The Best view of Bali

In 2015 I traveled to Bali and met my cousin in Kuta, Bali.  We stayed at a great hotel “Kubu” I would recommend it to anyone traveling there.  Laundry is done by Selfie, the woman across the street and our clothes always smelled so good.

One of the first things we noticed when we arrived were these little square bamboo bowls filled with flowers and an offering to god of any sort whether it be candy, a stone, sometimes even a cigarette. These were everywhere on the streets, everywhere you looked, stepped on and put out every morning.

The next thing to know about Indonesia is they are the biggest rice producer in the world.  You can go see rice fields on rice fields.  We visited the largest rice field in Bali and walked the fields after grabbing lunch..

When we traveled to Bali, we stayed in a homestay I will never forget.  Our experience there was irreplaceable and “the Ning’s” treated us so well. Breakfast every morning, something banana along with fruit like papaya, bananas, oranges, pinnapple etc.  On our balcony I saw a man flying a kite made out of a trashbag. He was standing on the roof and I got a shot of him, it was so beautiful.

In Bali one night, my cousin and I decided to go see this dance we had heard about.  Balinese dancing is a very ancient tradition that is part of the artistic and religious expression of Balinese people and in Indonesia as a whole. Balinese dancers express the stories of dance-drama through the bodily gestures including gestures of fingers, hands, head and eyes. It was dynamic and fascinating to see the tradition in action. Their faces were scary looking but it’s all part of the dance.

We also visited a water temple in Bali.  This was a magical experience, everyone was bathing in the holy water and there was a line of people waiting to do the same.  On the other side of the water was the temple with people playing music and drumming before the offering. We walked around the temple after the assembly and arrived at a large coy pond where there were the cutest children (one with a Harley Davidson shirt on).  They posed for a picture and it cemented the moment in my camera.

Another adventure we went on in Bali was to the Luwak farm.  In Bali they make coffee a different way… they make it with the fecies of the Luwak animal.  They both grow and get their coffee from the Luwak.  This coffee is considered to be very valuable on the market. Most people in Indonesia will never even get the chance to try this delicacy it is so expensive.  I was lucky enough to try a cup and get a tour, below are the bean fecies and the coffee itself.

 

From Bali, we traveled to the Gili Islands across the way. The Gili Islands consist of three islands, Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno, and Gili Air.  We visited every island but Gili Air was by far my favorite. We stayed in a small bungalow during our stay and we loved it.  We also found the best place on Gili Air to watch the sunset every night and we spent our days there.  I took this picture of a kid with a wooden piece pretending to shoot at his brother while his brother throws up the peace sign. This is one of my favorite photos I took as the meaning behind it is fascinating.