Ubud, Bali's artistic heart

A Hindu enclave that stands alone in the middle of the rest of the largely Muslim Indonesia, Bali has fostered a deeply spiritual culture with arts, customs, and social rules unlike any place on Earth. In fact, Balinese Hinduism is a unique mélange of different cultural influences, including traditional Hinduism, brought to the island by a Javanese princess and priests in the 16th century; Buddhism, the island's state religion in the seventh century; and indigenous animist and ancestor-deifying religions. Throughout our time here, we'll see how spirituality factors into nearly every aspect of Balinese life.Read more