"A Pleasant Surprise" a Bali Travel Page by amyLbrown2002

Unlike most other Kiwi/Aussies, I had never had much of a desire to go to Bali. And if I was going to go there ... I was going to wait until I had moved back to New Zealand to do it.

However, I found myself in the situation, where I was going to visit Bali for two weeks. Graham and his parents were organising a family trip away, and I was invited. And as mentioned before, I find it difficult to turn down any travel.

And I have to say that Bali really did charm me. The people are so friendly and helpful, the island so idyllic, that my two weeks there were an absolute joy!

The terrorist bombings on Bali were a major issue. Of everyone that we spoke to, the consensu was that it has had a major impact upon the tourist industry. When we were there, the restaurants that we visited were always empty, and often we would be the only people visisting the sites.

It is such a shame, because Bali is a wonderful place, and the people so lovely.

We stayed in the Eastern part of Bali, called Candidasa, a once popular tourist resort, until the beach eroded away.

VT doesn't have a Candi Dasa page - so all my tips will just go into the general Bali page.

Sights I recommend (I won't add as a tip as it's all been said before ...)

Goa Lawah, or the "Bat Cave"