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[T874]Things To See And Do

by Trias Bali, Tri

1) Beach & Surf
Bali is well known for its pristine whitebeaches and secluded coves, the most famous beaches being in Nusa Dua wherelong stretches of soft white sand will soothe and comfort the soles of yourfeet. Many hotels have their own private stretch of beach with a Beach club orrestaurant along. Kuta and Uluwatu are areas in South Bali well known for theirgood surf which makes Bali one of the mostpopular surf destinations in the world.

2) Padi fields
The beautiful terraced green padi fields are another must see for a visitor tothe island of Bali. Many tourists will automaticallyhead to Ubud, about 45 minutes from Bali Airport to stay in ahotel and villa overlooking the padi fields. The best padi field scenery is atJatih Luwih and Tegallalang which are not far from Ubud.

3) Galleries and Museums
Beautiful paintings can be found in Ubud, home of many of Bali'swell known and aspiring artists. The peaceful scenery and tranquility of thearea must be an inspiration for the remarkably detailed paintings these artistscreate and whose works are displayed in the numerous art galleries and museumsfound in Ubud village. Some of the more well known galleries are The Agung RaiMuseum of Art, Neka Museum, Antonio Blanco Renaissance Museum, Komaneka Galleryand Seniwati Gallery of Art by Women just to name a few.

4) Dance and Music
Dance and music plays a very important part of the life of a Balinese. Everyceremony and festival is almost always accompanied by traditional dance and thesoothing sounds of the Gamelan. You will find many locations in and near Ubudwhere you can watch these dance performances. Dancers wear glittery andcolourful costumes, executing to perfection elaborate hand movements and facialexpressions to convey stories of the Ramanaya. You can watch the elegantLegong Dance at the Ubud Palace in central Ubud,or see other entertaining performances such as the Warrior Dance and KecakDance at other locations within the town. Wayang Kulit, or Shadow Playperformances are also a common evening entertainment for the local Balinese andtourists alike.

5) Yoga and Spa Treamtents
There is a growing number of world class spa facilities and health resorts in Bali especially in the Ubud area. Using natural herbs andindigenous products, you will have a wide variety of spa treatments to choosefrom and enjoy. Spa treatments are idealfor relaxation and what every person who needs a break from this fast pacedworld of work, family and stress will surely appreciate. A variety ofmassages using traditional, Aryuvedic, Shiatsu and hot stones are on the menufor you to choose from. Traditional treatments such as Boreh and Lulur arecommon. Facials, foot massages, healthy meals and private spa facilities arealso available at some hotels and salons. Holistic resorts offer yoga programsand have resident teachers who will guide you to peace of mind.

6) Festivals and Ceremonies
Religion plays a central role in the life of every Balinese family. The islandhas hundreds of temples, for which each and every one has a temple anniversary,known as Odalan. On this day, the villagers visit the temple for prayers andsocializing. It can be considered a community event to bring the people togetherand promotes good feelings between villagers. With the Balinese Hindu religioncomes many daily practices such as placing offerings such as trays of flowerscalled Canang Sari in temples, shrines and symbolic locations to ward off eviland please the Gods. Nyepi Day, which is the Balinese New Year is a day that isspent in silence in reflective prayer and meditation. The days before Nyepihowever provide many opportunities for a tourist to witness ceremonies andrituals including the noisy and colourful Ogoh-Ogoh procession which happensone day before Nyepi, on Melasti Day. This procession is a colourful display ofthe creativity of the Balinese where towering papier mache ?monsters? areparaded through the town in noisy processions in efforts to chase away anyevil.

Galungan is another major festival for the Balinese which at the end of 10days is marked by Kuningan Day. This festival occurs every six months so youwill have the opportunity to see it in another half year if you miss the firstround. During this time you will see the Barong Dance procession which goesthrough the village performing in front of shops and houses as an act ofpurification. Cremations are another village affair where the entire family andfriends of the deceased are involved. The body is carried from the home groundsthrough the village to the cremation site where it is place in a toweringsarcophagus and burnt to the ground.

7) Sea Sports
Bali has some of the most colourful andinteresting sea life you will ever see. Well known dive sites are located inAmed and Tulamben where there are ship wrecks, in Menjangan Island in the NorthWest, and Pandang Bali and Lembongan Island in the East to name a few. Nusa Dua and Sanur are ideal for snorkeling but there are many other areas aswell.

8) Visit Active Volcanoes
Indonesia has hundreds ofvolcanoes and Bali has some of its own famousones as well. Kintamani town is where you will see the 2800m high Mount Bali,a popular tourist destination in Bali. Thevolcano has a large caldera lake and it is possible to go on a sunrise hike tothe top of Mount Batur if you can wake up earlyenough! Mount Agung, the location of Bali's largest and most sacredtemple, Puri Besakih, is Bali's highest andmost sacred mountain at 3142m high. Pura Besakih, the MotherTemple is where Bali's most importantceremonies are held and worth visiting if you have the opportunity to go on an East Bali tour especially in April when the temple has itsanniversary.

9) Land Adventure Activities
Apart from the southern tourist towns, Bali isan island still very much in its natural state compared to other touristdestinations. You will soon realise that there are many locations that providethe ideal terrain for exciting adventure activities. Baliis not only Kuta and Nusa Dua. Travel north and you will find out what the realBali has to offer ? culture, spectacularscenery and experiences that modern tourist towns with shopping malls aretotally devoid of.

The rivers, mountains and jungles are all places where you can experience Bali away from the tourist crowds. White water raftingdown the scenic Ayung or down the heart stopping TelagaRiver rapids is one of the morepopular activities for tourists who come to Bali.A mountain bike ride from Kintamani down to Ubud through the padi fields and smallvillages with friendly locals is another leisurely activity for families andindividuals alike. Bali is home to the Taro Elephant Park, complete withaccommodation, activities and elephant fun for all ages. You can ride anelephant through the jungle, marvel at their intelligence and let them make youlaugh when you visit the Taro Elephant safari park in Bali.Quad driving will take you through the jungles and rougher terrain. Canyontubing where you sit in a floating tube and coast down a river through thejungle is another fun activity. A new attraction, the Bali Safari and Marine Parkis a unique blend of wildlife conservation and culture. You will be able to seewildlife in their natural surroundings and learn about the ancient Balineseculture at this tourist attraction.

10) Shop till you drop
Finally what the first thing tourists tend to do on any trip and most certainlyto Bali is to shop. You have Kuta Center,Galeria Nusa Dua, Matahari in Legian and Ubud Market where you will find bargainsof all sorts. The Balinese are well known for their creative and artisticskills evident in the numerous arts and crafts found throughout the island.Many craft factories are found in Tegallalang and the surrounding area. Skilledsilversmiths in the village of Celuk, sell theircreations in eclectic shops in Ubud but you will be able to buy their jewelryat slightly better prices. Sukawati art market is where you will findmany of the fabrics used in Balinese clothing as well as hand made crafts suchas woven baskets at good prices. Crafts and statues are made from naturalproducts found on Bali such as coconut wood,bamboo and volcanic sand stone. Masks and puppets make interesting giftitems. You will also find many unique home decor items such as table runners,lamp shades and wall decorations to give your home a touch of Balistyle when you return. Furniture items are often available at attractiveprices compared to if you were to purchase them from outside of Bali.

So there you are, a list of many things you can do in Bali.Relax, get fit, have fun, gain new experiences and most of all, a memorableholiday. And if you count them up, you've got a lot more than 10 things to dothere. This is by no means an exhaustive list but more than enough for a 3 to 7day trip to this wonderful and magical island of the Gods.

While it's certainly impossible to take advantage of all the attractions the city has to offer in a short space of time, this article has come up with a selection of five of the attractions you have to see if you're in Paris.

It's seems virtually impossible to escape the landmark with which Paris is most commonly associated; every film with a scene in Paris has it looming in the background, walk anywhere resembling a tourist destination and there's people with bunches of models on a key chain trying to sell you a miniature version of it; I'm talking, of course, about the Eiffel Tower.

Built for the World Exhibition in 1889, the Eiffel Tower rises 300 metres out of the ground and stands out in the Paris skyline, visible from all over the city. Seeing the Tower up close reaffirms like no other attraction that you are in the French capital and demonstrates just what a feat of engineering it was.
A magnificent iron framework made up of around 12,000 pieces of prefabricated iron fit together with something like 7 million nails. For those that don't suffer vertigo or get easily bored with queues you can head to the top and get a view of Paris that's unrivaled.

Another of Paris' most famous attractions and one of the most visited museums in the world is the Louvre. Nestled in the heart of Paris in the 1st arrondissement on the banks of the Seine, the Louvre displays around 35,000 works of art including some of the most famous pieces in history with the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory amongst its collection.

While you may well have seen the Louvre on television, postcards or in magazines, until you've seen it in person there's no way to appreciate the size of the gallery. Occupying a staggering 60,000 square metres, the Louvre sees around 8.3 million visitors a year through its equally iconic Pyramid entrance and underground lobby which also serves as one of the strangest places to find a shopping centre. Beware, though, if you plan on seeing the Mona Lisa, there's a bit of a queue and taking in the entirety of the collection is something that could set you back a whole day at least.

If you're still in the mood for art then it's worth taking a stroll to the Musee d'Orsay (that's Orsay Museum) on the left banks of the Seine and it's collection of French art dating from 1848 to 1915. Built in the Gare d'Orsay, the railway station architecture allows the museum a unique layout with a long, high, ceilinged ground floor gallery perfectly suited for the sculptures it contains. This author suggests a bit of time should be spent taking in the model of the Opera House interior and the miniature Paris through the glass floor in front of it.

The Orsay Museum is home to a breathtaking collection of impressionist masterpieces including works by Vincent Van Gogh (Self Portrait, Starry Night Over the Rhone, The Siesta), Manet (The Luncheon on the Grass), Cezanne, Monet, Whistler (including the famous Whistler's Mother) and many more with sculptures by Paul Gauguin and Degas' famous studies of ballet dancers' movement.

If you make it up the stairs to the collection of impressionist art, be sure to take a look through the large clock and enjoy another great view of the city, on a clear day you can see straight across to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica - another of those sights you should see.

Set in the Montmarte district known for its many artists, the Sacre-Coeur Basilica (which translates as Basilica of the Sacred Heart) was completed in 1914 after a pledge to build a church if Paris emerged unscathed from the Purssian war and as a moral condemnation of the sins of Paris with a basilica true to Christian traditions. The architecture stands as a contrast to the more Romanesque stylings of the city and looks more like an Eastern temple.

The outside of the Sacre-Coeur Basilica is an example of excellence in architecture and the, free to enter, interior is no exception. When you emerge, though, be warned that on a summers day the sudden hit of daylight may leave you squinting for while across yet another jaw dropping view of the city below as the basilica sits atop a hill. The highest point in the city, the butte Montmarte is no small climb even for those in prime health. Give more than a thought to the lift service and save your legs.

Another and perhaps more famous of Paris' religious buildings is the Notre-Dame Cathedral. The religious heart of the city, the Celts had a sacred ground here, the Romans used the site to build a temple to worship Jupiter and a Christian basilica was built in the 6th century with work on the Cathedral beginning in 1163 and finally completed in 1345.

The first cathedral to be built to such a scale, the Notre Dame Cathedral is a huge testament to faith at 128 metres long with two 69 metre tall towers and a 90 metre spire which was added in the 19th century. While many of the cathedral's famous sculptures and gargoyles were destroyed during the French Revolution many remain and the Cathedral was restored between 1991 and 2001.

As imposing as the Cathedral's frontage is, there's no way to prepare for the size of the interior. Walking into the Notre Dame is like walking into an aircraft hangar. The impact of which is something you can't experience from a postcard.

There's plenty to see and do in Paris and, when your feet have tired from walking the streets there's plenty of coffee shops and cafes to rest and take stock in over a crepe and coffee.

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Both Trias Bali & Patrick Omari are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Trias Bali has sinced written about articles on various topics from . Trias Bali Travel is a travel services company located in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. We offer Bali tour packages, hotel room packages, tour and event management for a hassle free holiday to Bali Island. www.triasbali.com. Trias Bali's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.

Patrick Omari has sinced written about articles on various topics from Celebrities, Hotels and Hostels and Science. Patrick is an expert travel researcher and writer currently researching ,. Patrick Omari's top article generates over 823000 views. to your Favourites.