Bali

Antoine's view

I discovered Bali in front of bow of my first sailing ship, in 1978, and almost got shipwrecked in the following minutes, as strong uncontrolled currents agitate the straits which separate the islands in Indonesia.

It was love at first sight for me one morning as I bathed naked in a vast carved stone basin in a ?Water temple??, before following the road through mountains and forests, eating an abundance of jackfruit, the best fruit in the world. I went back to Bali to film a few temples, a few of the hundreds of ceremonies that daily keep busy this island?s endearing population, a haven of peace of Hinduism surrounded by a harsh Moslem universe.
I liked the long black beaches at the edge of which the Balinese come to make sacrifices, Barong or Kecak dances, sculptures and very inventive Balinese cooking.

I love to go and spend a few days on the banks of a river in the centre of the island, and to look from the shore at beautiful passing sailing dugouts; you understood it, Bali has a special place in my heart, not the Bali of Kuta and Legian?s party-goers, but that of the interior, that of the deserted beaches and the sleepy temples.