Travel Guide: Bali- The Island of Gods

Bali, also known as the island of gods, is a place having an abundance of temples, beaches and rice paddies. People from all around the world visit this island to experience the calmness that this place offers. When I visited this place with my family at the end of November, I was dazed looking at this place. The cars were moving at a very slow pace and the streets were bustling with the laughter and talks of the people. There was just this exact moment where I knew I was going to be in love with this place.

Bali, being an island, has a rich diversity of beaches from white sand to black sand and hidden shores coast. Out of all these beaches, Bali has one beach for water sporting activities, Nusa Dua Beach. The activities include all types of water sports from snorkelling to scuba diving. We did scuba diving there and it was a great experience all together. The instructors are friendly and very patient. They help you with the equipment and also with the breathing tasks. One instructor per diver was allocated to us and under the sea, we saw a variety of fishes and plants. In addition, we were also given a chance to feed breadcrumbs to the fishes.

Furthermore, Bali has numerous sightseeing places and great nightlife. The most happening street in Legian Street. We went to that street on a couple of nights to have some drinks and dance the night away. All the pubs were blasting music and you can hop from one place to another. The most famous and a must-visit club on that street is Sky Garden.

The following places should be on your list while visiting Bali:-

Uluwatu Temple

This Balinese temple is built on a cliff which is approximately 70 meters above the Indian Ocean. The Balinese Hindus believe that this is the place where the 3 divine powers of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva became one. This temple is renowned because of its spectacular sunset view and also their daily Kecak and Fire dance show. This dance show narrates the story of Ramayana with the help of music and fire. It is one of the finest shows to watch while you are there. The main temple is out of bounds for the public as it is solely for praying purpose.

Stone Carving

Many artisans practice stone carving in Bali. They mainly make statues of gods like Ganesh, Buddha etc but some even carve designs on walls. The stones used in statues are limestones and it takes about 6 weeks to complete one statue. The most appealing thing for me about it was that the artisans do not have a picture in their hand of the finished product. They use the image in their mind to make the statues. They pay attention to even the tiniest details and do a spectacular job with it.

Night Safari

Bali Safari and Marine Park is home to over 60 varied species from elephants and zebras to lions and tigers. You can visit the park during the day also but it is immensely known for its night safari.

The night safari consists of a jungle walk, safari, interaction with animals, fire dance and it ends with a delicious barbeque dinner. We couldn’t do the jungle walk because of rains. The second part was the actual safari where we went around the jungle in a caged car. We saw various animals like zebras, elephants and more. You can also feed these animals from inside the cage. The most interesting part was when the tigers are made to climb on top of the cage. It was a different experience altogether.

Next was interaction with animals where we clicked pictures with snakes on our shoulders. Followed by it was the fire dance. The dancers did plentiful tricks with fire and also danced side by side. The night ended with a barbeque buffet dinner which has many vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian options.

Ubud Monkey Forest

This forest, located in the village of Padangtegal in Ubud, is considered very sacred and economical by the villagers. This forest has around 700 monkeys and 186 species of trees in12.5 hectares of forest. This forest also has a bridge known as Dragon Bridge and 3 temples. Some parts of the forest are restricted except to those who are wearing proper Balinese attire and want to pray.

We walked around the forest and were mesmerised by the natural beauty. The monkeys were jumping from one tree to another and were chattering continuously. Other than taking in the view, we also fed bananas to the monkeys while they sat on our shoulders.

Potato Head

Located in Seminyak, this beach club has an infinity pool overlooking the sea and also a beach. They have 2 slots, the morning till 4 and the evening from 6 for sunset and dinner. We went for the morning slot from 11 to 3. We spent our time there swimming in the pool and playing on the beach. The food was absolutely delicious having a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. We also sipped on some fancy and amazing cocktails. We totally loved the place and it felt like a perfect place to spend the entire day.

Rock Bar

It is a restaurant & bar located inside AYANA resort and spa which is 14 meters above the Indian Ocean. It is one of the globe’s most popular sunset places. You can enjoy the view and sunset with your partner, friends or family. The perfect combination of the view, food and ambience makes it an unforgettable experience.