Bali is the best... Sun, rest and relaxation, Bali is definitely the place for all of these. Well, anyone who knows me knows that I love the sun..I enjoy the feel of it on my skin, I don’t mind the heat it brings and if you asked me what the one thing was that could life my spirit, it would be, waking up to the glorious sun shining through my window. So of course, Bali would be on my list of places to visit, if for nothing else but the stunning weather and of course, like so many women, I read Eat, Pray, Love and ...
...So it was that hubby and I packed our bags and headed off to the beautiful island. We decided at the very last minute so of course seats on all the quicker routes were already full and we were to go the long way round, by the time we arrived, we were both exhausted, frustrated and quite grumpy with each other. But, landing at the beautiful Ngurha Rai airport changed all of that. The newly built airport instantly reminds you that you’re on holiday..it has a light airy feel and doesn’t feel like an airport ‘arrival’ section at all. Our destination was Nusa Dua quite a bit of a drive past the very popular districts of Kuta and Seminyak. Nusa Dua is not as busy as Kuta and is the ideal location to experience the majesty of this “island of the Gods”. It is close enough to Kuta or Seminyak and about 40kms from the capital, Denpasar, so that you can spend the day in the madness but return to the relative calm of the south side of the island. Nusa Dua is known as an ‘enclave’ of 5 star resorts and we chose, The Grand Aston Bali. Kuta is overrun by tourists at any time of the day or night, most of them coming from Australia, as Perth is just a 4 hour flight away. To put it in context, it is quicker to get to Bali from Perth than it is to get to Sydney.
Seminyak, is well known to tourists and quite a bit more upmarket than Kuta with many excellent dining establishments , including the 2 Michelin starred Mozaic and the ever popular Ku De Tat. Whichever area you choose your hotel, Bali, is bound to delight you and enchant you in many different ways and will leave you wanting more. Though Bali is part of Indonesia, it has a identity all its own. The language spoken is Balinese and the culture is almost entirely unique to the island. Although Indonesia is a majority Muslim country, the population on Bali is 90% Hindu. The preservation of the Balinese culture means everything to the Balinese, for example the tradition of the eldest male son living with and taking care of his parents is paramount on his marriage, so every Balinese married male of course wants to have a son.Of course, when you’re in the ‘city’ this might not be that evident but take a drive to Ubud and you can see exactly how they live. Not in a ‘house’ per se, but rather on a compound, where there are free standing units for the elders, the married son and his family, the temple (all homes have one) and the common area, all joined together by beautiful gardens and pathways. With the rebirth of tourism, the main source of income for the island, many of the compounds have converted their home fronts to little shops selling anything from fruit to handmade sandals to jewellery. Traditional clothing is still worn by many, the colours are vibrant and the items are lightweight, with both males and females wearing a sarong. When I went to Thailand, I remember saying www.deelishlifenstyle.com
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