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Indonesia’s an interesting country where traditions and culture happily live cheek by jowl with modernization. Where karaoke lounges, glass-and-steel office buildings and loud nightclubs stand alongside old temples and colonial buildings dating back to the time when Jakarta was called Batavia. Indonesia has its fair share- in fact perhaps more than its fair share- of cities of more historical and cultural value- cities like Surakarta or Solo, with its amazingly beautiful palaces, or Yogyakarta, with its famous temples and palaces.

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Bali is blessed with beautiful beaches, lush, verdant countryside and beautiful old temples, no-one could deny that the "heaven on earth" cliché rings true. The majority of visitor’s flock to the island's beautiful beaches. The southern beaches of Kuta and Nusa Dua are blessed with long swathes of golden sand with azure waters lapping at the shore. Although much of the north coast is covered in black, volcanic sand, the beaches up here tend to be somewhat quieter and still offer a wonderful location for swimming, snorkeling or just relaxing. Terraced rice fields cascade down the hillside, giving a green backdrop to the terracotta-hued temples dotted around the countryside. Bali has become a tiny pocket of Hinduism in predominantly Muslim country. In fact, the locals practice an intriguing mix of Hinduism and animism, and religion remains a central part of everyday life, especially during the many festivals throughout the year punctuated with color, music and feasting. For culture lovers, Bali has kept alive its traditional music and dance. The best area to enjoy such cultural attractions is the town of Ubud in the center of the island, where visitors can see performances of gamelan music, besides the traditional kecak and barong dances. Handmade arts and crafts are popular souvenirs and widely available throughout the island, although Ubud's shops and art galleries are probably the best places to hunt for good pieces.