Bali Overview

Bali is a special and unique place.

An integral part of the vast Indonesian archipelago, yet different in so many ways.

Predominantly Hindu in a nation of over 220 million people, where Islam is the principal religion,

the island is the only place outside of the Indian sub-continent where the Hindu religion exists in any real strength.

Hinduism was introduced into the region, now known as Indonesia, in the 6th century by traders from India and spread rapidly across the whole archipelago - peaking in the 14th century with the Majapahit Empire.

The rise of Islam from the 14th century slowly, but surely, eclipsed the Hindu kingdoms and ultimately forced the remnants of the Hindu elite to take refuge & consolidate in Bali around the end of the 15th century.

Their descendants have succeeded in protecting their heritage through to the present day, strongly resisting cultural & religious encroachment under a succession of foreign and Indonesian rulers.

Today about 95% of the island’s population is ethnic Balinese & Hindu, with the remaining 5% Chinese & Muslim.

With a land area of 5620 sq km (2190 sq miles) and a population of about 3m it is Indonesia’s most popular tourism location.

Denpesar is the capital and also the economic hub of the island with a population of about 400,000 people, but the tourists principally flock to the south of the island and the “tourist triangle” of Kuta & Seminyak, Nusa Dua & Sanur.

Bali is to Australia what the Costa Brava in Spain is to the UK, or parts of the Caribbean are to the US, and if you want to see Aussies behaving badly you need to look no further than Kuta on a Saturday night. But there is a great deal more to Bali than large quantities of cold Bintang beer, fake tattoos & plaited hair….

The island and it's people have suffered badly as a result of the terrorist attacks that caused so much hurt & suffering in 2002 and then again in 2005 when the tourist trade was just starting to recover.

Tourism is the lifeblood of Bali and the effect on it’s people was significant - the terrorist’s attacks were aimed at the owners of the tourist related businesses, but the people most hurt were the local Balinese who feed their families from the tourist dollars, not the people who own the businesses!

The Australian Government continues to strongly advise against visiting Bali due to the danger of further terrorist attacks - my opinion is that the threat is minimal to none existent away from the main tourist areas and I visit the island regularly & recently bought a small villa in Ubud in the hills north of Denpasar.

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