1996 was one of our early visits to Bali in the current era, after we first visited the island some 20 years previously.
Obviously much of Bali had changed in the intervening years. For example we found that Kuta was now a loud, swinging place, on the go 24 hours a day - whereas we remembered it as a barely awake fishing village in a row of sand hills, where we were seriously advised not to wander off on our own 'in case something happened'!

For whatever reason the bus driver was clearly concerned.

Other things, however, we were pleased to find had not changed. The locals were still friendly and as curious about us as we were about them, the cost of the holiday was still less than the cost of half the length of time spent on our own 'Gold Coast' amidst an indifferent population offering indifferent service and ordinary goods at less than indifferent prices.
The food in Bali was fantastic, the service enthusiastic, local travel was cheap (though in modern vehicles now, not in the in very sick and whining old American cars left over from the Pacific war that we first used and remembered with some fear and trepidation), the culture was vibrant and the weather was sublime.

What more could we want?

This is what holidaying should be all about. 

The pool, gardens and beach at the Holiday Inn, Tuban, Bali.
This photo was taken from the sun-deck roof of the Presidential Suite at the very top of the first wing in the pool block.
The pool is kept very clean although I did get an infected inner ear once when I suspect the chlorine levels fell too low towards the end of a very hot day when the pool was full of steaming tourists.
The gardens are a delight with little name tags on most of the great variety of trees and shrubs.
The beach here, as is common with most of the beaches in the popular tourist centres (Kuta excepted perhaps), is sheltered by the off-shore reef and the shore waves are an easy surge at most.  

A feature of the public areas of the Inn are the often large but always beautifully carved wooden statues, figures and scenes from Balinese mythology.
Arts such as carving, painting and dance figure prominently in daily Balinese life. 

Under subdued natural light, or careful artificial lighting, the figures glow warmly and can be quite startling to the unaware guest rounding a corner.
Camera flash lights do not really do them justice.

The intricate detail in most of the carvings must be seen to be believed, particularly in some of the rural scenes carved in deep relief.
These finest masterpieces have been mounted behind glass, to protect their delicacy no doubt, but with the unhappy consequence that the wood frequently splits due either to the natural expansion and contraction of the timber being constrained or to the unnatural drying processes behind the glass.  

The Inn's Presidential Suite from pool level.
The pointed tops of the folded sun umbrellas can be seen on the roof sun deck where there is a large spa (easy indulgence for eight splashers), lounge chairs and a beautiful, carved and polished wooden 'bale' or raised and open sitting platform under the smaller roof.   

Tuban beach by the Inn is a gently sloping sandy strip, protected north and south by concrete breakwaters (removed in 2003) and even further south by the rock causeway built into the Indian Ocean to accommodate the required length of Ngurah Rai airport's runway' To seaward the protection is from the fringing coral reef.
The beach here is generally fairly clean , light coloured sand, although lumps of dead coral (from dynamite explosive fishing on the reef?) can make a hard landing for the occasional footstep.
It is a picturesque beach in the evening, much favoured by the locals for playing pick-up games of soccer on weekends. Beware if you join in - it's a friendly game but they play hard and many are quite skilled players. 

Bright flags (Umble Umbles) on long flexible bamboo poles are common decorations in Bali.
These mark the boundary between the gardens of the Holiday Inn and the beach which runs right up to the lawn and easy chairs, just beyond the pools. They mark the honour line which I have never seen a beach seller cross.
If you cross the line onto the beach you are fair game for the up-front but not aggressive sellers. This is the territory of Peter the kite maker. His works of art grace many a home and office I'm sure, as well as the skies around the world. They are of a much higher quality than the rough copies that can be commonly purchased in local markets.

A short walk north along Tuban Beach, past the very small fishing village - (now in the process of being squeezed out totally by hotel development, 2001) - is the Jukung Restaurant, one of our favourites. (Renamed the Pantai - meaning beachside, in 2000.)
The manager is Fransiskus Ruben, a rare Catholic in this land of Hindus and the very small number of Muslims found mainly near sea ports and in the west nearer Java.
Dinner at night, seated in the front bale shown here, is spectacular.
The immediate beach glows from the restaurant lights, but after the inevitably spectacular sunset (see last photos), beyond is darkness punctured by sparkling stars, twinkling lights from the fishing boats on the reef and the regular trail of aircraft lights as they silently follow the approach paths into the airport.  The hiss of the waves running up and back, leaving a brief dark, wet stain on the cream coloured sand, is broken occasionally by the thump of a larger wave falling over itself.
It is sheer magic in a million dollar setting which we never tire of, the food is great, unbelievable for the price.
Further along the beach, just beyond the restaurant, is the province of our favourite beach massagers, Wayan and Mistri.  

The flowers in the carefully maintained gardens of the Holiday Inn are both varied and spectacular, particularly to eyes not accustomed to tropical visions.
If you arise early enough, before the grounds are swept, you will walk on a carpet of fallen blossoms such as these coral coloured frangipanni, equal in their perfection to the rich cream beauties.
Through the day it is interesting to see guests walk around flowers which have fallen by the pool, rather than tread on them.

This pink frangipanni is from a tree (Yes, tree! - they are more than mere shrubs or bushes here.) which grows next to the deeper coral coloured one.
It is quite common to find otherwise staid, older guests, as well as those with more serious intent, walking around with a flower behind both ears. I often wonder if this is because they're not sure which ear to wear it behind to give the correct message or if they want to give both messages - taken but still available!
I cannot recall ever seeing anyone pick a flower from a tree but I have seen many pick up a flower from the ground, either to wear or simply to place it to one side of the path where it wont get damaged.

This yellow-orange hibiscus is a variation of the pink one, and just as spectacular in massed bunches.  

This pink hibiscus is a favourite for placing behind the ears of the garden's carved stone statues, or in the folds of their stone robes.
The yellow pollen contrasts sharply against the petals and the bright green leaves.

On the east coast of Bali, from Nusa Dua through Sanur and up the coast to Candi Dasa and beyond, the sun rises over the ocean are spectacular but largely unseen because of the ungodly hour at which you need to rise of course.
(See the set of photos in ' Bali Hilton, Nusa Dua, 1999' . - Get there from this link .

On the west coast, Jimbaran Bay, Tuban, Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, sun sets are also magnificent and more commonly seen as they happen around Happy Hour time. Only low cloud diminishes the spectacle but does not totally hide it.

Often the fabled and mysterious 'green cap' is seen for an instant just as the sun finally disappears.

This photo and the three which follow are consecutive and taken without the aid of filters or other photographic trickery to enhance them.
I think that they stand alone without further commentary.

Every traveller, with something a little better than a disposable camera and a steady wall to sit the camera on for the time exposures needed, can come home with memories like these.

LINKS -

Our Home Page is where you can select other photo sets from Bali or Bali stories from the left hand column that you'll find there.

The edited lists of recommendations made by different travellers reporting on the Bali Travel Forum. This is a big file, opening with a general information section followed by sections covering 9 Bali districts and Lombok. Give it time to load.

Advice for travelling to Bali With Kidz.