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This divide is crossed by the gap between tradition and modernity: Balinese music includes traditional music (rural or religious) as well as relatively modern pop music. A style that is proper a group of other islands may be adopted by other Balinese people and a become national style. This is the case of musical genres originating from the Moluccas, or songs of the country of Batak north of Sumatra.

Balinese music is represented mostly by the music of gamelan altogether composed of 60 to 80 musical instruments with different varieties in each villages. Many of these musical ensembles accompany many forms of theater in Indonesia.

Instrumental music, gendhing uses pentatonic scales and heptatonic Laras Laras Slendro Pelog, which requires twice the number of instruments, making the tuning quite risky.

Gamelan music

Gamelan music in Bali was dedicated to cults and temples for centuries. Modern gamelan was born from the fusion of two styles of play in the seventeenth century. Smooth style, for interior and shadow theater, played with a gong, kempul, kenong, ketuk, kempyang, slentem, gender, gambang, celempung, line shells, and suling rebab, plus a couple of discrete singers (and gerong pesindhen ) whose words are hardly important. And strong style, for outdoor ceremonies played with a gong kempul, kenong, ketuk, kempyang, Saron, Bonang and kendang, that the master-drum heads.

Altogether, Balinese music is completely different from any known style of music. It is a completely new art to people listening to it for the first time, often giving the impression of coming from a completely different world.

Art villages

Batubulan (8 km from Denpasar) is a village famous for its craftsmen, sometimes very young, sculpting monsters and gods of stone, thanks to the skill of their scissors. Batubulan is also rich in temples and every morning at 9 am a theatrical performance of Barong (those who did not have the chance to attend an authentic Barong in a village, can catch up with that at Batubulan).

Celuk (3 km Batubulan) is a village dedicated to silverware. Gold and silver are treated according to ancient techniques (filigree tasted little overloaded by the West) to make craft wonders. Mas (5 km from Ubud) is the stronghold of wood carvers. Its inhabitants are nearly all Brahmins (upper caste) and tourists can visit the workshops for unique items.

In Ubud, tourists must visit the art galleries, into artists' studios and linger at the Museum (the Puri Lukisan). This museum houses a rich collection of Balinese paintings and sculptures, but around Ubud, several villages are also renowned for their paintings and their crafts.

The hotels

All the hotels in Jimbaran possess beautiful and really well maintained tropical gardens. After all, Bali has since always put the accent on offering outstanding views and superb services at its resorts, and Jimbaran is no exception, in fact it is the region of Bali that incorporates this desire best. Although Jimbaran kept its traditional presence that makes the charm of Bali, the Jimbaran Bay accommodations usually require a high budget and are much more customized towards comfortable tourism than the traditional and cultural aspects, the dearer resorts often offering private swimming pools and even private beaches in some cases.

The beach of Jimbaran beach made of the dazzling white sand that makes Bali’s popularity. The interesting combination of traditions and luxury make Jimbaran one of the most popular regions of Bali, perfect for people that wish to enjoy the Balinese culture while keeping their usual comfort. Sadly, it wont be long before Jimbaran turns into a commercial area completely, without all the fishermen and their colorful boats.

Main Temples

One of the main temple in Bali, the Pura Ulun Danu temple is located near the Batur volcano (1717 m), one of two active volcanoes in Bali which play important roles in the Balinese mythology and are revered as gods. The volcano has had a destructive eruption in 1917 and is surrounded by large black basalt lava.

The Ulu Danu temple in the region of Bedugul honors the goddess of the waters of Lake Bratan, which fills a crater and is a reserve of water for crops.

One of the most beautiful temples in Bali is the Pura Taman Ayun Mengwi and its towers of multiple roofs, always in odd numbers called the "merus". Mengwi was the center of a powerful kingdom until the 19th century.

The complex temple of Besakih is the largest and most revered temple in Bali, located at the foot of Mount Agung. In 1963 the terrible eruption of Mount Agung ravaged the country and caused many casualties. The Eka Dasa Rudra, the greatest purification ceremony which takes place every hundred years was being celebrated at that time.

The small temple of Ulu Watu, perched on a cliff of chalk, honors the Gods of the sea. It dates from the 10th century and is revered by the Balinese tradition.

The most popular waves are undoubtedly the Ulu Watu and the Padang Padang, but a multitude of other waves await surfers, half an hour away from Kuta and its cacophony.

The waves of bali

The first one, Ulu Watu, is the center of a vast natural arena and is one of the most consistent waves on the island, and for tourists there still some shopping to be done in Kuta or nearby temples to visit. Often crowded up to waves of two meters, the crowd disappears with the arrival of the swell, a gun of 7'6 is then the best way to ride the walls whose great size and height are hard to measure.

The Padang Padang is considered the pearl of the island. Australian pros often turn up to Bali at the announcement of a swell. The wave is fast and very punchy. You'll understand that it is joking matter and that the helmet, still optional, will not be laughed at, at the sight on the corals. Despite these drawbacks, you will not surf alone, and the level of water is very high. Usually around 25 motivated surfers, who could assist you if you ran in some trouble, can be found on the sea on good days. Some waves are still virgins, waiting for the most adventurous of surfers, for others, there is the beach where the show is not bad either.

The districts

North Sanur, one of the most popular of the 7 districts of Sanur. Located near Kentucky Fried Chicken Street, "Hang Tuah" is a small road that leads directly to the beach. It includes a series of small hotels, restaurants and shops. It is south of the beach, in this district that is located the Mayeur museum.

The district Semawang, stretching along the southern beach of Sanur Bali Hyatt hotel to hotel and Sanur Beach. The beach is very quiet and surrounded by hotels. The district includes most Batujimber expatriates.

Why visit Sanur?

The beach is lined with lush vegetation, making it even more enjoyable. A little less than luxurious Nusa Dua, Sanur, however, offers a wide selection of hotels in all price ranges and suitable for all types of holidaymaker. This resort is designed specifically for travelers seeking tranquility and comfort.

Close to various cultural sites and less than an hour's drive from Ubud and the airport in Denpasar, Sanur is a good starting point for touring the South Island.

One of the most significant aspects of this resort is its vast expanse of beach. A trail covering the entire 5km allows visitors to "loiter" and explore the long beach, stopping whenever they want to enjoy a drink or snack in a restaurant located on the beach.

Kuta Beach is a beautiful beach with large waves, as well as places where beginner surfers can practice. Diving is more complicated and restricted to the north of the island because of the little visibility in the town.

Amenities in Kuta

In Kuta, you will have all the European comfort within your reach, ADSL internet, air conditioning in bedrooms, food shops or cheap international high tech gadgets.

The hotels are concentrated in a few downtown streets, and range from $10 for a guest house in a local family with breakfast, to $80 or more per night.

It is easy to stay in Kuta for resting and organizing the rest of one‘s holiday. There, while it is possible to eat well, and sleep well, Kuta lacks the cultural part that makes the charm of Bali. However, it is very easy to leave the village and find oneself alone, exploring in the rice fields.

Surfing in Kuta

At Kuta beach, there are good waves, but there are still many people who hope to catch them, making it harder ride them. Before high tides, there are good waves. Small waves and foam are ideal for learning the basic techniques. In addition, there are several schools and instructors on the beach. Anyway, if you need to rent a board, do not try on the beach as it will be much more expensive than the street. There are many stores selling, leasing and repairing surfboards in the region. In general, the farther the store is from the beach, the cheaper the boards will be.

On the north coast, Lovina Beach is the main resort. The north-west and north-east coasts (Amed) have the best diving or snorkeling spots. The north-south route takes about three hours by car or motorcycle. Ubud is the main tourist center of the inland.

Most tourists go to Bali for its beaches and its sun, its traditional cultural life and its beautiful interior landscapes, including temples and rice terraces. Athletes also find get their share of distractions with scuba diving , windsurfing, trekking as well as white water rafting. Hikers can climb the slopes of Mount Agung, the highest point of the island or those of Mount Batur, the only active volcano of Bali.

The South of Bali

The south is the region's most popular tourist area in Bali as it offers contrasting faces. Its beaches originally attracted low-budget travelers and surfers, who soon joined by the customers of newly built luxury resorts. Despite the changes brought by modernity and the influx of visitors, village communities preserved their rituals and their cultural and artistic traditions. Foreign visitors arriving by air mostly land at the international airport of Denpasar where the main resorts are easily accessible. The islands of Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida sites contain splendid walking and swimming spots.

Main Dishes

Obviously, in a large country cuisine varies greatly from one region to another and especially from one island to another, but if there is a dish that can be described as the national Balinese dish that can be found almost everywhere, it is the Nasi Goren, Indonesian for fried rice. This fried rice, accented with chicken, shrimp and some vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, onions …), is seasoned with soy sauce and of course ginger and sambal. A little reminder that features the principle of traditional fried rice, it also contains egg omelet, but it can often be found served with a fried egg and vegetables in the corner of the plate. This dish is often served as an accompaniment to meat but also constitutes a complete meal for breakfast.

Talking about Indonesian cuisine without mentioning the peanut sauce would be a real aberration. This fabulous preparation often accompanies the famous satay skewers or lobsters eaten on the beaches, but also a very popular dish called Gado Gado, dip salad served with shrimp chips.

Another popular dish is the Mie Goren, on the same principle as the Nasi Gorin but with noodles instead of rice. It is also quite spread in the Balinese cuisine, like Soto ayam, a chicken soup with turmeric, soy and noodles.