Exploring Balis Mysterious, Hidden Alleyways

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While in Bali, we decided to stay in Kuta, a former fishing village and Kecamatan (district) in southern Bali. Kuta is renowned for its long sandy beach and is a popular destination for surfers.

We had made advance reservations for hotels in Bali, but we still found many cheaper accommodations while exploring the town, located in the vast maze of alleyways bounded by Jl Kuta Beach up to Jl Legian. During the off-season, it is easy to find vacant rooms without booking. Most budget hotels usually come with a breakfast.

Unfortunately, we didn't have the opportunity to taste much of Balis native food, as most of it is non-halal. However, we did sample some Javanese and Makanan Padang (originating from Sumatera). It is worth putting some effort into finding places that serve more options on the menu and sticking to those places that have a good number of patrons, as this ensures that the food is fresh and of good quality.

Beggars are not a common sight in Kuta, and during our first two days in Bali, we didn't see any. However, on our walk through the alleyway heading to Legian, we noticed a mother with a small child and a baby sleeping in the shadows.

Kuta is not as bad as expected for a tourist destination, and we even encountered a group of young girls hanging around the street near Hard Rock Bali.

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Photos

Canang Sari
Canang Sari is one of the daily offerings made by Balinese Hindus to thank the Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa in praise and prayer.