Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Balinese Interlude
One of the nice things about living in Japan is that there are many nice travel destinations around. During Julien’s school vacation in February, we decided to go to Bali and Java.
There is no doubt in my mind: Bali, the Island of the Gods, is one of these magic places on earth (and don’t get me started about what I think are the other magic places around the world).
Bali has it all — incredibly rich cultural heritage, beautiful sceneries such as these picturesque rice terraces, extremely friendly people, fascinating dancing with gorgeous costumes, good food, nice sandy beaches (although we didn’t really go there for these), sacred caves, lush tropical forests full of exotic wildlife, mountains and active volcanos, and much more.
This was our second visit and this time, we first stayed in Nusa Dua in the South, and then in Ubud, a little North of Denpasar, the capital.
No need to write a touristic review of Bali. let’s just say that we all really enjoyed our stay. Here are simply a few pictures. 
The direct flight from Tokyo took about seven hours and we arrived after night fall — the arrival drink to put us in the mood was quite welcome. 
Bali offers so many ways to indulge oneself. Needless to say, we both enjoyed some time at a spa. 
Visiting market and temples
Everywhere, we could see some beautifully made handicrafts and souvenirs. 
And just about every day, we enjoyed some Balinese dancing — Barong dance, the famous Kecak, Legong dance, Kris dance, etc. 
A simple visit to a temple can become an adventure…. Julien was firmly asked for food by a monkey at Ulawatu temple.
And then, of course, we managed to learn a little something about Balinese cooking. Our hotel arranged a cooking class for us. 
This started early morning by a visit to the market, followed by 
some work in the kitchen 
and an excellent lunch!
Our dishes include the above skew (Sate Lilit with chicken and beef), Balinese boiled vegetable (Lawar Bali) and two desserts (Rujak Segar, mixed fresh fruits with tamarind and palm sugar and Kolak Pisang, boiled bananas with palm sugar and coconut milk).
Have a look at more photos HERE .
To be followed by a post on Java and Borobudur.
<< Home
