The Slow Road | Category: Bali

This island of 4 million people, located just east of Java, is unique among the many islands of Indonesia in being mainly Hindu rather than Muslim. Bali is many things to many people: a surf and sun paradise; a yoga and wellness retreat; a place where religious rituals are woven into the fabric of everyday life and beauty is cherished; an island of tall volcanoes, lush rice fields, and beautiful coral reefs. Despite the tourist throngs, Bali's cultural traditions remain strong and its people open and welcoming.

When we visited

September to October 2014

Major stops

Denpasar, Ubud, Jemeluk, Munduk, Candikuning, Pemuteran, Sanur

Memorable Moment

Attending the intricate birthday ceremony of our neighborhood Hindu temple in Ubud

Did you know?

Directions in Bali are oriented on the highest and most sacred point on the island, Mount Agung. Instead of north, south, east, and west, places are referred to as kaja (toward the mountain) or kelod (away from the mountain).

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A carved plaque on the main gate

The unexpected sight of fresh water in Bali: Lake Tamblingan, one of four lakes in the central highlands

Our home in Denpasar, a small inn in the owner's back yard on Nakula Street

This monument in the central square commemorates the event in 1906 when the royal family of Denpasar and its houehold committed ritual suicide (puputan) in the face of a Dutch invasion

When the streets get full, motorbikes switch to the sidewalks

Some corn is also grown during the drier season

The view from our little but breezy room in Jemeluk, a small fishing and snorkeling village on Bali's eastern coast

The steps down to the Gunung Kawi archeological site near Ubud leads through beautiful terraced rice fields

Before the performance, the space is purified with incense and holy water

A fishing village on Bali's very dry eastern coast (when the rains come, the terraces will be green with corn and peanut plants)

One of Ubud's fine old establishments

Chickens (often fighting cocks) in this type of bamboo cage are a common sight in Balinese towns

The town of Pemuteran has black sand beaches on one side and the mountains of Bali's only national park on the other

Looking over rice fields to the main lodge of the Bali Silent Retreat, where we ate yummy meals and spent much of each day reading and relaxing

Ibu Putu, daughter-in-law of the family that runs the Batik Sekar Bali Guesthouse in Ubud, sweeping a courtyard in her family compound (the broom is made from the spines of palm leaves)

Bali

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