Pristine beaches, opulent hotels, international cuisine and plentiful shopping - these words could characterize any number of beach resort destinations. But add to that a thriving and dignified local culture outside the tourist enclaves, where local people believe that a smile creates good karma, and you have an unusual and special vacation spot.

The Indonesian island of Bali is beautifully differentiated from other island destinations by its

careful balancing of the demands of tourists, the environment and the native population. Visitors are mostly sequestered from the island population in the charming enclave of Nusa Dua, and those who venture outside of it are rewarded by a dignified and self-sufficient local population.

Chanters

At many of the beach resorts I have visited, a trip away from the tourist beaten path opens one's eyes to the locals' love-hate relationship with tourism - they like our money, but they resent that we have it. Such a foray usually leaves me feeling guiltily lucky. In Bali, however, it was a considerable pleasure to drive through a countryside where people pursued their lives - tilling the rice fields, celebrating marriages, births and deaths in their temples - with minimal concern for the thousands of tourists who flock there annually.

Not that the dramatic drop in tourism - following the 2002 bombing of a popular nightclub - hasn't been noticed. As an American tourist, I was welcomed with open arms, frequently thanked for coming and implored to come back. But shining through all interactions was the gracious, sincere friendliness and national pride of the Balinese.

I stayed at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, one of a string of resorts interlinked by roads with invitingly wide sidewalks and surrounded by a meandering collection of shops. Upon arrival, I was immediately impressed by the cheerful, attentive staff, and that feeling increased proportionately with the length of my stay. Wherever I went, I heard, "Hello, good morning," "Hello, good afternoon," accompanied by a wide and friendly smile. Staff sports traditional dress - a sarong and the traditional headdress for the men, elegant patterned skirts and lace jackets for the women - and they can't do enough to make your stay enjoyable. http://asiatravelnet.com/indonesia-hotels/denpasar-bali/nusa-dua-beach-hotel-and-spa.htm

While most wear Western dress at home, the Balinese are traditional about one of the things that makes this island unique: the peaceful and gentle Hindu religion. Worship is based around festivals and rituals, and on an organized visit to a nearby temple I was introduced to the sacred dance that symbolizes a central tenet: the battle between good and evil.

Balinese dance is a stylized ritual that depends on delicate hand gestures and body movements, enlivened by the occasional slapstick moment reminiscent of Shakespeare's bawdy moments. It is accompanied by the gamelan, a fascinating musical ensemble in which drum, brass xylophones and gongs lay down an intricate rhythmic backdrop for a single flute doubled by a one-stringed, bowed instrument. In both melody and rhythm, the variations are constant, subtle recombinations of material - reflective, perhaps, of the infinite permutations of the hand gestures of the dance, and indeed of the morality play itself.

I later learned that training in the gamelan is part of every boy's education (girls are starting to

Gamelan

make inroads, and a female gamelan has been established on the island) - in the performance that I heard, a young boy of 5 or 6 sat quietly by his father, absorbing the intricacies of both dance and music. Every temple has a gamelan and it owns the instruments; later we passed a site where a competition had been taking place - players in colorful uniforms standing by the side of the road or packing up their instruments.

Temples are prominent throughout the countryside, often occupying large amounts of valuable real estate on an island that depends on its spacious rice paddies for income. A sign

Hindu Temples

at one entrance indicated that evangelism is not encouraged - it's a live- and-let-live system - and the guide informed us there are no sermons (he called them "lectures"). Indeed, there are no holy days per se - people go to give thanks and to pray, and of course to make offerings, many of which were colorful flower petals in palm-frond baskets.

Indeed, a few days later, when I was picked up at 7 a.m. for a three-hour drive to a scuba-diving adventure, the bus dashboard sported one such basket, from which a stick of incense smoked lazily. And I found it quite reassuring that both driver and divemaster paused at a temple to say a prayer and place the ritual rice on temples and forehead.

 Intertwined with this light touch, however, is a quite complex social structure, including the caste system. Communities, in cramped walled enclaves about their roomy temples, are divided into communities of 100 families, within the larger confines of the village. Each community has a particular job (stone carving, wood carving, painting, etc.) and each caste has a task within these confines. Life milestones are marked by complex ceremonies: Conception and birth alone merit four separate rituals before the child is 1 year old. Perhaps the most elaborate is death, marked by cremations on elaborate pyres. If the family cannot afford the ceremony, the community will pay; the wait might be years, however.

To Western ears, the system might sound confining and limited. But my observation was that these cohesive, supportive communities knitted a rich social fabric that distinguishes Bali from other beach resorts I have visited. Even the rich, who have made money in Singapore and Jakarta, return to their home communities, the guide reported; to me, the fact that even a few

would do this is impressive.

Beach Cleaners

 In perhaps the most telling remark, the guide urged us, if people smile and wish you good morning, don't think it's because they're looking for a tip. Smiles are good karma. There's plenty of good karma on this island.  Happy Traveling.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me:  jones@photoandtravel.com