James Allison
Bali Beautiful Bali is blessed with some of the finest landscapes in the Indonesian archipelago. It also has a unique cultural heritage making it a fascinating holiday destination. Making the most of Bali Bali, the 'island of the gods', is one of the six main islands in the Indonesian archipelago.The island's stunning scenery ranges from volcanic peaks and sparkling lakes to emerald rice terraces and beaches of silvery sand. Bali has hundreds of temples and feels very spiritual. Its people are friendly and welcoming and have a passion for flowers. Must sees Choose from the resorts of Nusa Dua and Sanur. Nusa Dua is a purpose-built resort dedicated exclusively to tourists, with clean white beaches and clear waters. More traditional Sanur has a good selection of family-run restaurants and bars and is great for watersports. Take advantage of the regular public transport from Sanur to Denpasar, the capital. Ubud is the place for culture in Bali and is famous for its handicrafts and paintings. Must buys You are most likely to pick up bargains at roadside stalls and markets, while best buys include silverware, batiks, wood-carvings and items made from bamboo. Must tries Western food features widely on hotel menus. Indonesian cuisine, which uses coconut milk and aromatic herbs, is hot and spicy. Try nasigoreng (fried rice with meat and vegeta-bles, topped with fried egg), gado gado (steamed vegetables in a peanut sauce) and pisang goreng (crispy fried banana chunks). Indonesian coffee, taken with a lot of sugar or con-densed milk, is particularly good. The Ubud Monkey Forest The Ubud Monkey Forest is a nature reserve and temple complex in Ubud, Bali. It houses approximately 340 Crab-eating Macaque monkeys (32 adult males, 19 male sub adult, 77 adult females, 122 juvenile and 54 infants). There are four groups of monkeys each occupying different territo-ries in the park. The Sacred Monkey Forest is a popular tour-ist attraction in Ubud, and is often visited by over 10,000 tourists a month. The forest comprises approximately a tenth of a square kilometer (approximately 27 acres) and contains at least 115 different species of trees. The Monkey Forest contains the Pura Dalem Agung Padangtegal temple as well as a "Holy Spring" bathing temple and another temple used for cremation ceremonies. The Monkey Forest is owned by the village of Padangtegal and village members serve on the Monkey Forest's governing council. The Padangtegal We-nara Wana Foundation manages the Monkey Forest and serves to maintain its sacred integrity and to promote the sa-cred site as a destination for visitors. The Bali Starling Description: The Bali starling is the most beautiful of all the my-nahs. It is a thick-set, starling sized bird with snow white plumage and an elegant long white crest. The bare skin on the face is bright blue finishing in a point at the sides of the neck. The tip of its broad tail and the tips of the flight feathers are black, and the beak, feet and legs are bluish-grey. It is endemic to (found only on) the island of Bali and has now been adopted as their national bird. It weighs about 85 grams and is about 25 cm long. Lifestyle: Bali starlings forage in open forest and grasslands searching for fruits and insects. Water is often hard to find in such places, so juices from ripe fruits are especially important. They are active during the day. Family & friends: During the breeding season, pairs are generally aggressive towards one another. Outside the breeding season, back when these birds were still plentiful in the wild, families con-verged into larger feeding flocks. Keeping in touch: When males and females are courting, they display with a series of head bobbing motions accompanied by a series of clicks and finished off by a loud shriek. Growing up:
Bali starlings in captivity outnumber those in the wild by nearly 200 to 1. In the wild, Bali starlings live to five years, but in captivity they can still breed when they are over twelve years old. Three or four eggs are laid in a nest of twigs in a hollow, often an old woodpecker or barbet hole, or fork of a tree (in captivity a nest box is provided). The eggs are turquoise in colour and hatch after about 14 days; the chicks fledge in about three weeks. The young are mature at 2-3 years and may live for up to 15 years. Choose from the most beautiful villas in Bali with 2 to 7 bedrooms, spacious living/dining areas, tropical garden with private swimming pool, trained cook, maids and house boys to take care of everything you need, in-house spa therapists, and use of a free air-conditioned car with a reliable driver during your whole stay.
