Bali Holidays

Excellent Ideas For Filling Three days In Bali

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Excellent-Ideas-For-Filling-Three-days-In-BaliWe loved the suggestions from Bali blog about itinerary ideas for three-day package tours of Bali. All in all, following this plan takes you through the Monkey Forest, the Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal temple, beach side seafood cafes, craft villages going to Sanur, Mount Batur, and Lake Batur – and much more!

That sounds like fun adventure, but not everybody would be up to such a bustling holiday. Luckily, Bali is chock full of luxury villas where you can just drape yourself over the lounge chairs, enjoy an exotic cocktail, and bask in the perfect climate.

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Bali

Mount Agung, the Mythical Mountain of Bali

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mount-agung-baliWhen participating in tourism in Bali, you’ll be sure not to miss Mount Agung, which is the highest point in Bali and thus should be visible from anywhere around the local area.

It actually qualifies as a stratovolcano, similar to Mount Fuji in Japan. Like Mount Fugi, Mount Agung has its own mythology. Balinese believe it to be “Mount Meru”, an important location in Hindu legend, the center of the Universe and home to Lord Brahma. In Bali, Mount Agung is also the location of Pura Besakih, the most important Hindu temple in Bali.

Mount Agung is so massive that it actually affects the weather. West of the mountain is lush and green, while the east side is more arid. This is because the mountain intercepts the rain clouds. This Bali blog tells you more. Oh, by the way, don’t worry if the volcano should become active again; as you can see from the photos, the Balinese have the sense to build to a respectful distance.

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Bali Tourism

Arts and Crafts in Ubud

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Arts-and-Crafts-in-UbudLike all of Balinese culture, when shopping the many arts and crafts boutiques during your Bali holiday, the two words that will spring to mind will be “exotic” and “ornate”.

The Balinese, it seems, imbue even the merest candle-snuffer or incense holder with its own soul, and usually with its own facial expression as well. The always-intriguing Do Something Different blog has a post on Ubud arts and crafts.

Ubud is a city in the central south of Bali, surrounded by rice paddies and ravine-dotted foothills. In history, the city was originally home to feudal lords under the king of Gianyar, and the citizens crafted art pieces and useful goods as tribute. Later, the spreading arts reputation of Ubud drew artists from Germany and the Netherlands. Ubud is also home to many museums, including Museum Puri Lukisan, Museum Neka and the Agung Rai Museum of Art.

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Bali Holidays

Bali – Favorite Holiday Destination

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holidaysBali is a favorite holiday destination with many tourists. This small island is rich in natural beauty and serene surroundings. This is a place where people looking for great villa holidays take their families as even kids love the beach side and are always up for sandcastle building competition.

There are many hotels available for booking, but in a hotel you will miss many amenities that a private luxury villa offers. These villas are located near resorts that have world class amenities and you can easily make use of these facilities. They do not have hundreds of villas instead they provide villas located at secluded places where you can get complete privacy. It is a more intimate space that you can enjoy with your loved ones away from the busy life that you had and away from hustle and bustle of the city.

If you choose to stay in a private Balinese home you will experience the culture more closely. A private luxury villa in Bali is very comfortable just like being at home, in fact more comfortable than a home. You have access to the beautiful tidal waves and the sweet sound of the ocean can take all your worries and make you feel calm and contented, this is not something that a hotel can offer. Therefore a private villa is a completely different experience from a regular hotel. It is more like a home away from home.

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Bali

Batik – A Staple of Balinese Fashion

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batikAnybody who’s ever stayed at a luxury Balinese resort will have encountered this exotic, beautiful fabric in the many kinds of clothing, drapes, and textiles sold in Bali boutiques. It rivals the finest woven textures of the world for artistic technique, with its own unique texture thanks to their culturally-prized dying technique. In fact, Bali has done as much to introduce the world to the Indonesian sarong garment as anybody else.

Not only is batik an ideal way to make clothing designs, as well as fabrics for tablecloths, curtains, and many other household accessories, but artists even use the same technique for making batik tapestries. You’ll usually find a few these colorful and unique wall hangings in the home of anyone who has taken a vacation in Bali because you just can’t resist taking one home with you.

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Bali

Black Sand, Dolphins, and Coral Reefs – Life in Lovina

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black-sandLovina, located on the northern coast of Bali, is yet another different experience when vacationing in Bali.

As the travel resort sites like this one give you an idea, Lovina is a little less about noisy dance festivals and exotic, sacred monkey jungles and more about the ultimate beach-goer’s tropical paradise. It’s also a little more urban than other parts of Bali.

The beaches are famous for the black sand, which is a frequent result of nearby volcanic activity over geologic time. All water sports are popular here, including snorkeling, diving, swimming, and sailing. The main attraction here are the dolphin sighting tours, where hundreds of the friendly and playful sea-going mammals naturally congregate and frolic among the boats which set out at dawn to greet them.

Reports are that July and August are the busiest months, so going in the off-season could be both a money-saver and a way to enjoy more of the local’s attention to yourself. Regardless of when you go, Lovina is a relaxed, slow-paced beach-side resort town that will provide an unforgettable vacation experience.

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Bali Tourism

Balinese Tourism – A Few Tips For Dodging The Crowds

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Balinese-TourismBali is making no idle boast when it calls itself the jewel of Indonesia – it’s one of the most popular resort destinations in the world.

A recent survey of tourism throughout Indonesia found that a whopping 80% of Indonesian tourists visit Bali and Bali alone!

For those of you who prefer a vacation with a more relaxed pace, here’s some tips on getting the most out of your Bali experience:

  • July and August are the peak of tourist season. Pick any other month and enjoy fewer crowds as well as huge discounts for the off-season.
  • Stay at a Bali luxury villa instead of a hotel. Hotels tend to charge jacked-up rates compared to what you get, and are naturally more crowded too.
  • Avoid major holidays for any major country. Christmas and New Year’s bring crowds. School holiday weeks in April, June, and September draw large amounts of Australian visitors.
  • Aim for a quieter destination. Candidasa, Sanur, Amed, and Nusa Dua all tend to be quiet coastal towns that cater to the older travelers. Slower pace and more casual atmosphere.
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Bali Culture

All About Balinese Nyepi – The Strangest Holiday You’ve Ever Heard Of

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nypeHow do you typically celebrate New Year’s? With fireworks, cheering, horns, loud music, parties, and general hubbub? Well, in Bali, they celebrate Hindu New Year (Saka), which is done just the opposite – it’s called “Nyepi”, the day of absolute silence!

Like some religious holidays on western calendars, Nyepi is observed somewhere in either March or April, so you have to check with a local authority for the exact date. Tourism matters, such as airport activity and stores, will be closed. In fact, the entire island shuts down for the day, with the only activity being for strict emergencies. It’s almost eerie how quiet it is. Even the police enforce this, urging citizens not to play music or bustle about to much.

What on Earth is going on? The idea is that evil spirits come once a year to Bali looking for trouble, but if you fool them into thinking that Bali is entirely uninhabited, they’ll move on to somewhere else and leave Bali alone for another year. No really, that’s the rationale! Tourists should avoid this holiday in most cases, but if you can manage to be there for it, it is one of the most unique cultural experiences you can find. But please be respectful, as this is one of their most important holidays!

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Bali Culture

A Short Guide To Traditional Balinese Dances

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brongTourists at a Balinese luxury resort will frequently be invited to watch some local live shows.

These take the form of traditional dance ceremonies performed the same way for centuries, all of them having some significance. There’s a good variety of these and they all have their own little cultures.

Here’s a few of the kind you’re most likely to encounter:

Barong – The “lion dance”. It’s kind of a passion play about the fight between good and evil. Done with lion masks and a lot of visual spectacle. Barong dances tend to be performed in just about any tourist stop in Bali, so it’s not hard to find one.

Calonarang – A darker, more spiritual dance about casting out evil spirits. Be respectful when you see this one, because it has significance in Balinese spiritualism. There is a witch-queen character called “Rangda” who figures in the story, so look out for her.

Kecak – The “monkey dance”. As Balinese as the monkey temple itself, this dance goes to the roots of the animism branch of spirituality. Nevertheless, it’s an eye-popping spectacle with up to 250 chanting dancers in concentric circles.

Legong Keraton – The canonical historic dance of Indonesia, this one dates back to the 12th century at least. It is performed by young girls and is about young nymphs in breathtakingly beautiful costumes. Shorter versions are performed specifically for tourists, but treat yourself to a full-length version.

 

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