Interesting and shocking facts about Bali! What should a tourist know? Bali is the island of Gods and demons. Interesting facts about Bali Interesting facts about pain

small island Bali, part of Indonesia, is well known throughout the world as a first-class resort. Millions of tourists visit it every year, and they strive to return here in the future for positive emotions. The island amazes with its superb nature, beautiful beaches and numerous entertainments.

What's interesting about this island?
In the local language it is called Pulau Kahyangan, which translates to Island of the Gods.

Every Balinese simultaneously exists in a pair of worlds. Sekala is the visible environment around a person. The invisible world of Niskala can only be felt during the performance of national rituals that have a centuries-old history.

There is no time to work on the island, as there are 230 days off each year.

The religion of the locals is called “Agama Hindu Dharma” and is an amazing mixture of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs mixed with pagan ideas about the world and belief in various spirits.

Bali law allows polygamy, with a maximum number of wives limited to four. It is curious that a man can remarry only after receiving written permission from his first wife.

One of the local traditions involves filing teeth. It is given to young people aged 16-18 years. It is believed that such a procedure allows one to calm down the six main spiritual sins (lust, greed, and so on). By the way, if you are interested in this and other traditions in Bali, the company Gidnabali.ru conducts excursions on the island with a Russian-speaking guide, and also organizes wedding ceremonies. Wedding ceremonies from GidNaBali.ru - will become unforgettable moment in your life together. Believe me it's worth it.

The Balinese home is a full-fledged living being. The role of the head is played by the temple, which is necessarily turned towards the Agung volcano. In place of the arms are living quarters, and the kitchen and outbuildings are located instead of the legs.

There are three calendars in Bali. The first is accepted throughout the world and used in everyday life. The second is called Pawukon and is the calendar of the Javanese-Balinese peoples. The third is called Saka and is common to all Hindus.

Based on the chronology of the Saka calendar, today the island of Bali lives in the year 1936.

For any Balinese, the right hand is sacred. Only she can transfer any things to each other.

The linguistic features of the island provide for the division into three castes, the indication of which is mandatory when addressing a person.

Gunung Agung Volcano – highest point Bali, its peak is at 3142 meters. At the foot is Pura Besakikh, the most revered temple among local residents.

Rice is the most common product on the island. Residents consider it the food of the gods, so you can find dishes made from it at any celebration.

When it comes to entertainment, cockfighting has no equal in popularity. Fighting birds are cared for as if they were their own children.

It is curious, but during a divorce, the children remain with the father, and the woman takes with her only the things that she had before marriage.

According to most, Bali is a paradise with numerous beaches, exotic fruits, cocktails, massages and all kinds of entertainment.

I have long dreamed of living in Bali. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the bestselling book “Eat, Pray, Love,” fueled my desire to come here as soon as possible. We had been planning to fly to Bali for a long time, were waiting for a life map and were preparing ourselves for the trip. I imagined swimming in the ocean, sunbathing on the beach, eating Exotic fruits and drink coconut.

We arrived for two months. During this time, we met locals and learned a lot about Indonesia. Overall, I enjoyed my stay. We jumped from a waterfall, explored sunken ships with scuba gear, traveled the length and breadth of the island, and looked at almost everything local beauties And best beaches, laughed with the taxi drivers, tried the acclaimed Luwak coffee and mangosteen tea, which they took with them to Krakow. We took with us a lot of pleasant memories, but there are facts that are not written about on the Internet, but you need to know about them.

Common in Bali Dengue fever. Its carriers are mosquitoes. IN tourist places oh they are being poisoned. But the most important thing is that you don’t know where the mosquito carrying this stuff might bite you. Fever is something that locals and tourists fear so much. Best protection Therefore, stock up on mosquito spray and carry it with you everywhere. It is better to provide a mosquito repellent bottle at the hotel. For example, baigan. In expensive restaurants they bring this spray and you can use it. In cheaper restaurants and warungs, it is worth asking the waiters to bring mosquito spray. Symptoms of a fever can be easily confused with the flu, so if your temperature rises, you should immediately contact your local hospital before flying home. You should not self-medicate, since some of the medications we are used to, on the contrary, can be harmful or lead to death.
A couple of years ago, locals saw a python in Jimbaran. I don’t remember what size it is, but it’s huge. A catcher was immediately called. He caught a python. Tourists wanted to take a photo, but the python escaped, strangled the catcher and disappeared. Until now, no one has seen anything about him. What's all this for? If you suddenly see a snake, it is worth keeping in mind that a snake attacks in only two cases: 1) if it is wounded; 2) if she feels threatened. It will not attack on its own. It's worth letting her crawl.
About the weed. It is worth keeping in mind that maintaining, growing, or simply buying weed is a posthumous public execution. A couple of years ago, locals publicly shot two Australians who brought weed with them. And then another ten people. This is not a joke! Despite this, you can meet street vendors, especially on neighboring islands. But often they come with police officers in cahoots who will shake you out of every last penny, including movable and immovable property.
If in Thailand monks are held in high esteem, here the police are held in high esteem..
What confused me were the skinny animals: cats, dogs, cows, roosters. The cows are kept in disgusting conditions - garbage is strewn around them and, judging by the smell, they are not washed. I judge more than once. Near one of our guesthouses, cows grazed for days on end.
You should be careful with taxi drivers. I would completely cross out Uber, since fraudulent transactions are often observed with it. For example, we ordered a car, and a taxi driver arrived and started haggling. In such cases, you should get up immediately. I had to open the doors on the move. The golden rule is not to get into a taxi until you have agreed on the price and route. This is not the only case. We used BlueBird taxi services, which monitors its reputation, in the No. 1 market. It is worth making sure that the stork is drawn. Often they are replaced and instead of the stork you can see another bird, a gate or something like that. A fake taxi is many times more expensive. I also recommend mobile app Grab is an analogue of Uber, somewhere in price between BlueBird and Uber. There were no surprises with him, but it’s not always possible to catch them. This is especially true for beach areas and Ubud due to conflicts with local taxi drivers.
Mostly Australians (most of all), Dutch and Russians vacation in Bali. According to locals, there are no Ukrainians here at all. But again, we were also mistaken for Russians, so this is not an indicator yet.
Last year we lived in Thailand on the island of Phuket, and I just fell in love with the Thais. People are always glad to see you, happy and don’t look into your wallet. On this occasion, I published my article on Organic Woman. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about the Balinese. They greet you and communicate with you only so that you buy something. And if you refuse, then they may shout a few words after you and the attitude changes dramatically. By the time you get to the beach, all your ears will be buzzing with massages, taxis and all sorts of baubles. Moreover, everyone has to be refused at least 3 times - no one lags behind the first time. Even passing in silence or a short “thank you” will not help.
We concluded that the Australians have spoiled the locals and the prices in Bali are going down.
You can only change money in banks. Once we approached a currency exchange point and a local almost pocketed 20% of $200 for some taxes. First he tried to cheat on the calculator (which is very easy when you are handling millions of rupees), then he pointed out taxes of 20%. We turned around and left, changed money at a bank nearby and, of course, there were no taxes.

I didn’t want to intimidate you, but no one canceled the precautionary measures. It is worth having mosquito spray with you, when you see a snake (if you suddenly see it) just let it crawl, for grass lovers - be aware of the punishment. Overall, your holiday in Bali is pleasant and memorable.

Save post to Pinterest

The picturesque island of Bali is located on the largest Malay archipelago, in Indonesia. The island is part of the group of small Sunda islands. The area of Bali is 5780 m2, the population is 3,890,757 people. The island of Bali is one of the most visited tourist resorts. The island has everything for have a nice rest: picturesque landscapes, friendly people, beautiful beaches, ancient culture with beautiful temples, well-developed infrastructure.

Like all countries, the island of Bali has its own traditions, culture and mystery.

The island of Bali is washed by the Quiet and Indian Ocean. The island has a peculiar topography, where there are mountains with volcanoes and lowlands.

There are four types of forest on the island: savanna, deciduous, mountain and evergreen.

The island of Bali is called "Pulau Kahyangan", which means "island of the gods".

The island was opened for recreation by hippies who lived for some time on the territory of Kuta. As a result of the “hippie pilgrimage,” the Indonesian government decided to develop the resort and trism. The World Bank and the UN contributed to the successful development and invested funds for the tourism development of Bali.

The architecture of the island is unusual; the houses of the indigenous inhabitants can very easily be confused with small temples. The Balinese are very religious and they decorate their houses. big amount statues on a religious theme.

Oddly enough, Indonesian is one of the most popular languages in the world; it is spoken by about 200 million people.

In Bali, the spoken language is divided into three levels, depending on caste, sublime, middle, rude. Residents from a certain caste can only use the language to which they belong by status.

In Bali in the northeastern part there are two large volcano: Gunung Agung (3142 meters), Gunung Batur (1717 meters)

The island has a length of 80 kilometers.

Temperatures on the island can fluctuate. The temperature on the beach exceeds 30 degrees, and at the mountains or the foot of the volcano reaches 15 degrees.

Indonesia is a densely populated Muslim country, but on the island 90% of the inhabitants profess Hinduism. In Bali, gods such as Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, as well as the supreme god Sang Yang Widi Vasa are revered.

The locals are very religious, which explains the large number of temples on the island. According to some sources, there are about 11,000 of them. Some temples such as Uluwatu and Tanah Lot are architectural monuments.

Each house has its own small temple where the inhabitants perform their religious rituals.

The Balinese consider the house to be a living creature, the head is the family temple (the home temple must look at the Agung volcano), the hands are residential buildings, the legs are the barn, the kitchen.

Bali is a holiday island, 230 days a year are filled with festive processions, colorful events, interesting customs. Residents living on the island have different nationalities and religions, so both Islamic, Hindu and Christian holidays are celebrated here.

One of the strangest traditions of the island is the teeth filing ceremony. The meaning of the tradition is to shorten the fangs, so that a person is deprived of resembling demonic entities and to pacify the six main sins in Bali: greed, lust, anger, jealousy, drunkenness, arrogance.

Most residents are not Muslim, but polygamy is still allowed. A man can take four women as wives, while the first one gives permission for the second, third and fourth wife. On given time There is polygamy in Bali. But it is mainly common among upper caste Balinese.

On the island in different parts you can find statues dressed in black and white skirts and hats, so local residents They believe in magical powers and the ability to come to life at night.

Childlessness and impotence are grounds for divorce.

The Balinese love children, especially boys, they continue the family line, care for elderly parents, and inherit lands. Girls go to their husband's family and have no right to inherit anything from their family.

The most famous drink is the elite Kopi Luwak coffee. Method of preparation: the raw material is collected from the excrement of a civet animal that eats ripe coffee beans.

On the streets and the coast you can find many colorful umbrellas, they are called “tedung”, which means “protection” and each color has its own meaning, indigenous people They believe that umbrellas have a protective function. There are four sacred colors in Bali: red, green, white, yellow.

1. In Bali, the use and distribution of drugs is subject to the death penalty and at the same time, hallucinogenic mushrooms are freely sold (absolutely legally) in Bali.

2. Polygamy is allowed in Bali - up to four wives. For the second and subsequent wives, the permission is signed by the first wife. Currently, polygamy occurs mainly among the Balinese from the upper castes.

3. A resident of the island of Bali always eats using exclusively his right hand, since he considers the left hand to be defiled. The left hand is never used to receive or give things. Moreover, a Balinese will not allow himself to wave his “unclean” left hand at someone.

4. Dancing and performing arts are an integral part of the life of any Balinese. Regardless of their occupation, every resident of Bali considers it their duty to be able to dance well and participate in theatrical performances.

5. The vast majority of the population (Hindus) believe in reincarnation. Babies less than 6 weeks old receive special respect from adults. It is believed that a child at this age is a living embodiment of the soul of some ancestor.

6. On the island. In Bali you can still find real natives. Locals call them "Bali Aga".

7. The Balinese are real geniuses at carving stone and wood. People come here from all over the world to buy something for their interior.

8. In Bali, there is a ceremony of filing teeth - flattening the two upper teeth, which most closely resemble animal teeth, canines and four incisors. This is done with the aim of depriving a person of demonic character traits and pacifying the 6 most important sins in Bali - lust, greed, anger, sadness, arrogance, jealousy and drunkenness. Typically, this ceremony is performed at a Balinese wedding. It is interesting that without filed teeth, a Balinese cannot fulfill his duty and karma. The most common age for this ceremony is 16-18 years old. But, if a person suddenly dies before this procedure, the teeth filing ceremony will be performed on the corpse. The teeth fragments are placed in a yellow coconut and buried in the family temple as a shrine.

9. In 1906, hundreds of Balinese came out to meet Dutch soldiers dressed in white and committed mass suicide. This moment in history is called "Puputan".

10. In Bali, it is not customary to express your feelings in public by kissing. The only day, after the "day of silence", selected youth of the village can kiss in public to please the gods.

11. All residents of Bali belong to one of four castes. The lowest caste, Shudra, is the most numerous. Shudras are the poorest of the Balinese people. Representatives of the nobility form three other classes: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (military personnel and government officials), Vaisiyas (merchants).

12. The Balinese language is divided into three levels (also depending on caste): high, middle and rough. People from a particular caste can use the language that belongs to their status. You cannot address someone in Balinese without identifying the caste of the interlocutor.

13. What immediately catches your eye in Bali is the many colorful umbrellas located in different places. Umbrellas in Bali have a creative, protective meaning. They are called “tedung”, which means “protection”. The color of the umbrella can vary and carry different meanings, mainly the colors reflect the colors of the castes.

14. The religion of the Balinese is called "Agama Hindu Dharma", it is a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism, pagan faith and the worship of ancestors and nature spirits.

15. Balinese houses are living creatures. His head is a family temple (looking at the Agung volcano), his arms are residential buildings, and his legs are a kitchen and a barn.

16. Most Balinese go to bed with their head towards sacred mountain and the family temple always faces towards Agung.

17. A Balinese gate without a top is called Candi Bentar, which translates as “split gate.” The Chandi Bentar Gate symbolizes the cosmic mountain of knowledge, split into two parts - half good and half evil - forces symbolizing the fundamental energies of the Universe.

18. On the territory of almost anyone Balinese temple there is a multi-tiered tower - this is a symbol sacred mountain Balinese Agung. It is also a symbol of the holy Mount Meru. Meru towers can be 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 tiers high, depending on the status of the deity to whom they are dedicated.

19. On the island 230 (!) official holidays per year. Therefore, numerous ceremonies and festive processions can be seen on the streets of cities and villages almost every day.

20. Canang offerings are handmade bamboo baskets filled with gifts for the spirits. Absolutely all Balinese women can make such offerings; they are taught this from the age of 6. Baskets are made from banana and bamboo leaves using weaving techniques.

21. An important and indispensable product in Indonesia is Nasi rice. Rice is food and a gift from the gods. Here in Bali there is a cult of rice, all rituals and ceremonies include rice product. The rice panicle even appears on the Indonesian flag. Rice is included in all offerings to good and evil spirits, rice is planted everywhere, in general, rice is the head of everything here.

22. The Balinese are very gambling people. One of their favorite pastimes is cockfighting. For these purposes, special fighting roosters are raised in almost every yard, which are groomed and nurtured, treated like little children - the roosters have their own diet, they are washed and bathed. Often, on the streets of the island you can meet a group of Balinese sitting together and each has a cockerel sitting on their lap, which the owners lovingly stroke. In cockfighting, the stakes are monetary. Many Balinese lost their fortunes in these games, after which fighting was prohibited and covered up... but cockfighting is allowed on special ceremonial days and on the full moon, which everyone takes advantage of.

23. There is an important duty for the Balinese - this is marriage. And the most important thing in marriage is to have children, only then can the Balinese attend important ceremonies and perform rituals intended for the dead to purify their souls, which are necessary for further reincarnation. Childlessness and impotence are grounds for divorce

24. Balinese people love children, especially boys, because sons traditionally look after their elderly parents and home. And, also, it is boys who can inherit lands, farmland and houses. Girls get married and go to their husband’s family, so they have no right to inherit anything from their family.

25. If there is a divorce in the family, the wife returns to her parents and can only take her personal belongings with her. Her rights are so limited that few women dare to leave their husbands. It is interesting that most children stay with their father, as they are considered to belong to their father. And after a divorce, the mother loses almost all rights to them, especially if the child is male.

26. Traditional Balinese childbirth is carried out surrounded by all immediate relatives. It is believed that in last month pregnancy, during childbirth itself and the first 42 days after childbirth - both the woman and the baby are most vulnerable to sorcerers, witches and other “dark forces”, because they are between the worlds - between earthly and heavenly space. Dark forces are activated at this time, trying to gain access to the child's pure energy. Therefore, the father of the child all this time (and especially during childbirth) is next to his wife and protects her from evil spirits with his presence and special rituals.

27. In Bali they believe in the invisible world, in light and dark spirits. And, accordingly, into white and black magic. Therefore, witchcraft is highly developed on the island. There are special black sorcerers who can cast spells on a specific person, an entire family or house. Everyone respectfully fears black magicians and often turns to them when sorting out relationships. There are white sorcerers who people go to to recover from an illness, to receive material benefits, or simply to tell fortunes for the future. They are called healers. The main path of healers is massage, fortune telling by hand, fortune telling by the stars, and the preparation of magical mixtures.

28. Traditional Balinese dances - Legong, Barong and Kecak. The Barong dance is a whole performance that shows the opposition of good and evil, which symbolize the characters Barong and Rangda. A real Barong dance can last for several hours.

29. Water in Bali is sacredly revered. The religion of the Balinese in ancient times was called “Agama Tirta” - “religion of sacred water”. The element of water is deeply revered for the Balinese and always carries creative and cleansing power. Many ceremonies in Bali are dedicated to the element of water.

30. In Bali, it is customary to cremate dead people. The cremation ceremony is usually noisy and fun. Especially if it is massive. A cremation ceremony is extremely expensive, so it is not uncommon for a family to split the cost with neighbors and cremate in batches at once. For example, in 2001, the remains of 830 people already buried in the cemetery from 37 villages were added to the cremation of Ida Tjokorda Mengwi, a member of the 13th generation of King Mengwi (note: until the required number of deceased is reached: those who died before the ceremony cremation - buried in the ground for a while, then dug up).

Finally, I found time to finish the article that I started writing while still in Indonesia. In the end it turned out whole list from 25 interesting facts, observations and tips that I collected during six months of living in this wonderful country. This article will be especially useful for those who are planning a trip to Bali or other Indonesian islands. Enjoy!

Indonesia is the largest island country and the most populous country in the world. The entire country consists of 17,800 islands.
The main religion of Indonesia is Islam, followed by 86% of the population. 9% are Christians, 3% are Hindus and the remaining 2% are Buddhists and others. But in Bali the picture is completely different. Almost 90% of the island's local population is Hindu.
A good one can be rented for only 500,000 rupees per month ($52) or for 35,000 rupees per day ($3.6).
Fuel is very cheap in Indonesia - the price of one liter of gasoline costs 4,500 rupees ($0.46).
Volcano Agung (3142 meters) in Bali is considered the most sacred place on the island. All the temples of the island face in its direction and all Balinese try to sleep with their heads towards this volcano.
The most reliable and cheapest telephone service in Indonesia is Telkomsel SimPATI.
Almost all major cities In Indonesia, you can easily find free housing through and thereby get to know the local youth.
In almost all local eateries (warungs) you can have a hearty meal for only 15,000 rupees ($1.5).
On the main island of Java, locals will constantly ask you to take photos with them. “Hello mister, can I take a picture with you?” - standard phrase. By the way, even if you are a girl, you will still be called "Mr."
Prices for food and accommodation on the main island of Java are sometimes two to three times cheaper than in Bali.
In markets and stores where there are no price tags, you can safely bargain and reduce the stated price by two or three times.
In the jungles of Bali you can find wild monkeys.
In Bali, Ubud is the city of yogis, Kuta is the city of party people.
In first place among tourists in Bali are Australians, second are Japanese and third are Chinese.
Parking a scooter or car near tourist spots and large shops usually costs 1,000-2,000 rupees.
The maximum bribe that should be paid to police officers for riding a scooter without a helmet and license is 50,000 rupees. Don’t give any more, even if they threaten you with a big fine and a police station.
Every second Balinese is called Wayan (regardless of gender).
Monitor lizards live on Komodo Island - they are also dinosaurs or dragons.
The maximum amount that can be withdrawn from an ATM in Indonesia is 3,000,000 rupees ($312).
Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony and this greatly affects the architecture of many cities.
In Indonesia, left-hand drive traffic, as in Thailand.
The maximum period of stay in Indonesia without leaving is 6 months (a social visa is required for this). After this period you need to go to neighboring country, do new visa and re-enter Indonesia.
Balinese celebrate New Year in a very unusual way - in complete silence. For 24 hours, no one on the island leaves their house. All restaurants, offices, schools and shops are closed.
Accommodation prices in Bali in budget guesthouses range from 100,000 ($10) to 200,000 rupees ($20), when renting at long term(week, month) - cheaper. For example, we rented a whole one for only $450 per month.
Indonesia is full of tropical fruits: snake fruit, pineapples, strawberries, apples, bananas of different varieties, tangerines, papaya, mangosteens, rambutans, tree apple, durian, passion fruit, . All this can be found in almost any fruit market.

It might be useful to read: