Bali, Indonesia is one of the most incredible places on Earth! Danners and I recently spent a couple weeks on this incredible island. More posts to come in the future but for now, here are a few things that we loved about the special island.

1. The People

►Pure positive energy. For the most part, the locals live simple lives. Each morning they wake up, make offerings to Gods, say a prayer of gratitude and then go about their day with a smile. The Balinese are very approachable, they like Americans and Europeans, they’re smiling, laughing, and a joy to be around. Without benefitting monetarily at all, everyone seemed so willing to go out of their way to help us, to get to know us.

It was refreshing to see kids playing outdoors, not on iPads and to see adults taking things slowly, enjoying each other’s company.

2. Fresh Fruit

►The tropical climate allows Bali to grow the best fresh fruit year round. Some of our favorite Balinese fruits were:

• MANGO!!! my favorite 😉
• Rambatan
• Coconut
• Banana (entirely different from banana imported from Central/South America, much richer in texture & substance)

3. Culture

►Balinese culture is perhaps the most interesting, unique culture in the world. I believe that the culture is primarily based upon their religion and their isolation from the world. An island the size of Delaware, most Balinese love living on the island and have no aspirations of ever leaving.

Even more interesting is Balinese Hinduism. Based off of animism and dynamism combined with traditional Hinduism, the Balinese believe that everything has power and energy. They pray to multiple Gods and also worship objects such as large trees, volcanoes, and boulders, believing that everything has energy and power.

Whether it is music, dance, chanting, prayer, incense, or the overall sense of joy, the Balinese culture is incredible 🙂

4. Low Cost

►Compared to the Western World, Bali is CHEAP! Not Cambodia/Burma cheap, but cheap nonetheless.

• Accommodations: Bali is also unique in the sense that if you wanted to, you could stay at a top notch resort for several hundred bucks a night. But at the same time, you can find accommodations for as little as $5 per night.
• Food: Fresh Fruit, street food, grocery store food are all very inexpensive. For example, for one mango, you’ll pay $.60, for a fresh, young coconut, you’ll pay $.75.
• Entertainment: It’s more or less free to visit beautiful beaches (some places charge around $.20 for parking)
• Transportation: You can hire a driver to drive you around the entire island (Bali is about the size of Delaware) for as little as $40 USD per day. There are no trains, mass transportation is almost nonexistent.

5. Weather

►Located right near the equator, it is HOT all the time. There are two seasons in Bali: Summer & Rainy. Rainy season is January through March and when it rains it pours. One would think that when 85 degree sunny weather proceeds a downpour, it would make for a hot, humid mess . However, in Bali, after the rain showers, there is hardly any humidity. Even during rainy season, there’s a good chance you’ll het some non rainy whether and there are far less tourists resulting in a more authentic Balinese experience.