The Balinese people And now a little about the Balinese people. It is seldom to meet such a sympathetic people. Kind and smiling, obliging and helpful without compromising their natural dignity. Appr. 80% of the Balinese are Hindus, although not the same Hinduism as in India. They live with the conviction that everything in nature has a soul of its own: man, animals, plants, mountains, rivers etc. They believe that everything has an inner form of coherence with which they live in respect and understanding. Really a view of life that we could learn from in our modern world. We do certainly not always treat nature and our surroundings with respect and understanding. The everyday life of the Balinese is surrounded by ceremonies and rituals. Every morning you will see the Balinese put small offerings in the form of tiny, newly woven trays of palm-leaves with a little rice, flowers and incense in different places. It can be on the pavement, in front of their little shop, at their entrance door or at one of the many stone figures, you see everywhere. They are definitely not doing this for the tourists, no, it is a natural part of their everyday life. In the small villages you can everyday meet women dressed in their immensely beautiful gowns balancing their offerings at the top of their heads on their way to the temple. This way of life is possibly the explanation that we rarely have felt as secure and trusting as in Bali. Occasionally you see on TV and in the newspapers stories about violence and riots in Indonesia. These events to happen in other parts of Indonesia ˆ in Jakarta ˆ in Timor and Lombok and other places with a Muslim domination. Unfortunately these events have made the tourists avoid Bali - absolutely not deserved. As the tourist revenue is a major part of the Balinese basics of life, this can of course call for some pessimism. They try to cope and hope for an improvement of the situation. But the overcapacity of hotels and restaurants spoils the tourist, who can always get what he wants, and even at very fair prices - especially if you are observant.