ABOUT BALI ISLAND - INDONESIA

Bali, to many is the land of a thousand gods, a thousand temples, and a thousand dances. Some others see the island as perhaps the last frontier, waiting to be discovered, for its beauty, its culture, its way of life. Others arrive here and undergo an experience, one that will etch a life-long impact and draw them back to its shores, again and again.

Ask around and you are almost sure to get the reply, "Come to Bali for its culture, its beauty". That seems to be the subtle message that the people themselves convey about their fables island. It's a message from the heart, for the Balinese are truly proud of the splendors of their island. Visitors soon realize that Bali is no longer a frontier waiting to be discovered, instead it needs to be re-discovered, over and over again.Bali is situated approximately on latitude 8 degrees South and longitude 115 degrees East, and together with the nearby island of Lombok, are the most westerly of the Little Sunda Islands. They are part of the nearly 13,700 islands that make up the Republic of Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago.

The island of Bali remains fiercely attractive to the visitor. They come here in search of character; their own perhaps! More significantly the journey to Bali should be undertaken to seek an understanding of a way of life that is truly unique.This journey cannot be undertaken in a short, jet-hop span, rather you soon realize that you could spend a lifetime in Bali and still feel there is more to be seen, heard and understood. No matter how often you watch a barong performance, or the kecak, or hear the gamelan, each time you are there, something deep inside you reminds you that it's a new happening, a re-discovery.

There are several other dances that could excite you. There is the gambuh - a classical form of dance-drama, the topeng, which is traditional masked dance, the Baris or the warrior's dance, legong, the Dance of the Heavenly Nymphs, the kebyar which is a flashy modern dance and the Shanghyang Dedari, the ritual trance dance.To first time visitors, who has been fed on leaflets and travel brochures, Bali appears as a holiday retreat, of beautiful beaches, a place in the sun. it can even be mistaken for a land on a perpetual holiday. But Bali is more than that.

One goes to Bali for experience, a journey of a lifetime, to come face with a remarkable people, their customs and traditions, their beliefs, their hopes and their eternal search for peace.You never seem to have enough of Bali. There is a yearning to "see" more. You feel the mysticism and get drawn in, like a magnet, forever attached to its people, to its beauty. It's the beginning of your search for the true meaning of the balance of the cosmic forces.

You are spell-bound by the dainty movements of the dancers, stunned by the roughness of the demons, you follow closely the trail of the spirits,