Other stars shine in the sky of Bali

A dream come true last summer... after the Thai experience, the fascinating and magical East of the legendary island of Bali.

I (Andrea) and Benny set off from Barcelona bound for Hong Kong, where we stop for one night. Despite my girlfriend's doubts, Hong Kong turns out to be a wonderful surprise. We stay in a run-down guesthouse in Kowloon, the best area, and decide to use the few hours separating us from the Cathay flight to understand a little more about this extraordinary city.

The atmosphere of a tropical port is electrifying; Hong Kong swarms with busy Chinese people in every corner, trading everything, selling, buying, bartering... The splendid skyscrapers of the island, with their bizarre and unusual shapes and futuristic colours, give the impression of a modern Western city, while its markets, the greenery of its parks and the tropical mist on the mountains surrounding it remind the traveller of being in the tropics, in Southeast Asia.

The wonderful bay, its excellent food and its odd rhythms make it a destination to recommend to everyone.. one negative note: the Chinese of Hong Kong are not the emblem of Oriental kindness, whether for the still-present colonial burden, who knows, or for a kind of marked arrogance of these rich people towards their new motherland.

Anyway.. we leave Hong Kong and its very busy streets and head for Bali, more precisely Denpasar. We stay in the typical Matahari resort, with pool and tropical greenery, far from the beach on the very commercial Jalan Kuta.

The atmosphere is different: the beaches, the sea, the woods all seem wrapped in a spirit of peace and tranquillity.. the rhythms are slow, measured... everything seems calm and perfect.

The offerings to the Hindu deities, the trees tended and adorned as if they were people, the pagodas resting on volcanic lakes, the children with their colourful kites, a thousand kites in a different sky... yes, this is another world.. how beautiful!

I have a thousand images of this wonderful island: we'll eat fish, rice and vegetables under the stars for a ridiculous sum on Jimbaran beach.. a sky of new and unknown constellations; we'll visit the markets of the capital Denpasar, chased by a strange lady who thought we were Donald Trump and wanted to sell us the whole market; we'll sunbathe and swim in the crystal-clear waters of Nusa Dua beach; we'll visit Bali's most important craft centre, Ubud, with its artefacts in wood, canvas and ceramic; we'll be set upon by a group of monkeys that infest a remote Hindu temple steeped in the green of the forest; we'll visit a thousand temples... from Tanah Lot (a temple on a little island out at sea), to the sunset temple, on a wonderful cliff, to the royal temple (where the Red Cross was organising a dinner.... sure, sure)...

we'll dance in the clubs of Kuta drinking litres and litres of their blends of alcohol, tropical fruit juices and ice..

In short.. how could you not fall in love with Bali... 7 days are really few... next time it'll be the north of the island and Lombok.. the little sister, as some say... even more beautiful than Bali itself.

Happy travels in the East to everyone see you next time andrea