In July 1999 I was fortunate enough to travel to Bali which is part of the Indonesian archipelago.  Bali has long been the focus of long haul travelers because of its temperate climate and sandy beaches.

I stayed in the South of the Island in the resort area known as Nusa Dua, at the Hotel Bali Tropic, a modestly priced accommodation which was all inclusive meaning I could eat and drink as much as I wanted (which I took full advantage of).  

From here we traveled to most parts of the island soaking up the scenery wherever we went.  Much of the landscape is sculptured into terraced rice paddies which make for some great photographs.  You cannot help notice the amount of beautiful temples around the place, this is because the majority of the locals are Hindus, so it is also important to be modestly dressed when traveling around the island.

Different parts of the island also specialize in different crafts to sell to tourists, the town of Ubud for example is a mass of art galleries full of paintings, whereas other areas have gold jewelry, silks and wood carvings.  The wood carving shops carve the pieces in front of your eyes which can be very interesting watching the craftsmen shape such intricate details onto a lump of wood.

I also took a trip to an Elephant sanctuary where you are able to take a ride on an elephant through the forest and then watch them play about in some swim holes where they bathe.  Also being the adventurous type I decided to take part in a number of water activities such as jet skiing, windsurfing, parasailing and of course scuba diving.  I highly recommend the diving off Bali especially at a place called Tulamben where the Liberty wreck lies just off the shore.  The Liberty sank in World War Two after being hit by two torpedoes.

Some photos from my trip can be seen below and on the next page (just click on any of them to enlarge).