Indonesia 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, including: a walk through villages/rice fields, a home visit with a village priest, cooking and dining with a Balinese family, shopping at village markets, bicycle riding 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. 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 illustrate Buddhist law, the lives of Buddha and the spiritual journey towards enlightenment. There were also scenes of 9th-century Javanese daily life.

The other two islands we visited were Lombok and Flores. On these islands, we enjoyed the drives through the islands to see great views and took short hikes to see amazing waterfalls. We also took boat trips to go snorkeling at both the Gili Islands and Nusa Penida islands.  

Last, another speed boat ride took us 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 before going to Komodo island. We hiked the island and saw the prehistoric Komodo dragon, which is the largest lizard on the planet! 

Additional memories from our trip include: watching pigeon racing, monkeys snatching people’s glasses and other items and then, negotiating ransom to return the stolen item, and an incredible hike 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 gifts to the gods

Uluwatu entrance to a homes courtyard

Uluwatu school

Balinese man tying a fishing net

Uluwatu coastline

Sights along a village hike in Menoreh

Viewpoint along Menoreh hike