Wayan will also be the one who will know the ideal place for you to get away from it all

Since you speak of a PROLONGED holiday, I suggest
you contact a good driver-guide and spend the first few days touring Bali to get the lay of the
land and to look over possible places to stay.
For instance, you could contact Wayan Sueta by
e-mail so that he meets you at the airport. You won't want to stay in Kuta, where all the tourist
dreck is concentrated, so a good first stop might be in one of the villages near Ubud.
On subsequent days you will be driven north to
Lovina and to the nature preserve in the NW corner
of Bali (there is a new resort which might be
just what you want; but it might be expensive);
or you will tour to other beach and inland areas,
according to what you want to see or do. But
a guide like Wayan will also be the one who will
know the ideal place for you to get away from it
all..and to study the f&f of Bali.
Wayan's webpage: www.hiddenbali.com
Check it out!

In Bali, we hired a guide to drive us around every day and he was THE BEST

In Bali, we hired a guide to drive us around every day and he was THE BEST. His name is Wayan Sueta and you can contact him via his webpage if you want to hire him :

He took us places we NEVER would have found using the guidebook, and made the whole trip totally relaxing and stress-free. We learned so much about Balinese culture just from talking to him about his life and family and village. His english is perfect, and we ate lunch and dinner with him every day and I honestly missed him when we left. He also picked us up from the airport when we got back to Bali from Wakatobi and drove us around some more and had dinner with us on our last night as we had a 9 hour layover before our flight home to New York. He charged about $45 a day which for the 3 of us was a real bargain in our opinion. (plus we got his meals and paid him a full day's pay as a tip at the end). I wouldn't recommend seeing Bali any other way, honestly.

I can't say enough about Wayan.

Driver- Wayan Sueta ( hiddenbali dot com). I can't say enough about Wayan. He has become more a friend than a driver/guide. We took walks through river valleys and rice fields that boggle the mind. You learn so much more about a place on foot. I highly recommend his services.

Edmund Lowe Photography
P.O. Box 84183
Seattle, WA 98124
E-mail: ed@edlowephoto.com
Please visit my website at: http://www.edlowephoto.com
For fun pics visit: http://www.fotolog.net/edbob/

Hire a driver for the day...

When you hire a driver for the day, ask him to take you to his village and show you his home. It's a great experience to learn how they live and their habits.Hiring a driver for a day is very cheap , you pay about 30USD.

We had a great driver, Wayan Sueta, very good person and knowledgable of Bali. He took us to places we could never have discovered on our own. He has his webpage and I give you his contact below. Be sure to book well in advance!

Cyndi and family just back

I went to Bali as a first time American visitor nervous about Sars, Bali belly, terrorism, the war in Iraq, crooked money changers, dengue fever, State Department travel warnings, asian toilets, etc... and found it to be a dream vacation destination.

We(my husband, myself and three daughters ages 16,11,and 9) stayed at the Sheraton Nusah Indah in a 2 bedroon suite. Because the pool was undergoing renovations we used the pool at the Sheraton Laguna. Both properties were beautiful, had attentive friendly staff, excellent beaches, and pretty good security in place. We went for 14 nights and the first week there were so few people around the properties that we often had the pool to ourselves. The second week, the PATA conference was going on and things were a little more lively around the place.

The first full day we were there, we walked over to the Galleria shopping center to check out prices at resturants since the hotel prices seemed outrageously high. Every resturant was offering 60% discounts on food (not drinks) so eating was much more affordable than imagined. We were almost the only people at the Galleria for several hours and could immediately sense the desperation among the shopkeepers for our business.

On our third day there, we met with an American missionary who along with another missionary totally fund an orphanage for 20 children out of their own pockets. We had brought enormous amounts of supplies for the children and were able to meet them and give them our donations. We also went to a school and met the students and handed out clothing and school supplies to them. Then our friend took us to two different homes of families he has befriended so we could see how the Balinese live in traditional family villages. One family was woodworkers and because of the slowdown in tourism were selling very few items to stores since they weren't being bought by tourists. It really brought it home to us how the bombing has affected every family on the island in some way.

The next day was our first venture into Kuta and we were really taken aback by it. We walked onto the beach and were immediately surrounded by very pushy hawkers that grabbed my girls to try and start braiding their hair or wrap sarongs around them, or try to put pieces of jewelry on them. I had to rescue them all and hustle them off the beach and over to Hard Rock Cafe where I made a substantial contribution to the tourism economy by dropping a couple hundred dollars on Hard Rock clothes for the family. We ate dinner there as well and found prices to be well within reason and the food pretty good. The best thing about it though were the views of the sunset,ocean and Kuta beach from the terrace eating area.. We shopped around the area for a couple hours and the girls found some really cute clothes at Mataharis and Sweet Poison. We were asked to fill out "tourism" surveys by people on the streets. If you do this, you will get a call the next morning offering you deals and timeshare presentations.The streets of Kuta seemed very busy to me but I can't compare it to pre-bombing. As we were in our taxi riding back to the Nusa Dua area, I couldn't help but feel I was leaving the "jungle " of Kuta for the more serene area of Nusa. On our beach there are no hawkers and one can walk in peace.

We went to Waterbom park the next day and the kids had such a blast that we bought the second day pass before we left. It is a real bargain since admission for our family of 5 was about 60 dollars but the 2nd day pass was only about 18 dollars for the same fun.

We did a tour of the island one day and had arranged with Wayan Sueta to meet us at the hotel but on that morning he was sick and sent a replacement driver. We went to the Monkey forest and one of my daughters made the mistake of trying to pick up a banana that a monkey had shown no interest in and was attacked by the monkey. He bit her twice and she still has bruises on her leg. The hardest thing was our guide kept telling her to stay still while the monkey was attacking her and both her dad and I were ready to kill that monkey to save her. She learned a valuable lesson about getting between an animal and its food. We traveled on to Ubud and shopped at the markets there for a couple of hours. We came away with some amazing bargains. The prices were at least half of the starting price that they were in Kuta. If I have one piece of advice here, it's save the bulk of your shopping for Ubud. I bought sarongs for 5000 Rupiah each and beautiful dresses for 30,000. I also picked up some wood items, spices, a watch, Oakley sunglasses, a kite, Nike sandals, Christmas ornaments, and I'm sure a few other items. We then headed to lunch at a resturant that overlooked the rice terraces. Our guide then took us to the Volcano with the lake in the crater. It was incredibly picturesque. We had some small stuffed animals with us and handed then out to some of the village children and were rewarded with some of the biggest smiles I think I've ever seen. Our guide then took us to a large temple in the area and then drove the back roads home so we could see more of true Bali life.

My husband spent a couple days scuba diving, one day at Nusa Penida and the other at Tulamben. He said it was some of the best diving he has ever done for the sheer numbers of fish he was surrounded by. He even sighted some dolphins on a dive.

One day we decided to go to the bird and reptile park but our driver suggested the Bali Zoo instead so we went there. It is apparent that the zoo is suffering a lack of income from the drop in tourists also as things looked like they had seen better days. But there were some highlights to this trip including the bird aviary and the giant- and I do mean giant- spiders that had made their webs in the trees on the zoo grounds. The zoo resturant was very nice and cheap but as happened far to often, we were the only ones in it.

We ended up at the Sari club on three different occasions. The first time was incredibly moving as the reality of over 200 deaths just a few short months ago at the site became reality. There have been banana trees planted on the property of Paddie's, the site of the other bombing. As it was explained to us, in the Hindu religion, these help bring about a cleansing of the land.

We ate dinner quite a few nights at the Mutiara resturant at the Galleria and became like family to the waiters and Barong dancers that performed every night. The dancers even spent an hour putting make-up on my girls and dressing them up in authentic dance costumes so that we could take their pictures. On the last night we were all crying together, exchanging gifts and promising to keep in touch. Within a day of being home we had e-mails and even a phone call from one of the dancers.

Many days were spent around the pool and at the beach relaxing-after all, that's the point of a vacation right? I have a great tan, great memories, and a managable Visa bill because the prices on everything were so reasonable. Will I go back? It's hard to say. Travel time from our state to Bali including layovers in airports is about 35 hours. We had a brutal flight back because of the turbulance all the way from Tokyo to Seattle. But as I think about the people we met, they draw me back to Bali in a way I haven't felt about other places we have visited. The smiles, and kindness and gentleness of personality of the Balinese people was really something to experience. I am so thankful that we shook off all our fears and had this incredible experience.

Since our last vacation was to Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand, later I am going to post my pros and cons of each place since it seems to be a questions asked often enough on this board. I thank eveyone for their help with my questions. I actually have been lurking on this board for almost 4 years but only last fall did I actually decide I was brave enough to make this trip. Now I know that all along I had nothing to fear, Bali lived up to my dreams of what a vacation should be.

Our driver and guide, who I discovered online, was Mr Wayan Sueta

Our driver and guide, who I discovered online, was Mr Wayan Sueta who was fantastic. He always showed up on time and took us exactly where we wanted to go, and never to places you don't want to go.

Early one morning we went for a short walk down into the river valley, and then back up the other side. There were some beautiful views of the rice terraces, with lots of fruit and chocolate trees along the way.

We went to his village and his wife and neighbors showed me how to make an offering basket.

Bali Thanks -

Adventurous Thanksgiving Trip. The Balinese have to be the friendliest people on the planet. If going, you must use my driver, Wayan Sueta at www.hiddenbali.com. He showed me the beauty of Bali through the eyes of a local.

The Best Guide/Driver in Bali

On my last trip to Bali, on the recommendation of many others before me, I hired Wayan Sueta to be my guide and driver. I cannot recommend him highly enough. He speaks excellent English, is a very safe driver, and is extremely knowledgeable about all things Balinese. Best of all, he will take you to the most unique and beautiful areas on the island, rather than tourist traps.

Many drivers will take you to shops where they get a commission. Wayan will never do that. He has taken me on hikes through the rice fields and to temples, and along the way he has taken great care to teach me about what I am seeing and experiencing.

For single women traveling alone, it can sometimes be nuscance (even scary) to be bothered by your driver. But Wayan is very respectful and never made me feel uncomfortable.

If you want a Bali experience like no other, please contact Wayan. Make reservations early as he is very popular. His day rate is 30,000 Rp (about $30 a day). He is prompt, hard working, and a very special person.

John's Honeymoon January 2001

My wife and I have just returned from our 3-week honeymoon. We left December 15th from JFK airport in NYC on Northwest airlines ($983 r/t per ticket – booked back in August) to Bangkok connecting through Tokyo. It was approximately 23 hours, however, if you take enough Valium you wouldn’t believe how fast a flight like this can be. We arrived in Bangkok a day later on Saturday 16th around 10:30pm and hopped a bus to our favorite hotel. The next day we made travel arrangements on Thai Airlines to Denpasar for $525 r/t for 2 tickets open return. The best deal I could find from the States was $750 r/t per ticket on same airline. Always buy your tickets abroad. They will always be cheaper. We left for Bali on Tuesday the 19th and were met at the airport by our guide Wayan Sueta. Wayan Sueta has to be one of the most gentlest and kindest man that we have met in a long time. His English including slang is 90% perfect. He drove us to our first hotel (Klub Kokos) just outside of Ubud. I have to say that although the staff was very friendly and efficient and the room was very nice and clean, we felt that it was just to far out of Ubud and remote of a location. The thing that pissed us off the most about that place was the amount of dogs and the never ending barking that persisted throughout the night. We were unable to get any kind of decent sleep there, which was the main reason we left. We stayed there for 2 days and then checked into the Honeymoon Guesthouse a day early. This was a good move – the Honeymoon Guesthouse is situated in the heart of Ubud but on a side road, which makes it very quiet place. They have just completed two new villas there that are exquisite. If you go do try to get room 10, it is breath taking. Believe it or not, the only thing that it lacked and could use was air-conditioning. It got a little sticky at night. Everything in this room was either marble or intricately carved wood. The breakfast was always on time and very delicious. As you all might know – the owners of this place also own the two busiest restaurants in Ubud (Casa Luna and Indus) and you might say that they have a monopoly on eating which does not help the rest of the commerce there. We ate at both of these restaurants and I have to say that as much as the people of the Bali forum rave about these two places, my wife and I found them highly over-rated with food that was just ok. As a matter of fact, when we went to Indus (their jewel) we saw the exact same menu as Casa Luna except that it was much more expensive. Note that if you go at night to eat at Indus you will see absolutely nothing except swarms of insects. All of the highly touted rice fields views are pitch black so you might as well be at McDonalds or any other place in the universe. I actually took 2 bites of my main course and left the rest for the trash or whatever they do with it. Casa Luna is not much better except the prices are a little less. If you like to look at a tiny river with a lot of garbage in it and on the sides of it then you will thoroughly enjoy this restaurant. My only suggestion for the newbies is stay away from Indus and go to Casa Luna for a dessert after you have eaten at a quality restaurant like Café Lotus, which happen to be across the street. The Chef at Café Lotus cooks up superb meals at half the price of these other two tourist traps. Do not miss any of his pasta dishes! Two other fabulous recommendations are Naughty Nuri’s and the Dirty Duck Diner.

Touring with Wayan Sueta in his air-conditioned Toyota 4 wheel drive was a pleasure. He is friendly and funny and we had such a wonderful time. He takes great pride in showing all of the nooks and crannies that most tourists would never see or even know that they exist. We saw many beautiful Temples and numerous rice paddies in different stages of growth. He took us to the real Bali way back in the country where life is simple and primitive, the way it always was. He was a fountain of knowledge about his people and every tradition that is celebrated. His threshold of patience is overwhelming especially when we were snapping pictures like a Japanese tourist. After three days of touring the countryside we got templed and ricepaddied out and wanted to relax so we went back to Ubud for Xmas eve and Xmas day and chilled out. The highlight of Monkey forest was definitely at the entrance where there is a bunch of shops that sell the usual shit to tourists, the owner of the very last shop next to the entrance has a medium size, typical Bali mutt, and he would wait patiently for one of the many aggressive monkeys to turn its back and then sneak up on it and bite the shit out of the monkey causing the monkey to almost have a heart seizure. You might not find this funny but if you have experienced some monkey aggression towards various humans you would definitely be rooting for this dog!

Wayan, a guide in Bali...

There are guides on every corner in Bali, but few speak English well, and many are paid a kick-back to bring you to certain shops and restaurants (including the most over-run tourist traps). This is where Wayan Sueta sets himself apart. Wayan makes a point of showing his guests the most beautiful and least-touched areas of his home country. He has a vast knowledge of Bali’s history and culture, and enthusiastically shares it all in perfect English. Wayan can take you on a guided hike through Bali’s famed terraced rice fields, on a trip around the island—or further afield to neighboring islands. As a solo female traveler, I always felt safe and comfortable traveling with Wayan. By the end of my trip, I’d made a new friend — and was honored to be invited to share dinner in his home with his wife and children. Wayan can be reached at sueta@dps.globalxtreme.net. For more information you can visit his website at: http://www.hiddenbali.com
Connie, Colorado, USA

Exploring the rural beauty and magical volcano

We were starting from Kuta around 9.20 am and cruising out through the busy traffic of Legian and Seminyak. It took us about 40 minutes to get out of the bustling city to more of remote villages with scenic green paddy field. We made a stop by a vast green paddy field just to share a bit about the farming and the traditional irrigation system while enjoying the scenery over the green rice paddies. Along the way, I was sharing about the village's system, traditional family compound and how the people manage their daily life out in the country side.

We got the Taman, where my village is and we made a stop as I wanted to show them the cocoa tree as they never seen any cocoa tree before but they are absolutely in love with chocolate so it was wonderful to let them see how they grow. I took them to my home and show them how I live. They seemed to be happy and I showed them about some Spiders who are building their web around my garden and they are kind of huge ones but for sure that they are not poisonous and not harmful for us. So they did take some pictures of them and it would make my spiders are being famous and I am sure that they were very happy, too.

We left my home and drove back on the quiet village street while keep looking out at all the different vegetations and farms around the village. We went to a big Banyan tree that grows on the outer courtyard of a village temple and took some great pictures of this giant tree with its amazing roots that hanging down from the high branches which almost conquering quit an area outside the temple. Banyan is one of the trees that is considered to be a sacred tree for Balinese Hindu and it grows perfectly almost all over the island.

After the village, our next destination was the sacred Volcano of Batur. We decided to go up to the volcano and see Ubud on the way back as it seems it was about to rain and we did not want to miss the view over the Caldera. We kept on driving all the way to the volcano and caught in some down pour along the way but it was stopped by the time that we got to the volcano and the view was there and not much of a fog in the air so we could see the volcano quit well. I let them to take some photos of the volcano and the lake. As the time was a little bit after noon, so I suggested them to have their lunch first before heading down to Ubud, so they could enjoy the view over the Volcano and the lake for a bit longer while enjoying their meal. We left the volcano after lunch and taking another road down to Ubud through Tegalalang to have a quick look at the scenic rice terraces. It was load of tourists and street vendors so I decided not to make a stop there as I did not want them to be bothered by those vendors. We continued down to Ubud and driving through the local villages with their craft's shop along both side of the street. We took the back roads down to the center of Ubud which would allow us to see better scenery over the green paddy field with stunning coconut trees. It was truly the right time as most of the rice was just about ready to be harvested so it was offering us quit a great view with its golden color.

We did not stop at the center of Ubud but straight to the monkey forest as Sarah was so keen to see the monkey and she was mentioning it for a number of times while we were driving. We got the monkey forest and it was quite busy with tourists as always. We watched the monkeys in this little forest for a while and took pictures of those funny animals. They were truly entertaining and fun to watch. We could easily spend a day just watching them playing around, jumping from tree to tree and sometime they just caught in a fight with other monkeys.

We did not see much around Ubud as they wanted to go down to Jimbaran beach for their sea food dinner and seeing the sunset. We drive back down south through Kuta again and got in Jimbaran around 5 PM, it was a bit cloudy but the sun was there. Sunset was not the best but it was good enough to watch while enjoying the tasty sea food barbeque and listening to the waves break on shore on the white sand beach and watching the fishermen with their beautiful boats going out to the sea for fishing.

 

 

NUNUNG WATERFALL

It is located at Nunung village, a small mountain village about 60 km north of Denpasar and about 35 km from Ubud. You can go to this village by going through the village of Abiansemal, Sangeh Village where it is well known for its huge Monkey sanctuary and then via Petang Village. If you are starting your day of outing from Ubud, Sangeh would be worth to choose for your first stop if you are keen on seeing monkeys.

It is a rich farming village where they grow rice, and other tropical farms such as corn, sweet potatoes, clove, vanilla, etc. when you go or drive by the village you will easily see the sign of a waterfall and it leads you to drive in through the rich farming area to a huge parking lot. You then have to walk down to the bottom of the river to see the giant waterfall. There are concrete steps down to the bottom but it is quit steep. You have to be sure that you are in fit condition to walk to the bottom of the valley. It is a very lush river valley with its typical of rain forest and sometime wild monkeys can be seen around the forest.

The air is very fresh and much cooler up here which is really refreshing. At the bottom of the river is even much cooler and there are a number of small waterfalls that’s from the natural spring along the river. You have to notice that it is a little slippery sometime because of the green moss that grows along the path ways. It is much better to go with a good walking shoe.

You have to be sure that you bring some water with you as the walk back up is quit tiring and surely make you really thirsty.

This waterfall is not that crowded with tourist yet and it is not yet being commercialized so it would be such a great escape if you do not wish to be with too many tourists. There are almost no tourist shops here and no vendors will be ruining your day. This site is normally crowded by the local people on very special local holidays.

White Water Rafting

The Ayung River has been watering stability posses in all weather as well as many rapids that the River categories from II up to III. Just four minutes from starting point to the river.
All our guide have been full experienced and professionally (international safety standard, first aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)) in the Ayung River.

During your action - rafting trip your safety is our main priority. It is only five minutes from our finish point to our breathtaking view’s restaurant.
After the rafting trip, we would explore a bit of the scenic countryside and villages before returning to the hotel.
International Insurance
We are fully insurance cover. To your any accident trip insurance is effected covering max US $ 50,000.
The Facilities
• Welcome drink
• Professional guides
• International standard equipment
• Shower, change room, towels, and toilet facilities.
• Waterproof bag
• Refreshment
• Lunch at the finishing point
What to bring
• change of clothes
• swimming costume
• sun cream
• sport shoes

More About Bali

The surface of Bali's island is dominated by volcanic mountains range that stretch across the north and scattered with lakes which flow into numerous rivers that allows rice to be grown all year round with centuries-old irrigation system. Much part of the island is under cultivation with some virgin rain forest in the central mountains, which are under government protection.


Lying 8 ° south of the equator and 115° East longitudes in the central Indonesian archipelago with an area of about 5620 sq km, measuring approximately 140 km by 80 km. Bali is located in the Indian Ocean in the center of the Indonesian archipelago.


Near the equator, Bali has a tropical climate with temperature in the wet season range from 30-31°C by daytime and 24-25°C by nighttime. In the dry season range from 28-29°C by day time and a pleasant 23°C at night. Humidity various from 60% up to 100 %. Sporadic showers fall around the first month of the year.


Prehistory: There is evidence of the Stone Age people on Bali and it was certainly as a proof that Bali was inhabited very early in the prehistoric times. Fossil human remains (Homo Erectus) have been found and Bali was still joined to Java as a part of the land formation. Paleolithic stone tools that found on the Bali were indicating human presence on the island as early as 1500 BC, the ancestors of modern Indonesians arrived from southern India and introduced an agrarian concept of society centered on village units. Bronze Age: In the Bronze Age around 300 BC-100 AD was already well populated. Beautifully decorated axes, hoes, bracelets and rings from these ancient times are still preserved in the temples as sacred heirlooms. The most famous evidence of this time is the "Moon of Pejeng", a huge waisted drum that is kept in a temple in Pejeng village, central Bali.

* 9th century: The earliest written records are inscriptions on a stone pillar found in Sanur, south Bali dating back from around 9th century AD.

1019~1042: It is the period when Hindu Java began to penetrate Bali during the reign of King Airlangga. When he was 16th years old, his uncle Darma Wangsa was killed and lost his throne, Airlangga fled to the forest where he lived among religious hermits. With the help of the hermits he re-conquered village after village and he was crowned king over his old kingdom and reigned for 25 years as of the greatest monarchs in the history of Java. Airlangga's mother, Mahendradatta moved to Bali shortly after his birth and changed her name to Gunapriya Dharmapatni and remarried a Balinese entitled Udayana. Queen Gunapriya and Udayana ruled Bali as a vassal of East Java and were later succeeded by their two sons, half brothers of Airlangga. Because of the dynastic link between Bali and Java, Bali was enriched by Javanese culture. Royal edicts, first written in the language common to Bali at the time adopted old Javanese script. The style of the cliff Candis at Gunung Kawi, Tampaksiring honoring Gunapriya, Udayana and their two sons largely derives from eastern java architecture of the 11 century.

1049: Airlangga was died, East Java was ruled by the Kediri dynasty and Bali remained undisturbed, governed by Airlangga's descendents. The semi-autonomy for Bali was ended when Kertanegara the most powerful prince of Javanese Singasari dynasty became king. In 1284, he took the last descendent of Airlangga to Java as a prisoner and ruled Bali from there. Within 8 years Kertanegara was murdered and his kingdom destroyed by the rising Majapahit dynasty of Java. With political dissension in Java, Bali regained its liberty and established the powerful Pejeng dynasty centered near modern day Ubud. The last king of Pejeng dynasty was the legendary Dalem Bedaulu a semi demonic ruler said to have had the head of a pig and the powers of magician refused to recognize Majapahit supremacy. He was defeated by Gajah Mada the great general of Majapahit in 1343, and brought back Bali under Javanese influence. After Majapahit was collapsed, Bali absorbed the influences of Hindu-Java. Many of Majapahit intelligentsia, including the priest Nirartha moved to Bali. Nirartha is credited with introducing many of the complexities of Balinese religion to the island. Artists, dancers, musicians and actors also fled to Bali and the island experienced an explosion of cultural activity.

1597: The Dutch arrived in Bali. Balinese aristocracy was enjoying unprecedented prosperity and at first relations were glorious friendly. Clemency ended when the Dutch East India Company was established whose policies excluded most things but hopes for profit. After two centuries of unscrupulous operation, the company attracted such unfavorable criticism that the Netherlands government was forced to assume control. Then the long struggle began for supremacy between the Dutch officials and the Balinese monarchy.

By the early 1600s, the Dutch had established trade treaties with Javanese princes and controlled much of the spice trade, but they were interested in profit, not culture, and barely gave Bali a second glance.

1846: The question of the ancient right of the Balinese to claim cargo of wrecked ships which washed up on the shore, brought the first Dutch military expedition to north Bali. After a series of battles, the northern state of Buleleng and Jembrana were placed under the direct administration of the Netherlands East Indies government in 1882.

1894: The Dutch landed a large expedition in Lombok and an ultimatum to the old Rajah who agreed to pay a war indemnity of one million guilders. The younger prince rejected his decision and they launched a fierce attack on the Dutch encampments. The attack forced the enemy to retreat to the sea with a loss of nearly 100 men including the General Van Ham, second command. The Netherlands government immediately sent reinforcements and heavy artillery. A new Dutch offensive swept over the island, the young prince was killed and the old rajah was exiled but soon he died of a broken heart.

1904: A small Chinese steamer was shipwrecked in Sanur and looted off Sanur just three miles from Denpasar in the region of Badung. The owners held the Dutch government responsible who, in turn demanded the Rajah of Badung to pay damages of three thousand silver dollars and punish the culprits. The rajah refused it.

1906: The Dutch anchored a fleet of warships off Sanur. Several days later, an army of Balinese equipped with golden spears made a surprise attack upon the fleet. Within few days, the Dutch were advancing to Denpasar while bombarding the city from their ships. The population fled, leaving the Rajah with only two thousands men. Realizing his army was outnumbered and his weapons no match for cannons, the Raja sought the only honorable solution, To Die a dignified death. Abiding by the tradition the Rajah scorched the earth by commanding that everything of value be destroyed and his palace set on fire. He told his people that anyone who wished to follow him into a Puputan, "a fight unto death". Thus the king, his priests and generals, and all his relatives, men and women, adorned themselves with jewels and the dress of warriors (short with loincloths caught between the legs) and set out amidst the flames. The procession was resplendent with the panoply of a great feudal lord. The Rajah, borne on the shoulders of a retainer and holding a golden Kris studded with rubies and diamonds, led his glittering retinue directly onto the rifles of the Dutch militia. The commanding officer, astonished by such a spectacle of chivalry, sent interpreters to beg the Balinese to halt, but their pleas had no effect on an entranced people wedded to a code of valor. The battle was suicidal. One by one, the satrias were gunned down at the enemy's feet. In the end the Dutch were left horrified at a cairn of bodies sprawled out before them. Wounded princes and princesses had crawled to die, piled upon their king's body.

1942: The Japanese occupied Indonesia after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

1945: On August 17, 1945 on behalf of all Indonesians, national leader Soekarno proclaimed Indonesia's independence.

1946: Te famous battle of Marga was led by I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Bali's revolutionary forces refused surrender to the Dutch government until national independence was won. The Balinese commander and all his soldiers were killed in a heroic battle against the Dutch in an air attack.

1949: The Dutch officially recognized Indonesia at the Hague Round Table Conference. And a constitutional republic headed by President Soekarno governed the nation.

1963: The great eruption of mount Agung killed thousands of people and destroyed thousands of houses and temples.

1965: The attempted communist coup brought about far-reaching consequences in Indonesia's political life.

1976: Tourism started to soar in Bali.

1979: The great ritual purification ceremony called Eka Dasa Ludra was held at the Mother temple Besakih. The ceremony takes place every 100 years.


Bali is rich with various tropical vegetation, palm tress, rice, spices and tropical fruits. The principal agricultural products are rice, coffee, clove and tropical fruits such as Mango, Papaya, Jackfruit, Durian, Salak/Snake fruit, etc.


Balinese grow up with speaking two related languages based on Malay. Balinese language is spoken in the homes and among the villages and the national language Bahasa Indonesia is used exclusively. The people near tourist resorts and everyone who are related to the tourist industry speak English. Meanwhile those advancing in the tourism industry study other foreign languages like Japanese, German, French, and Italian.


Bali is justly well known throughout the world for its unique Hindu culture, the splendor of its ritual arts, and the charm of its friendly people. The population is dominated by Balinese Hindu religion with some minority of Buddhist, Kristen and Moslem. Balinese Hindu Dharma is a blend of various sects of Hinduism, Buddhism, Animism and ancestral worship. The Hindu religion is strongly practiced by its followers with various unique ritual ceremonies and celebration throughout the year. Hindu is a monotheistic religion, but it is known many different Gods and Goddess as the manifestation of the Almighty God or the supreme God. The divine spirits are honored through worship and devotion and the evil spirits are placated through purification and exorcism. Both must be provided for since happiness and contentment come only to those who take both forces into consideration.


Temples are places for renewing contact with the divine spirits and the true centers of arts and the nexus of Balinese culture. Bali is often called as an island of thousands temples. Temples are spread all over the island from a very simple to elaborate ones. In every family compound they have a family temple as a place to renewing contact with holy ancestors, and in each village there are three temples, which are dedicated to the Trinity Gods (Brahma, Wisnu, Siwa) such as,

Pura Desa is the temple to honor the God in his manifestation as Dewa Brahma - the creator.
Pura Puseh is for honoring the manifestation as Dewa Wisnu - the protector. And,
Pura Dalem is dedicated to the Dewa Siwa - The Destroyer.

Besides that there are number of different temples which are built in special sites that is considered to be a holy spot such as holy spring, sacred trees, holy mountains, etc. the major temples are found almost all over the island that is annually visited during the festival day and other special occasion by the Hindu followers. Pura Besakih is the mother temple of Bali and located on the slope on of mount Agung on the northeast of the island and it is the biggest temple complex on the island.



It takes place every 210 days according to the Balinese lunar calendar. It is an annual joyful celebration where people renewing their ties to the Gods and also reinforce their relationship and friendship with each other through elaborate preparations and ceremonies. The villages from few days before the Odalan prepare offerings, temple area is cleaned and decorated for the festival. On the Odalan day, everyone arrives beautifully dressed, presenting the deities with food, music, prayer, devotions and the best entertainment to amuse them during their sojourn on earth. After three or four days, the deities return to heaven and the temple empties until the next holiday.


One of the major Balinese Hindu festival which takes place every 210 days, which always falls on Wednesday of Dungulan week of Pawukon calendar to celebrate the victory of Dharma/the light forces against Adharma/the dark forces. Each day before Galungan is marked by a special activity, ripening fruits, making offerings and slaughtering animals. Temples are cleaned and decorated for the ceremony. On Galungan eve, Penjor bamboo poles are set up on front of house and temple arching over road with flowers, fruits and palm leaf ornaments hanging from them as symbols of fertility. Galungan is a holiday to celebrate the creation of the universe and a time to devote offerings to the ancestral spirits are thought to descend to the earth and visiting their living relatives. The celebrations last for 10 days, ending on Saturday- the Kuningan.


A celebration for the New Year of the Balinese calendar, which falls usually in March, is a day of silence and contemplation. On Nyepi day, people are not allowed to go out on the street, no fires are lit, no light at night, visiting and entertainment are not permitted, people stay at home to meditate. It continues until the following day when normal activities resumes. The ceremony actually starts from one day before Nyepi with a great purification ceremony and a parade of terrifying effigies named Ogoh-Ogoh to chase away demons.


it is a blood sacrificial ceremony for the evil spirit but has been abused for a little gambling lately. It is mostly done to complete a religious ceremony in the villages around the island.


is passage from this life to the next in the soul's journey to heaven. A death is the time for sharing one's feeling, when all the people gathered in the home of the deceased, night after night while the corpse is still kept in the house they stay up till late hours to keep the family company. Men and women help prepare refreshments and necessary offerings for the purification of the body. When the date of the cremation approaches, everybody in the village is engage in making the offerings, coffin, and huge tower, all beautifully decorated to emphasize the importance of the grand send-off. The Balinese people believe that the human body is made by the five elemental substances, solid, liquid, radiance, energy and ether. It is only when the body is destroyed the soul can be released and reincarnated. Of all the Balinese rituals, the cremation is the most complex and culminating with spectacular burning of the corpse and the vast quantities of valuable ritual objects especially created for the ceremony.

E x p l o r i n g T h e A n c i e n t M e g a l i t h o f B a l i Full day tour Rp. 600,000

We have designed an impressive outing for those interested in archaeology by visiting an 11th century megaliths that was created by Kebo Iwa known as the Balinese giant and master builder. He was the Prime Minister of former king Dalem Bedaulu. The experience starts with a visit to the mysterious Goa Gajah, an 11th century hermitage cave, also known as the Elephant Cave, a gaping mouth forms an entrance to the cave depicting entangling leaves rocks, animals, ocean waves and demonic human shapes. We would continue our journey to Candi Tebing in Pejeng where you will find the foot stamp of Kebo Iwa as well as hidden ancient megaliths. Our last destination is Gunung Kawi temple in the area of Tampaksiring. Following the numerous steps down to the valley where the temple is built, we would be pampered with a breath-taking rice terrace till we will reach the 11th century tombs carved out of the rock face on the bank of the Pakerisan river. On the way back to the hotel, we would make a little stop at Tegalalang where you will see the well manicured rice terrace views. A great chance for stunning photographs.