As soon as I announced on my channel that I was heading to Indonesia I had floods of comments telling me how beautiful Bali was and how people had loved their time there or really wanted to go. And I have to admit before this trip Bali was the only part of Indonesia I knew much about (sorry travel fans!). So when we arrived to our final destination on the trip I was expecting days of partying, lazing around on the beach and drinking more coconuts! But I was pleasantly surprised at the culture and beauty Bali had to offer alongside its white sands and cocktails with little umbrellas.
There is a lot more to Bali than parties and palm trees – these are the two places you absolutely MUST visit if you’re planning a trip to this beautiful part of the world….
On our first day in Bali we visited Uluwatu Temple.
The site is really something to behold, on top of a mountain with stone walkways along the cliff face and views over the calm blue sea. We couldn’t enter the temple as it’s only for those who are worshipping so instead we explored the grounds and tried to avoid the cheeky monkeys who even stole one of the other blogger’s phone!
I spent a good hour alone at the temple walking along the paths and sat looking out over the cliffs away from our group. It was incredibly peaceful and a truly wonderful place to be. Before sunset we were gathered in the amphitheatre to watch the traditional Balinese Fire Dance, a spectacle I wasn’t expecting but got completely sucked in by.
The Kacek Dance is a traditional story that is told through dance around open flames with an ensemble of voices that provide the beat and music for the dancers. It’s split into four acts and starts beautifully. By nightfall the dancers climb into the stalls and entertain everyone from all nationalities under the stars in a universal act of grace, comedy and pure joy. The costumes are incredible and we had such a wonderful night. It was so much more than what I was expecting when we were told we were watching a traditional Balinese dance and it’s definitely worth buying extra tickets for (an extra 100,000 rupiah – around £6) if you’re at the temple – just make sure you grab your seat around 45 minutes before it starts as the place fills up FAST.
Rumah Desa
On our last day in Bali we had a choice – watersports at the beach or a Balinese cooking class. As much as I really wanted to try parasailing for the first time I wanted to see a more cultural side to Bali even more so I hopped on the cooking class bus and we drove out to Rumah Desa Bali for one of the most wonderful afternoons.
On the way we stopped at the food market where people in the area buy all their fresh ingredients from. It starts at 2am and finishes at 10am so we caught it just as it was winding down but we were able to see a lady making offerings that you’ll find on all the streets in Bali. The Balinese people make two offerings twice a day, one for the devil and one for their god and leave them out. They’re stunning and there’s so much work that goes into them – what a commitment!
xameliax in Balinese
When we arrived at the cooking school we had a chance to look around their temple and the beautiful gardens before we got to work. It was gorgeous and I could have stayed there for so long. Intricate carvings on the walls, blossoming flowers, even a cacao tree, I loved it there, it was beautiful.
While we were there we learnt how to make some traditional Balinese dishes which I tried to keep up with as best as possible! Here are a few of the foods we learnt how to cook:
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