This page celebrates our fourth visit to Bali. Our friends ask us why we choose to revisit - what charms us about the place. Many tell us they would not voluntarily make the journey to the other side of the world merely to visit an island not much bigger than Vancouver Island but with a larger population than Canada.
The charm of Bali is by and large the people. The majority of its 39 million people are devoutly Hindu. Evidence of that devotion is always present, no matter where you go, in the small offerings that are left everywhere as a reminder of their devotions. Made of banana leaf, the offerings contain money, flowers, food ( mostly rice) and incense. There is something magical about the way they appear on the roadsides, at your hotel and at the thousands of temples, every morning.
Having completed their prayers, they sat down to share a meal, laughing and smiling amongst themselves. In front of them are perhaps a thousand people, all waiting for the sunset.
At other times, at other temples, we saw this scene repeated over and over. Worship and ceremony, always combined with celebration.
Engage any Balinese in conversation and you will find out a great deal about their lives, their family, their religion and their fierce pride in their place. You will have to give of yourself though. You will be asked about where you live, your family, your religious beliefs and values. All the things that are important to you and the Balinese. Its also quite common, if the conversation goes well, to be asked to someone's home for a meal and the chance to meet their family.
Any conversation will have plenty of smiles and usually, some jokes.
At its heart, the charm of this small island really is that the occupants celebrate life, all the time.
