Bali - First Full Day

Bali, also known as the Island of the God's and 'Morning of the World' is absolute paradise - everthing they say about it is true! It is lush, green, has wild flowers growing everywhere, volcanoes, mountains, lakes, ocean, etc. We love it here and are already planning out next trip! It is hard to actually come inside and write this blog - bc it is SO BEAUTIFUL outside. Bali is only 8 degrees south of the Equator, so we are enjoying a tropical climate. We are in the wet season, but really haven't experienced any rain yet. The island is pretty small - stretching 140km from east to west and 80km from north to south. 3 million people live in Bali in tight little villages and of course they all know each other. With the religion being 90% Hindu and the belief in the good of the people, the crime rate is very low here - mostly brought on by tourists.

We are staying at the Ritz Carlton in Jimbaran Bay. This is on the Southwestern tip of Bali - about 25 minutes south of Denpasar, Bali's capital. We could probably see the entire island in 12 hours because it is roughly the size of Delaware, so of couse we have already planned out our excursions over the next few days!

We arrived last night, after standing through customs and immigration for 2 hours! They are very strict here - death penalty for those found bringing drugs into their country! When we arrived at the Ritz, we were given orchid lays and an upgraded ocean view villa. This villa is even bigger than the villa in Chiang Mai - 4 rooms and a killer bathroom. We have our own outdoor, private plunge pool that overlooks the Indian Ocean and our very own cabana that sits outside. We can't decide which is better - Chiang Mai or Bali. They are both so different! Every detail has been touched here - extravagant waterfalls all over the property, plunge pools, beautiful gardens, koy fish, hindu statues, private beach, etc. etc. etc. We can't take enough pictures! Everywhere we turn is a Kodak moment. The pools are really great. We will load everything on JeffJenn.com so that you can check them out...doing all of Chiang Mai later on tonight.

Today we just hung around the hotel and checked out the facilities. This is the largest hotel in all of Bali - equipped with 4 pools (see one of them below) and 7 restaurants. Each pool is different - colonial, polynesian, beach side, and wading pool (slides, etc.). We are heading to Jimbarin tonight for our New Years Eve dinner. The restaurant sits beach side and we get to choose our own piece of seafood to have grilled at our table - I am very excited about this, as I ate way too much rice when we were in Thailand! Finally, we can eat again!!!! We are then coming back to the hotel, as they are having a huge party and fireworks. We will enjoy the martini bar here - with over 50 Martini's to choose from!!!



We are off to dinner. HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone from BEAUTIFUL BALI!!!










I know all of you like my quick facts, so here are some more on Bali:

Bali is 90% Hindu. Hindu is very similar to Buddhist; just don't believe in Buddha. Instead, they believe that most worldly problems reflect some imbalance in the netherworld and they can be restored by appropriate rituals. Order and harmony are personified by deities who live on mountain tops and bestow their blessings on humans. Demons symbolise disorder and dwell, beneath the sea, seeking chaos and distruction. Hindus sacrifice to the Gods every full moon. They offer the good spiritis food,flowers, tobacco, etc. They offer the bad spirits liquor and blood. They sacrifice animals to the bad spirits and believe that these animals will come back one level higher. They also believe in reincarnation and that if we live a good life, we will be presented in heaven in front of the Gods in a favorable light before reincarnated.

The Balinese are rich in culture and have not swayed away from many traditions even thought they have been taken over by tourists. Over 50% of the land is still Green and they still follow traditional art and culture - painting, stone and woodcarving, textile, dance and drama. In fact Kecak is still practices here and is the most famous of all Balines dances. This dance is based on trance chorus formerly used in times of epidemic.

That's enough for now - can't stay in the Villa too long. BALI is too WONDERUL - everyone should plan a trip here!!!!! And you can swing by Australia on your way out - the northern tip is only 3 hours away.

The Internet here is very slow, so we will upload more pictures as soon as we can.


Peace, love, and happiness to all of you in the New Year!!!