What Bali means to people

Bali conjures up thoughts of a paradise for many people. Exactly what paradise is varies from person to person of course. Last night I was chatting to a guy seated next to me at the Irish pub down the road from our house in Portland. He worked for a environmental organisation protecting the salmon.

My accent gave away the fact I wasn’t from Portland and soon he found out I live in Bali. “Does Bali have great beaches?” he said. “Bali has okay beaches” I told him, “but its the people and the culture that really makes Bali stand apart.”

After describing the laying of offerings outside doorways and intersections, I rambled on about the Agama Hindu incorportating animism. The street parades and ceremonies in Bali are done as part of the culture, not to entertain tourists. A strong belief system runs through daily life in Bali and I love living in a place where one’s career is not the most important thing to the average person.

Viisitors to Bali should take a moment to observe the simple prayers offered when a canang (small tray of flowers) is set on the floor and insense wafted heavenward. A that moment time stops for the person performing the ceremony and a connection is made between the cultural roots going back thousands of years and modern life.

Bali can be a paradise island, but it is also so much more.