Selamat datang to Bali

Bali is pretty. Very. Many would say that it's basically a cleaner Goa, but I don't think that's doing justice to the place. I don't want to make claims about Bali being prettier or more interesting or anything, but the two are definitely different. Goa has its own beauty, culture and stories and so does Bali.
With that said, here's the top few things that I took back with me this last week.

1. The magical waters - the color, the majestic waves and everything below

The waters are indeed beautiful (and as I had remarked here about the waters in Croatia), are clearer than I ever expected. You see this remarkable color - the debate on whether its blue or green or turquoise can go on - that captivated me when I saw it first and continued to enamor me even after a week. Now, one may wonder why I should be so enamored with the blue color of the sea, given I have lived in Bombay (or at least close enough to it ) for the good part of my 26 years, one has to remember that if there's any debate on the color of the water on beaches in Bombay its in the shades of brown and olive green.

Just look at the blue. Swear I've never seen it in Bombay. Ever. 

The sea faces are either white sand beaches like this

Or huge rocks that the waves lash out against like this

The waters around have some of the best and easily accessible corals and aquatic fauna in the world. The short snorkelling trip was proof for it and definitely inspiration to brush up those swimming skills and upgrade to diving next time!

2. The temples
Bali is a 95% Hindu region and are these people religious! They have a lot of daily temples. Of course, there are the really famous ones - the ones that have been recognized by UNESCO and all. We saw a couple - Tirtha Empel and Ulu Watu. I love Ulu Watu - it's on a cliff and offers a splendid view - the huge cliff going all the way down the ocean and huge waves coming and lashing against the rock!

The ulu Watu temple is the three tiered conical roof structure you can see on the cliff behind me

The cliff that you can see from the temple

But apart from these, there are temples everywhere you go. People say that if you throw a rock in Bali, you'll probably hit 10 temples and that's probably true. Cause there aren't just the temple complexes, but every home has a temple in its compound and several shops have temples just outside the door.

A temple outside a restaurant

3. The offerings
Religion is clearly a big part of their lives. It's not just in temples that have been built and forgotten. Everywhere in Bali you will see these offerings. It's some flowers, sometimes a ball of rice and a incense stick in a bamboo basket. You will see it at all times at all places - in temples, in homes, outside shops, or at the door of a bar!

4. The doors
So there is a lot of artwork in Bali all around - wood, gold, silver, stone - lots of things. A lot of furniture is really intricate and ornate. A lot of walls are filled with very delicate carvings. The temples are of course very ornate. But the one thing that really stood out for me was the doors - the gates to enter a compounded space, the archways to mark the end or beginning of a city, or the door to enter a house. The gates are mostly pillars on either sides, with flat walls on the inside and pointed peaks. The doors are often made of intricate wood carvings plated with metal sheets

Entrance to a beach

Entrance to a hotel

Another hotel

A replica of a door from the Jimbaran style of architecture

5. The food
Bali is a paradise for seafood lovers - lobsters, prawns, fish, clams! I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Shell fish

Crab

Prawn or the way they call it - Udang

6. It's more than just beaches. 
When you say Bali, you think beaches. But it's more than just that. There's the temples, and the art that we've seen earlier. But even in terms of the natural landscape there are the beautiful mountains.
The central Ubud region is home to a lot of mountains, many of them volcanoes.

Mount Batur

It's a beautiful landscape. You can see the mountain standing tall and the conspicuous lack of vegetation on the black soil marked by the lava from the last eruption. And then of course the charming rice terraces.

Bali was great. Signing off with a shout out to the people who made the trip what it was!