Traditional Bali. Of course, when we think about Bali we imagine Heaven on Earth, and it’s real!!! It’s an island that is obviously starting to become a bit crowded, but we still thought it was charming and very authentic, particularly in terms of traditions.

The central village of Ubud and the Hindu atmosphere

In our first few days on the island we visited the central area near Ubud. We were staying at Saudara Home in Tegallalang and from there it was very easy to get to know the real Bali.

As soon as we arrived and for several days afterwards we were able to hear chants coming from a nearby temple for hours every afternoon. It turned out that for three days (exactly during the four nights we stayed) there was a ceremony that is only held once a year. We were able to go into the temple with permission from some worshippers, but soon we were told that we couldn’t be there as they were praying and I had my arms exposed. Never mind, at least we got to experience a bit of that intimate Balinese Hindu atmosphere.

Learning traditional wood carving… being on TV!

The day after we arrived we were invited to participate in a wood-carving activity at “I Made Ada Gallery” , one of the most traditional places on the island that create sculptures in wood. Our host was Nyoman, who has taken over the knowledge from his father.

That day they were filming for Balinese tourism TV, so now we’ve appeared in a TV show!! 🙂 🙂

The wood carving we did took about 4 hours, and we were able to enjoy it with minimal skill after having learned the basic steps to follow.

Having lunch there in the middle of that waterlogged rice field and learning a new activity was priceless, particularly given the pleasant temperature the great company of Nyoman.

As Nyoman is so generous, he even took us to his parents’ house so that we could see how a traditional Balinese house is divided up.

Traditional Bali with traditional dance…

Two days later, with our Canadian travel companion Joelle, we witnessed a traditional dance being performed by girls who were learning it. Noah was amazed by the dance and even a little scared for a second until he saw that it was harmless.

It was a great experience, although Noah wouldn’t let me dance with the girl who asked me to partner her for a while 🙂

We also came into contact with Balinese tradition during our stay at the Ramada Eccor hotel in Seminyak, where there was a dance with fire one night. So amazing! Noah remembered that a few months ago we had seen a similar show in Tenerife. Who says that little ones can’t remember things?? 🙂

And in the Grand Mirage Hotel…

Undoubtedly Bali has so much to offer, and we don’t think you should miss that opportunity as the experience is truly unique.