The happiest people in the world are in Bali

Feeling rested and refreshed we flew to Bali to go on our second Intrepid tour! We loved our first one in India.

Bali is an island in Indonesia, but it is very distinctive from the rest of the country. It has a unique Balinese Hindu culture and is known for its artistic traditions as well as deep spiritual practices. And everyone seems to wear flip-flops.

We met our group and local guide Guna in Ubud (central Bali) and started exploring the island. Bali is about 1/2 the size of the big island of Hawaii and has about 4.3 million residents. Tourism is their biggest industry and they are known as the Island of the Gods.

We took walks through small villages, we learned to make an offering and we experienced the warm hospitality that Bali is famous for. Bali is also known for adventure and Jim didn’t waste time by going on a whitewater rafting trip.

We saw the Balinese Kekac Fire Dance perform. There were 50+ men performing a cappella and it was mesmerizing. From Ubud we traveled north to higher elevation, to the rice terraces. The weather changes quickly in Bali and we got caught in torrential rain, we even biked through it.

From the rice terraces we went to a Sibetan village called Dukuh, where we overnighted in Homestays. While visiting we learned more about the traditional culture. We took a cooking class, learned to weave baskets, and play traditional instruments and learned about Salak. Salak, known as “snake fruit”, grows in Indonesia particularly in the area of Bali. We had a wonderful visit!

From the village we traveled to East Bali to climb Mt Batur volcano. We drove to a hotel near the base, slept for a few hours and got up at 3:00am to climb so we could be at the top for sunrise. It was challenging but well worth it.

From Mt Batur we headed to the northern coast to the city of Lovina. Intrepid (our tour group) always supports local businesses and guides and organizations that are doing good work in the community. We got to visit Global Village Foundation Kafe which provides training and employment for people with hearing impairment and other disabilities and gives 100% of their profit to local humanitarian work. I won’t lie I walked in and cried, it is such a beautiful space.

Northern Bali was warm and had chill vibes. We got up early headed to the market for fruit and went snorkeling off Menjagong Island.

We left the north coast and headed to a beautiful waterfall and then to one of the major Hindu temples in Bali called Ulun Danu Beratan Temple. Many people were at the temple preparing for Nyepi, which is an important Balinese Hindu holiday.

We returned to southern Bali to the city of Sanur and said goodbye to our group.

And ventured on our own for a few days. We went snorkeling again to the beautiful islands around Penida. Jim snorkeled with Manta Rays. We visited Plaza Garuda and the huge cliffs at Uluwatu temple. There are over 20,000 temples in Bali.

The second to last day we experienced Ogoh Ogoh and Nyepi. They go together. Ogoh Ogoh is the eve of Nyepi and there are parades in the streets with these huge hand made statues. These monsters represent the evil spirits. The festival is meant to drive out the evil before the Balinese Hindu New Year called Nyepi. Nyepi is a day of silence. The whole island shuts down for 24 hours-no travel, lights, fire or work-even the airport. It’s a day to rest and self-reflect. Tourists are required to follow this by staying in their hotels. It was an amazing day of quiet. We loved it.

Our guide Guna told us the only thing Bali exports is smiles! And we experienced that to be true. If we came rested and refreshed we were leaving energized by the spirit of Bali.

We love you and miss you.

Jim and Michelle