The Isle of the gods

Two things before we get to the meat:
1. I chatted (online) w/ a S. American acquaintance who asked: how far is Bali from Indonesia? So I thought maybe this needs to be stated upfront: Bali is in Indonesia. It's an island, a province in Indonesia, not a separate country.
2. I didn't do many touristy things there, due to a combination of I've been there (plenty of times) before and I was with friends who live there. So much (better material) has been written about the place before anyway; I figure you read this not for the quality of information you will receive. Actually, I don't know why you read this. Anyway.

I don't know how to summarize the week-long trip without resorting to the teenager in me:

OMG. You HAVE to go to Bali. It's. A-MAY-zing.

You'll see it promoted as the Isle of the gods (Pulau Dewata, as we say here in Indo) and you'll agree. First of all, there's the weather. I came at a time of transition. Rain fell softly late night through early morning. In rainy mornings I climbed out of bed to sit on the terrace of the bungalow, dangle my legs to face the small patch of paddy field, stare at the gold, listen to the field rustling. Nights were still and warm, which begged for a late dip in the pool under the stars and a glass of chilled red wine. The day's sun and breeze allowed me to be in my bathing suit all day, much like my school vacations long ago: Play in the water. Look for sea-shells. Cover my cousin in sand. Watch your feet slowly sink into the wet sand. Is it time to eat? Wash off the sand (though never so thoroughly), put on a shirt, drive somewhere and eat. Take pictures. Play some more. Come inside for dinner. Whoah, I got so dark. Crash. Tomorrow: repeat.

Secondly, and at the risk of sounding like a Bali Tourism ad, Bali has something for everyone! This time I relaxed, got massages, ate (Italian, Spanish, Balinese, Chinese, Japanese, Chinese/Indonesian, American), drank, beach-ed and mountain-ed (one day each). But mostly lounged around. No real agenda. No one to see. Nothing to accomplish. But, here's additional things I've done in past trips:

• Night-life -- Bali has some good clubs with solid resident DJs and a full calendar of guest, internationally known DJs. Or - there's always the cool bar du jour where all the tourists hang out. Some places boast great atmosphere (beach-front or cliff-front). Some are great in a row of bars (just walk/stumble from one place to the other).
  
• Outdoor adventure -- whitewater rafting is pretty good there. Some other people have done bungee, sky-diving, parasailing, jetskiing, surfing (of course), etc.
  
• The Arts -- everyone in Bali is an artist of some sort, and this is because the culture has really strong religious/ceremonial aspects. Dances, music/singing/playing, sculpture, food, etc. all contribute to their life in such a way that I won't ever understand. When I was growing up I knew how to perform about 8 Balinese dances - but that meant nothing more to me than moving deliberately to the music. Anyway, if you travel throughout Bali you will see certain areas/villages "specializing" in certain artforms. I'll leave that to you to discover!

Oh. A short note about lodging: don't worry. A major tourist area like Bali you can find something good in your budget range, from hostels to resorts. Or score a friend who lives in Bali, like I did. Another short note: don't just stay in Kuta (the major beach area). Venture north to the mountains. You might stumble into sights/places that remind you of the heaven you long for. It is the isle of the gods, after all.