Bali - August 2011 - Part 2: Beyond the Beach

After publishing my post below and illustrating what I consider to be 'the real face of Bali', Bali would not have been Bali without some reference to the awesome sunset and beach culture that resonates in Seminyak. 

Watching the sun drop into the sea leaving a legacy of pink, apricot and gold streaked skies felt like heaven and a million miles away from Melbourne urban life... 

But whist the beaches promote relaxation, the markets are a buzz with life - colours, textures, sounds and smells dominate your senses....the Balinese thrive on the thrill of the Western cash chase... 

Welcome to Bali! – a clash of colours, a smell of incense and road rules that are bent in all different directions….where calm can be found in the madness and the mayhem….we're all on Bali time after all…

Bali - August 2011 - Part 1: The Real Face of Bali

Last week I returned from vacationing in Seminyak, Bali. Bali has always been on my list of places to visit and I had no idea what to expect other than a tropical Indonesian island where Westerners played and the Balinese hosted. But what was presented was more intriguing than my initial preconceptions.

From the luxurious villas, upmarket restaurants, opulent bars and boutiques to the open sewers, broken roads and Balinese huts, Bali was full of extreme contrasts. 

By the end of my vacation I had a huge amount of admiration for the Balinese people who often had very little but who always presented the biggest smiles and the most welcoming of personalities.  Their attitude to life was refreshing to say the least...