First 24 hours

After a 14 hour plane ride, 3 hour layover, and another 5 hour flight we finally made it to Bali! Its hard to explain the realization of seeing a place you have studied and read about for months; there are the things that you expect to see and hear, but when they are actually in front of you its quite different.

Our first 24 hours have been spent wondering around the city of Kuta. Since we were picked up from the airport and taken directly to our cottages, we had no sense of where we exactly were on this island. Overwhelming at first, but once we started to explore the city, it became very clear that Bali is everything I could of ever hoped for, and so much more!

The banten, or offering, above is one of the first things I noticed about Bali. You will find these scattered about the island, and are usually made of organic material. Through their offerings the Balinese honor their gods, devils, ancestors and spirits. Although much more complex offering are reserved for family compounds, the ones on the ground of the building's entrance and crossroads are used as protection from the numerous devils that congregate in these places.

You would expect their to be stark contact between Balinese traditions (based on a combination of Hinduism, Buddhism, Animism and local traditions) and the modern tourist world but ironically they are woven together. Throughout Kuta you will see a small shops and restaurants catering to tourists on the main roads by Kuta Beach, but take only a few steps off the main streets and you will find yourself in a whole other world. The lines between tourist area and native area are almost impossible to detect (that is until you've wondered into one). Much of Balinese traditions have endured changing times because of the attention they have received world wide. Although tourism has changed this area in so many ways, it is clear that their unique beliefs and traditions are still honored and protected.

The traffic is Bali is insane, just walking on the side of the street is a hazard. There are no real dividers between different directions of traffic, meaning everyone weaves and bobs around one another in narrow streets crowed with shops and tourist. Fortunately the people of Bali are friendly and kind and I have seen little disrespect toward one another.

This is only the beginning, and I could not be more excited to see what is next...