The island of Bali has long been the primary focus of Indonesia’s flourishing tourist industry. The island is small (it extends less than 150km at its longest point), volcanic, and graced with swaths of extremely fertile land, much of it sculpted into terraced rice paddies. Sandy beaches punctuate the dramatically rugged coastline and world-class surf pounds the shoreline. Culturally, Bali is equally rewarding. It is the only Hindu society in Southeast Asia, and exuberant religious observance permeates every aspect of contemporary Balinese life.The tiny island with a population of just three million draws in more than one and a half million foreign visitors every year, plus around a million domestic tourists. As el, result, it has become very much a mainstream destination, offering all the comforts and facilities expected by better-off tourists, and suffering the predictable problems of congestion, commercialization and breakneck Westernization. However, Bali’s original charm is still very much in evidence, its stunning temples and spectacular festivals set off by the gorgeously lush landscape of the interior.Bali’s most famous resort is Kuta beach, a six-kilometre sweep of golden sand,whose international reputation as a hangout for weekending Australian surfers is enhanced by its numerous attractions – restaurants, bars, clubs and shops. Travellers seeking more relaxed alternatives generally head across the southern peninsula to Sanur or, increasingly, to peaceful Candi Dasa, and further east, the black, volcanic sands of Lovina on the north coast or the rapidly developing villages in the far east beyond Culik. All these resorts make comfortable bases for divers and snorkellers,being within easy reach of the islands’ fine reefs Bali also boasts an unusually accessible wreck-dive. Surfers on Bali head for the famed south-coast swells, particularly around Uluwatu, and the offshore island breaks of Nusa Lembongan.Despite the obvious attractions of the beach resorts, most visitors also venture island to experience more traditional island life. On Bali, the once tiny village of Ubud has become something of a cultural centre, a still charming but undeniably commercialized place, where traditional dances are staged every night of the week and the streets are full of arts and crafts galleries. In general, the villages are far more appealing than the towns, but Bali’s capital, Denpasar, the ancient capital of Klungkung, and the north coast city of Singaraja, are all worth a day-trip for their museums, markets and temples. The island’s other big draw is its proliferation of elegant Hindu temples – particularly the spectacular island temple ofTanah Lot and the extensive Besakih complex on the slopes of mount Agung. Temple festivals, held throughout the island and at frequent intervals during the year, are also well worth attending; most are open to tourists.There are also a number of hiking possibilities most of them up volcanoes. The ascent to the summit of Ball’s mount Batur is extremely popular, while mount Agung is for the very fit. Bali’s sole national park, Bali Barat, has relatively few interesting trails, but it is a rewarding place for birdwatching, as is the area around lake Bratan in the centre of the island. Visitors to Bali should be aware of the peak tourist seasons; resorts get packed out between mid-June and mid-September and again over the Christmas and New Year period, when prices rocket and rooms can be fully booked for days, if not weeks, in advance.

In December 1941, Japan entered World War II; their fleet arrived off Sanur on February 18 and landed 500 troops, which moved unopposed to Denpasar and then through the island, which they occupied without a fight. The occupation was short lived, but it had profound political effects as it showed that the Dutch colonialists were vulnerable. When Indonesia made its declaration of Independence on August 17, 1945, some Balinese were unhappy: Java was Muslim, and the traditional enmity between the two islands made many people uncertain about joining a republic dominated by Java. Returning to retake their colony in March 1946, the Dutch faced ferocious fighting on

many employ Java but initially little opposition on Bali. However, the guerrilla forces, led by Gusti Ngurah Rai, a young army officer, in a tactic known as the “Long March to Gunung Agung” attempted to ambush the Dutch, who eventually killed all 97 of the rebels Ngurah Rai is now remembered as a hero. The status quo returned to the island, with local rulers overseen by Dutch administrators. The Dutch, having lost control of the islands to the west, created the Republic of East Indonesia, with the capital in Makassar in Sulawesi, and in 1948 declared Bali to be an autonomous state within that republic.The early years of Independence were not kind to Bali; although Sukarno’s mother was Balinese, the Balinese felt neglected by the government in Jakarta. Sukarno visited his palace atTampaksiring regularly, with a massive entourage that demanded to befed, entertained and then sent on their way with gifts. During the 1960s, a ground swell of resentment against the government grew in Bali. The Balinese began to believe that a state of spiritual disharmony had been reached, and preparations were made for a traditional island-wide purification ceremony, Eka Dasa Rudra, held in 1963 against the backdrop of a fiercely rumbling Gunung Agung that eventually erupted causing great devastation .
Later events in Jakarta increased the disaster in Bali. Following the Gestapu affair during the night of September 30, 1965, a wave of killings spread across Indonesia from December 1965 until March 1966. Estimates suggest that 100,000 were killed on
Bali, with actual or suspected members of the Communist Party, their sympathizers and the Chinese population the main targets. Until recently it was difficult to know what most people in Bali felt about the Suharto regime – criticism was made in hushed voices. Over the past decade there has been growing concern about the extent to which the Balinese have lost control of the tourist industry to wealthy entrepreneurs from Jakarta.