Asian Impressions: Bali, Java and Eastern Orient Express

Our Asia trip began on the Indonesian island of Bali, a wonderful, mystical, and spiritually refreshing place. We stayed at the Amandari Hotel in Ubud, an area considered to be the cultural center of the island. Situated on a cliff overlooking the river, this lovely hotel was built to blend into the surrounding village and countryside. To sum it up: “assuming that God has perfect taste, Amandari is my idea of heaven.”

Bali itself is enchanting, a land of temples and ceremonies, dance and art, set in a tropical paradise of hills covered with rice terraces, volcanic mountains and valleys. Each little valley could be a setting for Shangri-la. If you stay on the back roads you never see a tourist bus. The culture is abundant and the entire island is Hindu. We were lucky enough to attend a large cremation procession and ceremony which in this faith, is a happy occasion as the soul is finally free to ascend to heaven. Women carry huge beautiful offerings of food and flowers on their heads, as musicians accompany the procession with cymbals, drums, flutes and gamelons.

Dance is especially important in Bali and tied closely with the teaching of religion and mystic beliefs. As far as shopping, the various villages within Bali are known for their artistic talents; Mas for wood carving, Celak for silver and gold work and Ubud for painting. Even my non-shopper husband enjoyed it.

After the beauty of Bali, Yogyakarta, in the center of Java, was a shock indeed. It was noisy, crowded, and honestly, our first impression was that it is a bit of a pit. However, we really ended up enjoying the area's historical and cultural heritage. On the outskirts of Yogyakarta lies Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world which dates back thousands of years, and Prambanan, the largest ancient Hindu monument outside of India. Aman now has a fabulous hotel overlooking Borabudur, so if you would like to experience this area in total luxury, I would recommend Amanjiwo. These impressive temples are definitely worth the trip!

From Yogyakarta, we flew to Singapore and caught the Eastern Orient Express to Bangkok. The train is 22 cars long and each sleeping car has its own assigned steward who cares for all of your needs while traveling with them. We really enjoyed the diverse group of people we met traveling on the train as it was a very international group: a German Ambassador, a wealthy Chinese business man, an American Widower and an interesting couple from Maritius. We found the train to be very posh with beautiful silkfabrics and custom carpeting. Everything was designed with quality. When we departed the train for our hotel in Bangkok two days later, I missed the perfect little world of our train, our deluxe-moving-hotel, and highly recommend the experience as a wonderful way to see countryside. The Orient Express has great style, comfort and excellent service. I found it interesting how I had a true sense of traveling on this train and I did not miss just flying off to another continent in a can of stale air!
- Mary Mages, T100G Travel Consultant