Indonesia Happiness 2025
“We don’t look for happiness, because we already have it.” This is a memorable comment by one of our Balinese hosts at a home visit/dinner. What he said, we ultimately came to understand and appreciate about the Balinese people.
Our visit to Indonesia was an incredible experience with amazing natural beauty and cultural richness. Our trip took us to 4 islands (Bali, Java, Lombok and Flores) out of Indonesia’s 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited) with a total country population of 284 million people.
Indonesia’s history includes ancient kingdoms influenced by the Indian spiritual cultures of Buddhism and Hinduism, Portuguese and Dutch colonial rule, and finally, Japanese occupation before becoming independent in 1945. Beginning from the 1st century, Buddhism was introduced followed by Hinduism through traders. In the 14th century, Hinduism followers moved to the island of Bali as they fled the Majapahit Empire’s decline and the rise of Islamic sultanates and the Muslim religion. Islam quickly spread across Indonesia and today represents 87% of the population while Hindu is only 2% country-wide but 84% on the island of Bali.
When visiting Bali, we noticed that the people live a daily life that is deeply rooted in spiritual and communal values. The Balinese form of Hinduism is a unique blend of Hindu, Buddhist, and animistic beliefs that emphasizes the harmony between gods, humans, and nature. Their religious beliefs integrate core Hindu concepts like karma and reincarnation with indigenous beliefs in ancestral spirits and animism. Daily life and spiritual practice involve making offerings to appease spirits, maintain balance and show gratitude. Also, we saw that family is central with extended families living together in compounds, supported by agriculture (rice), and a culture of music, dance and crafts. During our visit, to Bali we experienced and observed many activities that enabled us to gain an understanding and appreciation for the Balinese values. Our activities included: walking through villages/rice fields, visiting a village priest at their home, cooking and dining with a Balinese family, shopping at village markets, bicycling through villages and rice fields, visiting community and family temples, and hiking through forests and mountains. To more fully explore and appreciate Bali, we stayed in four different areas on the island which included: Uluwatu, Ubud, Sidemen and Jimbaran.
Our visit to the island of Java started in the Yogyakarta area visiting the Prambanan Hindu temple. It is the largest Hindu temple outside of India and is dedicated to the 3 main deities Brahma (Creator), Vishnu (Preserver) and Shiva (Destroyer). We also visited Sewa, Indonesia’s second largest Buddhist temple complex with 249 temples. We had a memorable hike up the Menoreh Hills for amazing views of the Borobudur temple and several active volcanoes across the valley. On another day, we visited the Borobudur temple (Buddhist) at sunrise and walked the 10 levels around the temple viewing what was built in the 9th century and admiring the detailed and decorated, 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The carvings illustrated Buddhist law, the lives of Buddha and the spiritual journey towards enlightenment. There were also scenes of 9th-century Javanese daily life.
When visiting Lombok, we took a boat trip to visit the Gili Islands enjoy the beach and go snorkeling. The next day, we enjoyed a drive up the North coast and hiked to see some amazing waterfalls and stopped at Sembalun Village. On our drive back, we were lucky to witness a local Religious Procession.
Last, from Flores, we took a speed boat ride around the islands and around Komodo National Park. We stopped at Padar Island and took a hike up the peak to enjoy great views of the area. We then went to Pink Beach for some R & R and snorkeling before going to Komodo island. We hiked Komodo Island and saw the prehistoric Komodo dragon, which is the largest lizard on the planet!
Additional memories from our trip include: watching pigeon racing, observing monkeys snatching people’s glasses and other items and then, negotiating ransom to return the stolen item, and hiking up an active volcano with dinner cooked on the “steaming” mountain of Batur on Bali!
Sacred gatekeeper and spiritual guardian outside Balinese home in Uluwatu on the island of Bali. Note the “offering” on the left side as a small gift to the gods
Uluwatu entrance to a home’s courtyard
Uluwatu school
Balinese man tying a fishing net
Uluwatu coastline
The Kecak and Fire Dance at Uluwatu Temple. Famous Balinese performance based on the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Performed by a chorus of 70 or more men chanting "cak-cak-cak" without instruments.
Prambanan Temple - Largest Hindu Temple outside of India, in the Special Region of Yogyakarta on the island of Java
Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple
Prambanan Temple
Sewu Buddhist Temple in Yogyakarta
Sights along a village hike in Menoreh on the Island of Java
View of Mount Merapi along Menoreh hike - One of the 45 active volcanoes on Java
First stop on our bike ride, we visited a local villager making tofu
Workers in the rice fields of Ngilpoh Village
Field worker sharing his dream to be a guide of the area
Borobudur - Largest Buddhist Temple in the world
Borobudur Temple. Bell-shaped stupas, which serve as sacred shrines housing statues of the Buddha.
Buddha statue inside stupa
Borobudur Temple
The middle section of the Temple is covered with extensive narrative bas-reliefs illustrating the biography of the Buddha
View of the 10 levels of Borobudur Temple
Daily market in Borobudur
Beach on Lombok Island
Snorkeling boat trip to Gili Island
Snorkeling near Gili Island
Lunch at Gili Island
Daily market in Tanjung Village
Monkey greeting us at Sendanggile Water Fall
Hiked upstream to the Tiu Kelep water fall
Old traditional village
Sembalun valley
Driving back, came upon a village and young man’s circumcision ceremony
Big day for the young man!
The procession ends with a meal for the entire village
Drive to the airport in Lombok. Malimbu Beach
Back to the Island of Bali. Bike ride in the Sidemen area.
Finally! A good cup of coffee!
Cute kitties
Having a break in front of a village temple
“Future Feminist” working in the rice fields
Biking through typical village
Besakih Temple in East Bali
Besakih Temple Complex.
Besakih Temple
Water gardens of Tirta Gangga, a former royal palace
Nawa Sang Fountain at Tirta Gangga,
Water gardens of Tirta Gangga,
Public bathing pools at water gardens of Tirta Gangga,
Traveled to Flores Island. From there, we took a boat ride to visit several islands
Short hike on Padar Island to enjoy stunning views of the bays
2nd stop was to enjoy snorkeling at Pink Beach
Snorkeling at Pink Beach
Snorkeling at Pink Beach
Enjoyed short hike on Komodo Island to explore the habitat of the Komodo dragon
Baby Komodo!
Evening hike and picnic dinner on White Rock Hill, on Flores Island
Evening hike and picnic dinner on White Rock Hill, on Flores Island
Delicious tasting menu meal, after returning to Bali
Bike tour through central Bali on village roads through rice fields and plantations
Traditional Balinese family compounds (karang) support multigenerational living. Built around a central open courtyard, separate small pavilions house different family units
Family owned roosters for cock fighting
Another village temple under a sacred tree
Monkey forest - Monkeys of this forest are believed to be sacred.
Temple of Pura Bukit Sari
Walked through rice fields with Balinese Priest who explained cultural and spiritual beliefs. He also explained the subuk irrigation system.
This is the village of our priest who walked with us
Lunch at the Priest’s house
Tour of the Priest’s courtyard and Temple
Preparing and cooking different Balinese dishes. After the cooking class, we sat down for a delicious meal
Viewing Mt. Batur when we flew over Bali. The mountain on the left is Mt. Batur and is part of 2 calderas. This is the mountain we hiked.
Mt. Batur’s last eruption was in the year 2,000. Note the black area lava flows
Smoke’n! On the way up Mt. Batur.
View of inner and outer caldera rings from Mt. Batur
Dinner with a view! On the way back down Mt. Batur.
Evening fog rolling in over the outer caldera
Busy weekend with locals on the beach at Jimbaran beach, Bali
Boat ride and snorkeling from Jimbaran, in southern Bali
The Octopus Queen, a 82 ft sculpture on Nusa Penida island. Handcrafted from woven bamboo by nearly 400 local artisans, Symbolizes the ocean's depth, local mythology, and the deep harmony between humans and nature
Snorkeling at Crystal Bay on Nusa Penida
Enjoying the evening view of Jimbaran Beach
Watching local activites on the beach while having dinner on the sand
Jimbaran fishing fleet, consisting of colorful traditional outrigger boats called jukungs
Enjoyed our time with wonderful guides and drivers!
As we head home, we enjoy seeing the many volcanoes on the east side of Java.
