Bali can surprise even the seasoned traveller. Here are 10 facts worth knowing.
- Only 4 names. In the traditional Balinese system, everyone has one of 4 first names by birth order: Wayan (first), Made / Kadek (second), Nyoman / Komang (third), Ketut (fourth). The fifth child gets... „Wayan Balik" (Wayan again).
- Nyepi — the day the entire island goes silent. Once a year (March), 24 hours with no leaving home, no lights, no internet, no airport. Even tourists must stay in hotels.
- 20,000+ temples. More than supermarkets. Every home has a small one, every village at least three, every profession its own.
- The subak system — UNESCO. A 1,000-year-old rice-field irrigation system, collectively managed by temple congregations. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2012.
- Bali has no autumn or spring. Only dry (April–Oct) and wet (Nov–Mar). Temperature runs 24–32°C year-round.
- Kecak — a 100-man chorus invented by a German. Though it looks ancient, the Kecak dance was created in 1930 in a collaboration between artist Walter Spies and choreographer I Wayan Limbak for a film.
- Mount Agung is the „seat of the gods". 3,031 m, the island's highest peak, an active volcano. Besakih Temple on its slope is the holiest Balinese sanctuary.
- Bali produces 60% of Indonesia's craft gold. The village of Celuk is a world centre for silverwork.
- Uluwatu Temple has existed since the 11th century and stands on a 70 m cliff above the Indian Ocean. Watch out for the monkeys — they steal glasses and phones (you can buy them back with a banana for 20,000 IDR).
- Cremation — Ngaben — is a celebration. Not mourning. The Balinese believe the soul returns to the gods. The ceremony sometimes engages a whole village, with towering wooden structures up to 25 m tall paraded through the streets.