Bali - for that perfect honeymoon!

It was not an easy choice to begin with, for as Shah Rukh would say, we get married only once (remember that dialog from Dil To Pagal hai) and hence implied we only have one FIRST Honeymoon! So where to go? South America - we live so close by, that it is the only option when we want to take vacation. Europe - Yah, it is always there.. but whats more exciting? Think Think Think... Wait, from US, we always end up going to India, but when will we ever go beyond to the other countries in Asia? And this is how we ended up in Bali. Bali is simply heaven on earth (I do think there should be more than one, and not only Kashmir!). Stay anywhere in Bali, its okay, in the end you will have seen all of the island anyways. 

The first thing to keep in mind is to get the real flavors of your trip to Bali, do not fall prey to the schemes of travel agents who mix up Bali with other countries. The reason being, Bali in itself is a self sufficient island which has something for everyone. There is culture, history, there are water sports, there is relaxation, cuisine, wild life, distinct flora, volcanoes and what not! Traveling across Bali completely shall take definitely more than 4 5 days. We were there for 5 days and boy, I am not done yet, the next time I go there, I will be there for 10 days or more, but not less!

View of Bali from the airplane

The moments when we checked in the hotel were not the best ones, with me having a Delhi-Belly all through the flight journey! So, all we did was stay in the hotel and relax! The first thing that I had to check was the ocean view from my room and I knew from that moment on, the trip was going to extremely beautiful! The sea, sun, sky and the greenery were more than what my eyes were ready for..

My balcony and the view from there - green garden, blue sky and loads of water!

Tip for the honeymooners - Stay at Nusa Dua, the southern part of Bali. Tip for vacationers (looking for some action) - Do not stay in Nusa Dua, for you will surely miss out loads of action admist lazy long beaches! Other places like Ubud and Kuta have better action packed beaches unlike Nusa Dua which truly caters to honeymooners!
The hotels at Nusa Dua (like Grand Mirage, the one where we stayed or others) are huge, beautiful, conscious of their diverse audience and cater well to all age groups. Swimming pools, Yoga, Spa, water sports, library, internet room, indoor sports are common and well taken care of.

View from the hotel swimming pool

The other common feature is the awesome beaches and the beach side beds and chairs. Beach side beds were something I was never aware of, till I saw here. Its romantic and how.. A romantic candle light dinner for two, with the best food, wine and desserts and a bed to relax on it, all at the beach side. They play the music YOU want to hear and will arrange the musicians if requested (in exchange of some money though :)) Not sure what more one can ask for!

Bali is a hindu island, unlike any other place in Indonesia. Hence, the display of Hindu gods is no surprise. What comes as surprise is their elaborate non Indian forms. We only know of Rama and Sita as a holy divine couple who stand next to each other with Lakshmana and Hanuman, with their hands blessing us! However, in our hotel, I found out Rama and Sita dancing with each other (reminding me the fact that they were a couple first!). In my following blogs, one can see more Hindu gods in their Balinese versions.

Balinese Rama and Sinta (or Sita) in the hotel

We waited for the next morning with all the energy, for we were going to explore this tiny island and all the beauty it had. It started with the amazing sunrise on the beach. Bali is known for its sunsets, but the sunrise was no less that what a painter can only imagine!

Sunrise in Bali, around 6 00 AM. 

With this, I almost entered in to the vacation mode and the explorer in me was just waiting to be unleashed, which will be covered in my upcoming blogs.