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I’m so happy to be sharing my travel story with you all, thanks to the amazing Miss Malini who I call MM! I remember writing my travel story for the pristine Maldives and sharing it with you all, right here! This time I’m back with the love that I have carried with me from Bali, Indonesia!

Ah, Bali! I was there for about six days and every single day, I had an unforgettable experience! You know, I was told that Bali is known as the Island of Gods and just take a look at this picture below – you’ll understand why!! Above that, there are about a thousand temples on the island, hence the name. Uluwatu temple tops my list as it is built on top of a cliff besides the Indian Ocean. The temple is also home to a huge tribe of monkeys who were more well behaved than even I was and I bet, more well behaved than most of you too! LOL Bali has this really popular sea food dinner culture by the beach and for that Jimbaran beach restaurant tops the popularity list. I skipped it because I’m not a sea food fan and in Bali, like most of the islands – it gets hardcore!!

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I’m more of a Bengali well cooked/deep-fried fish kinda fan and that’s where my sea food temptation list stops! Another temple that caught my eye was Taman Ayun, it’s the Balinese royal temple with it’s surrounding moat! Then, there is Batu Bolong temple, another exquisite Hindu temple set on the rocks, a peninsula stone with a big hole underneath. I mean, my birthday was on one of the days in the island and this is the temple I visited as a part of the tradition we have in our house since I was a kid (visiting a temple on important days)! Now, let’s not tag me supremely religious, you can call me spiritually inclined and going to a temple could be a part of it! Then, there is Tanah Lot that just took my breath away – a huge sea side temple that defies the Indian Ocean! I mean, with the kind of history Balinese monuments have, it is a treat for people like me who enjoy different cultures!

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By the way, there’s a lot of Bollywood Love happening in Bali. People have seen indian films and indian shows on television! Everest was one of the few favourites if I go as per the kind of love I got from the Indians living in Bali! And Maha bharata,a Sanskrit epic of ancient India is the biggest show in Indonesia which I have been told is their own production and has mostly an Indian cast and a varied crew!

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Bali doesn’t fall short of adventure but for that, you have to hit the islands that are around Bali! Bali, in itself has a lot of culture and beauty but for the pristine beaches, I suggest you hit the islands like Lombok and that is exactly what I did to snorkel and dive in the ocean! The most liberating feeling in the world is to swim in the middle of the ocean (given you know how to swim) *straight face* So, I had my recent cruise liner *dil dhadakne do* moment, thanks to the cruise I took to move around and get to the islands near Bali! AMAZING.

I even spent time with the locals on islands like Lombok where their main source of income is sea weed plantation – yes, there are no cars, no malls, no fancy hotels on these islands but trust me, they are exquisite! Bali has an amazing food culture with so many cuisines to offer and an interesting night life! And oh yes, it should be called the land of massages – an excellent list of services and very reasonable, amazing therapy! Makes you peaceful and happy from within – I am talking about internal happiness, if you’re the Thailand kinda happy, I suggest you skip it! LOL!

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Last but not the least, I tried the Civet Cat coffee (kopi luwak) which could also be called the poop coffee! Why you ask? Let me explain. Asian cats are on put on a coffee bean diet, they digest the fleshy cherry fruit surrounding the beans, excrete the beans and then, they are cleaned, roasted and brewed into coffee as usual! And yes, I tried it. It was definitely smoother than the usual coffee! Don’t judge me – they cleaned the coffee beans after a cat named ‘SUNDARI’ excreted it!

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Now before I say a bah-bye, let me mention, ubud, nusa dua and Kintamani Volcano are the three places you must visit in Bali. You will carry them back with you in your hearts, especially, the green Ubud! 🙂