Bali

We spent a glorious week in Bali - one island of many in a chain that comprises Indonesia. Bali has a primarily Hindu population of around 2.5 million people and is about the size of Prince Edward Island in Canada. Here is a link to a map of Bali.

Our stay began at the Dreamland Villas in Jimbaran Bay. Since the 2002 terrorist bombings at nearby Nusa Dua, security is a priority in this area of Bali. Our hotel was gated and our taxi was checked with mirrors (for the underside) and some type of wand that detects metals or weapons (inside) before we were allowed to enter the villa complex. We spent the first day getting our bearings by sleeping in and body surfing at the Dreamland Beach at Jimbaran Bay.

Day two was discover scuba day. Wow! We took an introductory course through Bali Scuba. After a stop at their storefront to pick up the gear - wetsuits, tanks, regulators, masks, fins, rules- we headed for Tulamben. We learned to scuba around the USAT Liberty which was a WWII freight ship sunk by a Japanese sub in 1942. After she was hit, the crew ran her aground at Tulamben. In 1963 an eruption of nearby volcano Gunung Agung slid her into the sea where she has become a beautiful coral reef and fish sanctuary. I can't say enough about the experience that Mark, Bert and Tok from Bali Scuba gave us. We did two dives with them, they were fabulous instructors and we are now all hooked on the sport and want to learn more!

The next day was golf day at Hal's client course - New Kuta Golf Club. Hal and Silas played the back nine while Clara and I drove the golf carts and enjoyed the ocean breeze and exotic scenery. You have to watch out for the cows, chickens, lizards and dogs when golfing in Bali! Silas scored his first par on the 15th hole.

The residents of Bali are mostly practice the Hindu religion. They believe everything has a spirit - cars, plants, animals, buildings, humans, rocks... and there are many ceremonies and celebrations that take place as part of the religion. Our host at our next stop in Ubud- the Arma Resort and Cultural Center arranged a sunrise purification ceremony for us at Mount Agung. A local priest came with us and purified us at the temple after we watched the sunrise, then we went down the mountain to the high priest and he purified us as well. Our host explained that the many shrines and temples you see in Bali mean different things. Most homes have shrines to the parents of the home, and to the three primary deities needed to maintain harmony: Lord Brahma is birth, Lord Wisnu is life and Lord Iswara is death. The Arma Resort is connected to a local museum and you could spend a week there taking all the courses they offer! Wood carving, cooking, dance, batik, intro. to Hindu, history of Bali, etc...

We polled our scuba companions on what to add to itinerary for our last day in Bali, they said a not-to-miss was rafting down the Ayung River. We met up with the Sullivan Family and had a fabulous day on a class 2 river trip.