Bali

Maps Of Bali, by Peter Loud

Bali is an Indonesian island located at 8°25′23″S, 115°14′55″ECoordinates: 8°25′23″S, 115°14′55″E, the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Island, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. The island is home to the vast majority of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music.

Geography

Bali lies 3.2 km east of Java and approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. East to west, the island is approximately 153 km wide and 112 km north to south (95 by 69 miles, respectively), with a surface area of 5,632 km². The highest point is Mount Agung at 3,142 m (10,308 feet) high, an active volcano that last erupted in March 1963. Mountains cover centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Mount Batur (1,717 m) is also still active. About 30,000 years ago it experienced a catastrophic eruption — one of the largest known volcanic events on Earth.

In the south the land descends to form an alluvial plain, watered by shallow rivers, drier in the dry season and overflowing during periods of heavy rain.

The principal cities are the northern port of Singaraja, the former colonial capital of Bali, and the present provincial capital and largest city, Denpasar, near the southern coast. The town of Ubud (north of Denpasar), with its art market, museum and galleries, is arguably the cultural center of Bali.

There are major coastal roads and roads that cross the island mainly north-south. Due to the mountainous terrain in the island's center, the roads tend to follow the crests of the ridges across the mountains. There are no railway lines.

The island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand while those in the north and west black sand. The beach town of PadangBai in the south east has both: the main beach and the secret beach have white sand and the south beach and the blue lagoon have much darker sand. Pasut Beach, near Ho River and Pura Segara, is a quiet beach 14 km southwest of Tabanan. The Ho River is navigable by small sampan. Black sand beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are being developed for tourism, but apart from the seaside temple of Tanah Lot, this is not yet a tourist area.

The province is divided into 8 regencies (kabupaten) and 1 city (kota):Badung, Bangli, Buleleng, Denpasar(city), Gianyar, Jembrana, Karangasem, Klungkung, Tabanan.

Demographics
Religion
Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 93% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism, formed as a combination of existing local beliefs and Hindu influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. Minority religions include Islam (5.7%), Christianity (1.4%), and Buddhism (0.6%). These official statistical figures do not include immigrants from other parts of Indonesia.

Immigrants from other parts of Indonesia have drastically changed the demographics in Bali. Although the majority of the population of Bali adheres to Balinese Hinduism, recent years have brought an influx of people from other islands seeking to benefit from the tourist industry, export of local handicrafts and other factors, making Bali the most affluent island in the region. The estimated percentage of Muslim residents of Bali from other islands is about 25%.

Language
Balinese and Indonesian are the most widely spoken languages in Bali, and like most Indonesians, the vast majority of Balinese people are bilingual or trilingual. There are several indigenous Balinese languages, but most Balinese can also use the most widely spoken option: modern common Balinese. The usage of different Balinese languages was traditionally determined by the Balinese caste system and by clan membership, but this tradition is diminishing.

English is a common third language (and the primary foreign language) of many Balinese, owing to the requirements of the large tourism industry. Staff working in Bali's tourist centres are often, by necessity, multilingual to some degree, speaking as many as 8 or 9 different languages to an often surprising level of competence.

Culture
Bali is famous for many forms of art, including painting, sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, and performing arts. Balinese gamelan music is highly developed and varied. The dances portray stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana. Famous Balinese dances include pendet, legong, baris, topeng, barong, and kecak (the monkey dance).

National education programs, mass media and tourism continue to change Balinese culture. Immigration from other parts of Indonesia, especially Java, is changing the ethnic composition of Bali's population.

The Hindu new year, Nyepi, is celebrated in the spring by a day of silence. On this day everyone stays at home and tourists are encouraged to remain in their hotels. On the preceding day large, colorful sculptures of ogoh-ogoh monsters are paraded and finally burned in the evening to drive away evil spirits. Other festivals throughout the year are specified by the Balinese pawukon calendrical system.

Source Wikipedia

Dreamland Beach

Dreamland beach is similar in nature to the other beaches in Bukit Peninsula, but it is popular not only with the surfers, also with the beach lovers. It easy access combined with the presence of warungs serving BBQ seasfood and cold cold beer make it attractive to anyone who just wants to get away from the hustle of Kuta life.

Dreamland is located in the Pecatu countryside around 20 minutes from the Ngurah Rai Airport. Park in the lot at the top of the hill and walk down.

The area has a beautiful beach and panorama, with the high wave reaching 4 meters makes this place become a favorite place for surfers and boogie boards.

The wave is hollow, fasts, and powerful and the quality is standard with reef’s (coral, sharp rocks with sand) bottom, can only be safely explore by the experienced surfer. During the normal day, it will be few people do the surf, but at the weekend this place is crowded.

The sparkling blue wave breaks right on the shore so be careful or you'll be eating sand (and watch out for the rock on the left a couple of meters off shore.

Dreamland beach is really a new discovery beach for relaxing, surfing, and sunbathing.

Via BaliTravel

Nusa Penida

Nusa Penida region consists of 3 isles, which are Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan. These isles, located on the east-west side, approximately take about 90 minutes by boat from Bali. Another secret place for some private time on beautiful white, sandy beaches and obviously a great spot to surf as well.

• Nusa Penida
  Usually, the Nusa Penida region is visited by fanatic surfers seeking hideouts to surf. But this does not mean that those who are not surfers cannot enjoy the breathtaking views, right? Nusa Penida is the biggest island among the other two. It consists of great hills and cliffs to climb and to enjoy the scenery from above. You can find hotel accommodations with good facilities here.
  
  
• Nusa Ceningan
  Nusa Ceningan is located in between the other two islands, and it is the smallest of the lot. Here you can stay at the local house, and try the traditional cuisine. Ask the local guide to charter a fisherman boat for you to dive and snorkel in the blue ocean with its exquisite variety of ocean fishes and corals.
  
  
• Nusa Lembongan
  Last of the three isles, the Nusa Lembongan… If you do visit here, I would recommend for you to stay at Waka Nusa, which features bungalows with traditional grass roofs. The restaurant is also worth trying with such a good price deal. The bungalows themselves too cater to several tourist activities, such as glass-bottom boat tours, snorkeling, canoeing and such.

Via: StreetDirectory

Trunyan

The village of Trunyan is squeezed tightly between the lake and the outer crater rim of Batur, an almighty volcano in Kintamani. This is a Bali Aga village, inhabited by descendants of the original Balinese, the people who predate the arrival of the Hindu Majapahit kingdom in the 16th century. It is famous for the Pura Pancering Jagat temple, but unfortunately visitors are not allowed inside. There are also a couple of traditional Bali Aga-style dwellings, and a large banyan tree, which is said to be more than 1,100 years old. At Kuban sub-village close to Trunyan is a mysterious cemetery that is separated by the lake and accessible only by boat - there is no path along the steep walls of the crater rim.

The village of Trunyan itself is situated at the edge of Batur Lake. This location is inaccessible except by boat, and it takes around half an hour across the calm waters. Getting to Lake Batur takes around two hours drive to the northeast of Denpasar along the main road to Buleleng and through Bangli Regency.

Unlike the Balinese people, the people of Trunyan do not cremate or bury their dead, but just lay them out in bamboo cages to decompose, although strangely there is no stench. A macabre collection of skulls and bones lies on the stone platform and the surrounding areas.

The dead bodies don't produce bad smells because of the perfumed scents from a huge Taru Menyan tree growing nearby. Taru means 'tree' and Menyan means 'nice smell'. The name of Terunyan was also derived from these two words.

The women from Trunyan are prohibited from going to the cemetery when a dead body is carried there. This follows the deeply rooted belief that if a woman comes to the cemetery while a corpse is being carried there, there will be a disaster in the village, for example a landslide or a volcanic eruption. Such events have been frequent in the village's history, but whether women had anything to do with it is a matter of opinion.

Via: indo.com

Taman Ayun Temple

Taman Ayun, means beautiful garden, located in the village of Mengwi, 18km west of Denpasar, is indeed one of Bali’s most picturesque temples. The King of Mengwi, I Gusti Agung Anom, built is stately proportioned courtyards and large surrounding moat in the year 1634. Containing both the Royal family ancestral shrines and the strayed MERU shrines to the major deities, Taman Ayun became the main temple for the ancient Kingdom of Mengwi.

This magnificent compound of Taman Ayun Temple is positioned on an island in a river. The innermost temple is an addition that is surrounded by a moat. A large fountain basin is erected beyond a split gate (candi bentar); in front of the entrance to the inner temple. The fountain basin is devoted to the rulers of the underworld. The innermost courtyard that can be entered through a covered gate (candi korung), comprises of 27 buildings of varying size and function

The importance of the temple can be judged not only from the fact that the place includes divinities but also from the range of devotess who visit the temple during the time of festivals. At the far end in the right hand corner there is an eleven-tiered MERU which is dedicated to the rice goddess Dewi Sri. On the left side is placed the third bale and which is believed to be the domicile of numerous different gods.

Tanah Lot

Tanah Lot is only one of the popular recreational tourist attractions in Bali, which is a must visit for all who go to the island.

A pleasing high energy coast in Bali, Indonesia, Tanah Lot is extravagantly blessed by nature. The beautiful geographical landscape adorned with soaring imperial cliffs makes the place no less than a paradise. The Tanah Lot houses a famous Hindu Temple Built in the 13th century by a famous Hindu monk known as the Pura Tanah Lot .Tanah Lot can best be described as a famous rock formation off the Indonesian coast of Bali. During high water, the rock takes on the appearance of a large boat at sea .Tanah Lot is a popular tourist destination visited by tourists from different parts of the globe.

Tanah Lot is often referred to as Tanah Let which means ancient land and also Tanah Lod, which means the land to the south. The temple Pura Tanah Lot happens to be one of the main temples in the worship of Balinese gods. The Pura Tanah Lot temple can only be accessed during high tide. The best time to visit Tanah Lot is during sunset when the golden red skies border the temple and waves hit the rocks.

According to popular myths, in the 16th century, priest Niratha chose Tanah Lot for his meditations to avoid being harassed by local priests.




Via: asiaroom

Goa Lawah (Bat Cave)

About 43 kilometers east of Denpasar, one of the most sacred temples in Bali, which wasbuilt in the 11th century by the high priest “Empu Kuturan”. Inside the temple, one will find a natural cave inhabited by thousands of bats hanging down from the ceiling, flying around, and singing as well as holy python snakes that often appear around the cave.