Wendy's Short Chapters

I kept myself in suspense and anticipation as the group of us boarded the plane heading for Bali... What will i find.. nice sunny beaches? ruined restuarants destroyed by mindless terrorists? defeated Balineses?

after a 2 and a half hour flight, we reached Bali's nice sunny weather. The first impact at the airport clearly and strongly reflects the strong Balinese cultural and Hinduism religion. Statues of various gods and deities can be seen everywhere. Some of them sat on feroious creatures, some wielding awesome stances. Others sporting a surfing move reflecting the hot sport of the sunny island with strong surfs.

Bali - Very sincere, friendly people; a place with fantastic beaches with kms of flat and clean shore as well as strong surfs for aspiring surfers; lotsa buddha statues and protraits; lots of woodcrafts as well as strong beliefs in their religion by placing offerings anywhere that they think would help improve their luck.

Life is down to the basics and simple for the locals there despite the dependence of their economy on tourism industry. You can see cows grazing lazily on any green pasture that you may come across as you travel along the roads. The air there is fantastically clean, with min presence of pollution as we take in long whiffs of the sweet country side air, enjoying the chirping of the birds and other habitants of the wonderful ecosystem.

The Balinese's mobility is amazing, many of them can be seen travelling on their motorcycle or scooter, according to ah Kee, aka "cup(3) giah(4)". You can see young children riding pillion to a slightly older child or a prettily dressed lady on a nimbly rode scooter. Family of 3 to 4 pax riding on a single motorcycle is also often a common sight.

I could feel a sense of relaxation as i attempted to take in as much sight as i can. Accomodation was at the Grand Balisani Suites, a hotel with a beautifully positioned pool overlooking the sea.

On the first day , we went to Kuta Beach, where it is supposed to be very popular with tourists for both shopping as well as surfing fanatics. the feeling was overwhelming. Once we reached the beach itself, we were swarmed by different people having different services as well as wares. What impressed me was that the Balinese people were very cooperative and definitely patient, waiting for their turn to hawk their ware persuasively and persistently. What they do not have, they will reach into their neighbour's stock and help them to repackage the deal into something that you would consider buying.

fantastic people!!!