Monday, December 8, 2008

Catch the ‘talk story’ train to Indonesian hot spot

In fact, Bali has been a haven for movie stars and millionaires since the 1930s, when Charlie Chaplain and other illustrious travelers helped put it on the world map. It's even rumored Chaplain learned his famous duck walk in the upcountry Bali village of Ubud, watching the Barong dancers.

I've been to Bali and a few other Indonesian islands 11 times and still want to go back for more. But many other Mauians are lured by the "island of the gods," so I've asked some to share memorable experiences as well.

"I LOVE Bali," says Bobby Watanabe, the customer relations representative for Kapalua Farms and Maui Pineapple. "It's basically been like a second home to me over the years. The culture, food, people, it's all so great. The best of all has to be the people. The Agama-Hindus of Bali truly perpetuate the ideal of the aloha spirit on the complete opposite side of the world. In terms of wealth and prosperity they have nothing, yet they have the greatest attitudes one can come by. I've traveled and surfed in a lot of different places on this strange planet (Europe, South America, the U.S., Japan and other places in Asia) and there is no other place I would even consider trying to live outside of Hawaii but Bali."

Bali Travel Information

Bali Travel - Top Bali Sites

Bali Travel Guide