Our recent trip to Bali was technically our first proper international vacation as a family. For the better part of the previous decade we had decided to explore only India. I was already in love with Bali after Eat-Pray-Love and their whole architectural concept of blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, making gazebos and terraces look like mini rainforests, to say nothing of their amazing carved wooden furniture.
The itinerary planning phase was some extra fun given that this was the first trip I was planning end to end. It was exhilarating and sometimes even overwhelming to read about the multiple mind-blowing places the islands contained in them, and then I knew that no amount of time would be enough to do justice to this place. We started the trip with the cultural heart of Bali, that is Ubud, then moving on to the beach town of Seminyak. Lush and oriental, the paddy field paradise Ubud is something I would genuinely advise you begin your trip with. No beaches here – be prepared to discover temples, art, history and architecture.

Ubud – the cultural soul and heartbeat of Bali Art pervades every nook of Bali. Now this is a fan made from rattan and bamboo – not wood or plastic.Celuk, near Ubud is a village famed for intricate silver jewelry. You can even attend classes to learn and make your own customized jewelry It’s sheer poetry to see the wood carvers in Bali, snipping, slicing, and polishing away at their craft. Endowed with a bounty of forests, wood carving is a very ancient, revered and evolved craft here. Hibiscus wood and crocodile wood carvings were interesting ones I learnt about here. Mas is a great place to check wood carving.Art and painting is at a totally different level here , an artist here explains the four stages through which he puts together this Barong paintingThe size of tender coconuts here is just humongous, it takes three people to finish one !Don’t miss the quintessential swing here – although touristy and crowded, the swing is still a good sport just for the thrill of swinging at a great height above ravishing rice terraces. Bali is full of sculptures- of protecting deities, of angels, of good and bad spirits – basically its deity culture is a wondrous blend of Hinduism, Buddhism and nature, where Gods, ancestors, spirits and natural elements are all intertwined. What we refer to as Yali in Tamil Nadu temples is a very commonplace sculpture here. Also you may be amazed by the amount of time Balinese people spend in daily prayers. There are offerings outside every home and office establishment, which ideally shouldn’t be trampled upon.Purification ritual at Taman Beji Griya waterfall. This cleansing ritual of dressing the part, laying out offerings for each deity, walking through rainbow-lit waterfalls and the best of all – releasing your emotions by screaming and shouting and then attracting positivity by singing , laughing or dancing will leave you fascinated. You can even sign up for a session of past life regression or hypnotherapy if you are upto it.Remember our old Maggi Chinese the superstar which got abruptly pulled out from the market ? This one tastes exactly like that with its fried onion seasoning

While I have visited a number of coffee plantations in India, this coffee estate at Tegal Sari would count as the best visual experience since they take you through the entire cycle of a coffee bean right from berry to pod to roast and powder. The best part – they also have samples of the luwak feces with the undigested coffee beans !

The flower of the Balinese wild ginger also called torch ginger. Highly prized for its beauty and for its role in traditional cuisine Bedugul floating temple – called so because the rains bring up the lake water and submerge the surrounding land, creating an illusion of the pagodas floating over the waters. The pagodas are made with black palm tree fiber, which is used for Hindu temple roofs all across Bali. One of our walking tours was to learn about traditional Balinese houses each built with an in-house temple, with one unit allotted to each couple in the joint , multi-generational family and directions of the units different for the oldest and youngest couples. Parents typically stay with their youngest son, therefore making is easier for their old age care . The house construction is a family effort with all members pitching in, art work typically given to the children. Another interesting fact we learnt about was that in Balinese culture the placenta is considered a sacred “spiritual sibling” to the newborn. It is ritually cleansed, sealed inside a coconut shell, and almost always buried within the family compound to act as the child’s lifelong guardian.Our walking tour ended with with this simple yet balanced home cooked meal comprising rice, an omelette, greens, vegetables, fried mushroom and potatoes together with their famous tender coconut and a tofu-tempeh soupOf course the focal point of the tour was the firefly walk through dark paddy fields – can’t see it ? unable to capture any on camera and I think that was the beauty of the whole experience- you only have your memory to record itLempuyang temple – or the gates of heaven a much hyped spot in Bali – these stairs rise so high up and make for a magnificent edifice

Yes the wait is long, but the wonderful reflective photos you get in the place somehow seem to make the wait worth it.

Bali is a fruit lover’s paradise.Not to mention the new fruits I learnt about like snake fruit for example . Our driver Kumang was kind enough to get a bunch for us and it kind of tastes like litchi but not quite.Is this a cross between chapati and spaghetti ?? One thing that’ll bowl you over in the supermarts is the sheer variety of instant noodles and snacksThe Barong dance is a musical story telling piece. There is well put together write up given to the audience on the story and the scenes which makes it easier to appreciate the performance. The one we watched was a beautiful amalgam of characters from the Mahabharata Kunti and Nakul interspersed with the king of good spirits the Barong, and the queen of evil – Rangda.Seminyak – the beach town. While Ubud is the culturally strong and grounded elder sibling , Seminyak is the woozy feet-in-the-air younger one. Whether you enjoy ubud or Seminyak more tells a lot about who you arePadang Padang beach, a turquoise water cove , has perhaps the calmest and cleanest waters to swim

Catching the sunset from this awesome place in Canggu with a pool and direct access to the beach. It essentially rekindled my interest in swimming. If Seninyak is a suave millennial knowing its place, Canggu is Gen Z, nonchalantly hep, with an extra bone of ecological awareness and local economy support.

To sum it all, go to Bali when you need to slow down, breatheeeee, and give a view of bountiful green therapy to your eyes. Go there when you need creative inspo – immerse yourself in art and all things creative. And when your ignored soul is crying for some attention and you need to look inward. Bali is the place.