Indonesia – Views of Bali

This was our first trip to Bali, by plane, not sailboat. When a place is as hyped as Bali as the ultimate "tourist destination", we are always prepared to be a little disappointed, but there really is something magnetic and facinating about the place: a mystique and an aura that is distinctly different. The new airport is designed to reflect it's Hindu heritage with distinct architecture. Even in areas like Kuta with designer shopping, or Legian Beach with the young "white" surfers and beer-guzzling crowd, it's possible to find an oasis in the middle of all the noise and traffic, like Adus Beach Inn. It's in the very heart of Legian beach area surrounded by tall buildings and sourvenier and money exchange shops, but the Hindu Balinese owners have built a cosy accomodation with tropical gardens, pool and fountains, and its own family Temple on site. Here you feel peace and hear water bubbling and see calming and beautiful gardens and sculpture. On the streets modern malls intermix with grandiose sculptures of mythic Balinese Heroes. In the evening you can find in the Nusa Dua area, Pirate's Bay, a theme restaurant with tree houses and shipwrecks as dining venues. Delicious Drunken Chicken and Beef Rendang! The Bali Yacht Club adds another dimension to the area just south of the airport with berths and docking for visiting yachts, and a nautical restaurant from where you can admire your own or, more likely, someone else's luxury yacht. Filmed in May/June 2014.