Almost all of Bali's great Hindu temples are located either on a mountain slope or by the sea. Besakih, the mother temple, for example, is located on the slope of Gunung Agung, while the Uluwatu and Tanah Lot temples are located along Bali's southern coast facing the Indian Ocean...more

It's been a quiet time on the swell front over here in Bali at the moment with a two week drought being broken by sporadic bursts of westerly swell, totally unsuitable for the onshore storm fronts battering the beaches from Legian to Canggu and hardly a ripple in the offshore waters of Sanur and Keramas...more

"What is the word for thunder?" I asked in Indonesian. My young friend from the high mountains of Bali, Kadek, thought for a moment, then replied in clear English, "In Indonesian: 'Hujan badai guntur.' In Bali village speak: 'Grudug-grudug clap-clap.' I grinned and clapped my hands. "Music. Balinese sounds like the Gamelan."...more