Bali by www.born2travel.it

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03.03.2012 Kuta (INDONESIA)

After a whole day of travelling from the Sultanate of Brunei we reached Malaysia and then flew towards yet another tropical paradise: Bali! The very name makes us imagine jungle tribes, surfers, fighting cocks, sea, peace and tranquillity.

04.03.2012 Kuta (INDONESIA)

As we watched the “barong” dance, one of Bali's typical ones, I felt captivated by that music, by those sinuous movements and by those bright colours. The eternal struggle between good and evil, here represented respectively by Barong (a mythological animal) and Rangda (a mythological monster).

We set off to discover the true heart of Bali. We travel its green roads surrounded by endless palm groves and terraced rice fields; we first reach the Tegenungan waterfalls, then Batuan famous for its painting, and we lose ourselves in the Puseh temple which we admire from inside after both putting on a characteristic “sarong”.

Hindu temples are everywhere and very different from the Indian ones; they have a different beauty here! They seem simpler and less fanciful but they strike you more deeply, perhaps because of that aura of mystery that surrounds them...

In a taxi we chat with our Balinese driver: Komang, we are curious to learn as much as possible about this wonderful island. We talk about the 2002 and 2005 bombings, of how religion can influence the lives of its followers, of traditions and sacred rites, right up to cockfighting!

…and while we discuss these things we meet, almost by chance, along the road some boys making their little roosters fight… local folklore!

Here we are in Ubud! A big town famous for its traditional market and the “Monkey Forest”.

Never seen so many monkeys in my life! Twice I found one on my shoulders!

Before leaving we make a brief stop at the lotus temple, made famous, recently, thanks to the film: “Eat, Pray, Love” with Julia Roberts!

“Tanah Lot Temple”. What better place to end such an intense day!

[Stefania]: “A temple built on a promontory in the middle of the Indian Ocean… We walk along a long avenue to reach this masterpiece of Indonesian art! We decide to take a walk along the coast to admire it from different points… sitting and watching this evocative spectacle I sigh waiting for the sunset…”

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