Bali is one of more than 17,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago and is located just over 2 kilometres from the eastern tip of the island of Java and west of the island of Lombok. The island, home to about 4 million people, is approximately 144 kilometres from east to west and 80 kilometres north to south.

The word paradise is used a lot in Bali and not without reason. The combination of friendly, hospitable people, a magnificently visual culture infused with spirituality and (not least) spectacular beaches with great surfing and diving have made Bali Indonesia's unparalleled number one tourist attraction. Eighty percent of international visitors to Indonesia visit Bali and Bali alone.

The first Hindus arrived in Bali as early as 100 BC but the unique culture which is so apparent to any current day visitor to Bali hails largely from neighbouring Java with some influence from Bali's distant animist past. The Javanese Majapahit Empire rule over Bali became complete in the 14th century when Gajah Mada, Prime Minister of the Javanese king, defeated the Balinese king at Bedulu.

The rule of the Majapahit Empire marks the strong influx of Javanese culture into Bali, most of all in architecture, dance, painting, sculpture and the wayang puppet theatre. All of this is still very apparent today.

Day-time temperatures are pleasant varying between 20 and 33 degrees Celsius or 68 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. From December to March, the west monsoon can bring heavy showers and high humidity, but days are still often sunny with the rains starting in the late afternoon/evening and passing quickly. From June to September the humidity is low and it can be quite cool in the evenings. At this time of the year there is hardly any rain in the lowland coastal areas.

Unlike any other island in largely Muslim Indonesia, Bali is a pocket of Hindu religion and culture. Every aspect of Balinese life is suffused with religion, but the most visible signs are the tiny offerings (sesajen) found in every Balinese house, work place, restaurant, souvenir stall and airport check-in desk. These leaf trays are made daily and can contain an enormous range offering items: flowers, glutinous rice, cookies, salt and even cigarettes and coffee! They are set out with burning incense sticks and sprinkled with holy water no less then three times a day, before every meal.

Barong or "lion dance" :
a ritual dance depicting the fight between good and evil, with performers wearing fearsome lion-like masks. This dance is often staged specifically for tourists as it is one of the most visually spectacular and the storyline is relatively easy to follow. Barong dance performances are not hard to find.

Calonarang:
a spectacular dance which is a tale of combating dark magic and exorcising the evil spirits aligned with the witch-queen Rangda.

Kecak or "monkey dance" :
actually invented in the 1930s by resident German artist Walter Spies for a movie but a spectacle nonetheless, with up to 250 dancers in concentric circles chanting "kecak kecak", while a performer in the centre acts out a spiritual dance..

Legong Keraton:
perhaps the most famous and feted of all Balinese dances. Performed by young girls, this is a dance of divine nymphs hailing from 12th century Java. Try to find an authentic Legong Keraton with a full length performance. The short dance peformances often found in tourist restaurants and hotels are usually extracts from the Legong Keraton.