Bali Tour Guide

Jamie is a painter who were very amazed of Bali, of the rice field and of the banana trees. Why banana trees? I asked. Because it made him relax, he said. Huh? But a part from that, he and his friend Jim, were amazed by the Balinese ladies. Why? Because Balinese ladies have strong neck. They carry anything on their head. "Is this right, Putu?" He asked. "According to a book I read, it says that Balinese ladies are strong but Balinese men are artists because they can paint and carve." Well, refering to myself, I can't dance, I can't paint, I can't carve, I can't play Balinese music, I don't think it is quite right. But I can type with ten fingers, and understand a bit of html, php and css (if that counts). So, the last three days tours were great eye opener for Jamie and Jim. While touring they always try to spot Balinese ladies with who carry things on the top of their head. We saw a Balinese ladies with basket on her head. We also saw other thin...

I don't know that a food without garlic nor onion can be edible (haha). At least in Bali, since here you usually have the basa genep (the complete spices) in almost all kinds of food prepared in Bali kitchen. Usually a cooking would have everything. Tumeric, onion, garlic, salt, chilli, pepper, galengal, and ginger are present in the cooking. When Ser Chim ( a client from Singapore) arrived in Bali, he pinpointed some of the restaurants which he searched from the Internet that served no onion and no garlic. I know the idea that onion and garlic are not good if you are studying meditation, but don't really meet a lot of people who avoid garlic and onion. Ser Chim was one of them. To start, we went to a small restaurant at Jalan Raya Kuta called Happy Budha. The restaurant looks like a shop more than a restaurant. When we stopped there, there were not so many people eating there. Well, there were about five tables around. As I looked at the menu, I just quite amazed because the...

Even if you never surf in your life, even if surf The Net is all you do, there is no reason not to try learning surfing. Just head to Kuta beach. That's the best place to start. Enroll to the surfing school is better than spending whole day trying to figure out how to stand on the surf board yourself. Their professional instructor will teach you how to lie on your surf board and then quickly stand on it. Don't worry about being drowned, because at first you will do it on the sand on the beach. When they think that you are good and lying and standing, it's time to hit the water. The first challenge is there to conquer. You need to be able to walk or swim into the further area of the sea from the beach. The dark skinned Balinese instructors will show you how to dodge the wave so you can pass it smoothly. So, there come the very big wave. It is coming toward you. And at the right moment, you will need to stand on your board. And enjoy the ride. You feel lifted. In no time,...

Come to Bali at Galungan day and you will notice something different. All the Balinese house have bamboo poles decorated with flowers, leaves, and fruits. The Balinese families walk on the village streets, ride their motor bikes, to go to Balinese Hindu temple. Children giggle as they are allowed to wear their best clothes. Galungan day (every 210 days) is the day the Balinese celebrate the victory of Dharma against Adharma (goodness against evil). It is the victory of one self againts all the bad emotion such as anger, greed, jealousy, and you name it. It is also a celebration of prosperity. The Balinese express their gratitude toward Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa or the Almighty God by praying and erecting Penjor (the bamboo pole with flowers, leaves, and fruits) in their houses. It doesn't end here. The celebration of Galungan day will continue for the next ten days. The tenth day is called Kuningan day, it is another joyful day for gratitude to the God. Sent from my Windows Mobile® ...

You can put anything on your motorbike in Bali as long as it fits (this is true as the time this post is written : September 19th 2009). Like this photo. There was a bunch of baloons for sale carried on a motor bike. There were so many baloons so it occupy half of the road. Just like the size of a car. If you driveor ride a motor bike in Bali, you need to be ready for the unexpected traffic such as this. (pst, this is a final warning to you, next time you will probably see something more strange than this!). Here is a list of what people carry on motor bike in Bali: 4 to 5 passengers (father, mother, son, daughther, and puppy). box of chickens dogs goat (has to lie in between two persons) fire wood piled to five meters high anything, even baby elephant I never seen the last item, but theoritically it is possible. :)

Swastika sign can be seen in Bali, especially in Balinese Hindu temple. I must say almost all the Hindu Balinese are familiar to this symbol. Besides temple, one can also see it in houses, or community building. Even the 'Swastika' word is used as a person name, for example, Ketut Swastika. But why and what does Swastika mean? It simply means balance in relationship. The Balinese Hindu see the life is ideal when they live a balanced life indicated by three good relationship. The first is good relationship between human and the Almighty God. All the festivals, offering in temples, praying activity that you witness in Bali are examples that the Balinese really long for a great relationship with Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa, The Almighty God. Next, the harmonious relationship among the human race. The Balinese values good relationship between themselves. Many activities in villages in Bali involve community of villagers . When one family in a certain village hold a ceremony such as cr...

Many people who have visited Bali think that September is the best month to go for holiday here in regard to weather. It's true that there time for hotter and cooler temperature, lower and higher humidity. However, it seems that September is a period that the temperature is not so hot and not so humid either. September is the last month of the dry season and in October the rainy season will start. On the rainy the temperature is cooler and it somehow even in September, a month before rainy season, the temperature has become cooler. The air is just feel nice (again, not so unbearably hot). There will be occasionally some rain pouring on a day or two just for a couple hours even in September. I think this is just a prelude to the rainy season. But when the rain has stopped, the day becomes cooler. If you look at the weather forecast for September, you will see that it will be mostly cloudy, partly cloudy or partly sunny. But then again it will not rain all over Bali, it maybe or loc...