One's first impression of Bali is of a Hindu island in a Muslim country. The next thing to strikes you is that this is a country designed by tourists, for tourists and the pleasures of tourism. From the tinkling relaxing music played on the Denpasar (the capital of Bali) airport sound system, to the seemingly sincere and warm 'namaste' type of greeting, plus the welcome privilege of a visa being granted on arrival (even to Indians!) you (and your money) are made wholeheartedly welcome.

We stayed in a luxurious private villa in the upmarket Seminyang area just north of Kuta (meaning city: from our 'Kota' - fort?). This trendy area with its happening nightlife, stylish boutiques and fancy eateries was also the scene of the October 2002 bombing which had resulted in a major reversal of perception and fortunes for Bali. The place is still trying to recover from this act and prove that the incident was an aberration.

Temples, more temples and still more temples: The main religion in Bali (over 98% of the population) is the Agama Hindu Dharma which is based on the Hinduism of India but has influences of Buddhism and indigenous beliefs such as the worship/appeasement of spirits. The Hindu trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu are worshipped but are seen as manifestations of their God Sanghyang Widhi. Not surprising then that the place is crawling with temples. At Pura Besakih, Bali's mother temple containing separate sections devoted to Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, standing against a breathtaking mountain backdrop on the southeastern slopes of Mount Agung (which erupted in 1963 killing over a thousand people but spared the temple complex itself) we were greeted with a "Khem cho? Majama?" by a local guide/tout - evidence of frequent visits of large numbers of garrulous globetrotting 'Gujjus'. The complex also houses the oldest remaining gamelan instrument in Bali called selonding.

The temple complex at Uluwatu (Pura Uluwatu) is a 'directional' temple protecting Bali from evil spirits from the South West (Vaastu?). It lies at the south eastern tip of Bali in the Badung Regency and has an arched gateway at the entrance flanked by statues of Ganesha. The temple was built in the eleventh century by Empu Kuturan a Hindu Javanese priest. Another priest, Niratha, is said to have attained moksha here in the seventeenth century. Told that wearing of a Sarong was mandatory to enter the temple, we ingenuous Vizagites decided to make do with sarees draped as lungis over our trousers to avoid the unnecessary one-time expense. Fortunately, our ingenuity was not put to test as they did not insist on it and we were allowed in with just a bright yellow sash given to us. That was the closest I've come so far to wearing a saree! Wandering around the complex and watching the waves far below the cliff, I was reminded of the movie 'Papillon' (Dustin Hoffman?) that I had seen during my childhood in Vizag. Uluwatu is also a popular surfing spot. I've often wondered why I've never seen anyone even attempting to surf at Vizag's beaches; sitting in a Warung (small restaurant) which offered a wonderful vantage point of the beach and watching the giant waves that gradually built up before breaking, I realized why - we just don't have that type of beach in Vizag. This otherwise enjoyable visit to Uluwatue was marred by a troop of monkeys at the temple were real pests.

Other sights and activities: Being an established tourist destination, there are very few activities one can not indulge in, in Bali. We had a mind-boggling array to pick from: water sports, scuba diving, spa treatments, game fishing, golfing, white water rafting, trail riding, bungy jumping, dance, music and meditation classes…. We settled for the must see items except for some paragliding on Benoah beach which was great fun. Among the sights were: the mountain village of Kintamani with spectacular views of Lake Batur (14 km long) and the still active volcano of Mount Batur (Gunung Batur). We were told that Kintamani, earlier known as Semarapura, was once the center of Bali's most important kingdom and the site of a massacre by the Dutch in 1908 of the Rajah and his family of last Balinese kingdom to succumb. We also visited the Monkey Temple (Pura Dalem Agung, Temple of the Dead) and forest (Mandala Wisata Wanara Wana).

On the last but one day, we decided to take it easy. A relaxing Spa treatment lasting over four hours costing over a hundred dollars (no way would I pay 4000 Rupees for this; but 100 dollars seems okay!) was followed by a Legong dance (a traditional palace dance) performance by pretty, graceful and shy girls who must have been in their early teens accompanied by a 'gamelan' orchestra. According to legend, Legong is based on the heavenly dance of divine nymphs; my theory is that it is based on Bharatanatyam - the same darting eyes, expressive gestures and rhythmic footwork. Craving for some Indian food by now we visited an Indian restaurant, the Golden Tandoor, where the food was excellent but the service and attitude, unfortunately, desi.

On our last day at Bali, we went North West to Menjangan (meaning 'deer' after the deer found here) island about 30 minutes by boat from the main island. The clear water, colourful fish and coral, the stunning change in depth from a few metres to a bottomless ocean were worth the long drive and boat ride.

Despite the beauty and the serenity of the place and the basic decency of the people, there were minor irritants. We came across several instances of touts and wayside vendors trying to pull wool over tourists' eyes as is common in many third world countries. Examples of these were the displaying of a beautiful carving/painting, agreeing to a price reluctantly after much haggling and then switching it with a similar one of far inferior quality at the last minute. It takes a third-world person from Vizag to catch a third-world crook and so these ruses didn't work on us. Okay, maybe except once.

Vizagite4ever