Bali is predominantly a tourism spot. Its local economy relies heavily on it. One of the major reasons why one will find mostly money exchangers, handicrafts and hotels in Bali. Scuba dive shops are also quite common.
Bali is also Hindu dominated island, contrary to the whole country being muslim. Temples like this can be found at every corners, sometimes every 5th building. They even make these offerings tiny offerings daily, consisting of 5 differently coloured flowers and some vegetables.
One can find hotels in Bali every where. From 10$ to a 150$ a room, you can find what you need on a single street. Very clean, hospitable and safe. Season time is June to August, and December. Rooms are usually easily available the rest of the year.
Their culture requires them to greet everyone with a smile. One of the main reasons why i love that place. No grumpy faces, or yelling or rowdies. More importantly, no beggars. No matter how rich or poor you are, you always treat everyone equally.
Bali also happens to be a very safe place. Women can travel alone in the nights, wearing what ever they want, at any time of the night. We used to leave our camera’s, laptops, phones and wallets right on the restaurant table and go diving for hours. We come back to see it untouched. The restaurants and hotels in Bali just leave everything lying open in the nights after closing time.
It’s also a place that has something for everyone. Nature enthusiasts can explore the mountains in the north. Ubud is the backpackers paradise with arts and handicrafts unique to Bali. Nusa Dua is where you would want to live in Luxury, probably after retiring. And Kuta is the party central. Parties start only around 11pm and go on till 4-5am!
More about the culture and hotels in Bali:
Find more about the food, sunrise, scuba diving spots from my previous posts. There’s too much to cover in just one post.
Photographer tip – Taking your camera’s to the nightlife is pretty useless. One might as well enjoy the experience. Instead places like Ubud and the beaches are more deserving of your lenses. It’s quite hot, and bright. ND filters or polarizing filters will help a lot. Even the hotels in Bali are worth shooting. Each one is uniquely designed to blend in with their culture.
The beaches are mostly calm, and very clean. Shooting there will be a delight. Surfing happens at a couple of places in season. And its one of the best places for underwater photography if you have a go-pro hero.
