We stayed at the Bali Padma Hotel right on the beach in Kuta.  The architecture and the gardens were stunningly beautiful - like living in a Balinese temple.  We had two rooms that were nicely appointed with both modern fixtures and wonderful stone carving, wooden masks and other local art.  From our second floor balcony, we looked out over the courtyard gardens.  The famous Balinese smiles were plentiful among the staff who seemed to sincerely want to please their guests.  The food was a scrumptious blend of Indonesian cuisine and Western favorites.  The best shopping in Bali was just outside the hotel gate.

It was the first day of Galungan, the Temple Festival, when we arrived. During this ten day festival, the Balinese invite their gods and ancestors to return to earth to celebrate the triumph of good over evil.  Dressed in new clothes, large processions walk to the temple in a joyous parade.  Men carry umbrellas and accompany the Barong, the beast which is the defender of good.  It is somewhat like the Lion Dance at Chinese New Year.  Women walk with large bowls of fruit and flowers balanced on their head.  These offerings are presented to the gods at the temple and they are anointed with holy water.  The hypnotic sounds of drums and gongs fill the air.

Balinese believe the upper half of the body is good and the lower half is bad.  One can go topless in Bali, but when you visit the temples, you must cover your lower body with a sarong and wear a sash.  Mac also wore the traditional head-dress.  On the right, the Barnes show off their best halves at the temple.

It rained off and on during our stay.  We welcomed the cooling rains.  When we took a trip inland to the mountains, the volcanoes and rice terraces seemed more mystical shrouded in mists.  Although just south of the equator, it was quite cool at Mount Batur.

Like all of Bali's arts, the rich dance traditions are based on ancient Hindu religious stories.  Almost all Balinese are trained in dance when they are young.  The intricate and subtle movements of their dance are largely incomprehensible for the unschooled foreigner, but the beauty of the dance and the exquisite artistry of the masks and costumes captivates the imagination.  I also enjoyed the Gamelan orchestras of  gongs, drums and flutes which accompanies the dance.

Mac is the adventurer in the family.  He tried para-sailing at Sanur Beach.  He also joined four Japanese girls for a bumpy ride on a banana-boat.  The para-sailing was really exhilarating, but he was less impressed with the banana-boat ride.  His less coordinated Japanese companions kept falling off.  Both Mac and Maya spent several hours at  Water Bom (water park) trying all the slides with our Balinese guide.  Olive and Denny used this time to do serious shopping for Balinese arts and crafts.

A popular pastime for girls in Bali is having their hair braided and beaded.  Virtually an entire village of women worked on Maya's hair at Sanur Beach.  The results were striking.  Our guide "Eric" said that Maya looked very beautiful like a "Dewi" (Hindu Goddess), so afterwards we called her Dewi Maya.  We really enjoyed talking with Eric.  He is a college student who patiently explained everything to us and made us feel very welcomed.  Everybody was friendly and the English standard is quite high, but we regret we did not have enough time to really meet many people and better understand their rich culture.  We are already planning our next trip.