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...