natour Kuta Beach, Poppies Cottage 1, Hotel Ramayana, Resor Kul Kul, Bali Intan Legian, Bali Padma Hotel, Legian Beach Hotel, Hotel Jayakarta, Bali Holiday Resort, Bali Oberoi Hotel, Puri Bunga Cottages, Bali Hyatt, Desa Segara, Grand Bali Beach Hotel, Natour Sindhu Beach, Puri Santrian Hotel, Bali Hilton International, Hotel Bualu Village, Hotel Melia Bali Sol, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Sheraton Lagoon, Sheraton Nusa Indah Hotel, Hotel Champlung Sari, Puri Bunga Village, Amandari, etc.