Baru di Bali

I was asked to write a few words about Bali, the place I’ve called, proudly, home for the last five years and all of a sudden I realize that I might not make justice to this amazing island, so I won’t even try. Let me tell you instead about my Bali, the Bali I see through my eyes, the Bali in my head and mostly the Bali in my heart.

There are so many attributes that make Bali unique, our own public paradise and probably each of us have its own favorite one. Bali is a land of beautiful scenery, a land of blues and greens, a land of beaches, a land of paddy fields, a land of strong waves and powerful volcanoes. Bali is a land of culture and tradition, a land of music, a land of dance, a land of many arts and crafts, a land of dancing eyes and fingers. Bali is a land of Gods, of ever present offerings and smells, of colorful flowers, of temples, a mystical place. But more than any other thing, Bali is a land of people, a land of beautiful, kind people, a land of amazing smiles.

On September 29th 2006 I was lucky to attend a celebration of love, unity and peace in the Tanah Lot temple
I do like photography and I would do almost anything for a good one, in the process of taking this one, I slipped and fell and to my surprise I was rewarded with a few hundred smiles. A fall a thousand times worth, a second that light up my day, smiles that will last for a life time. I’m really happy to have the opportunity to share these many smiles with all of you, I hope you also get infected by them.

Bali has changed my life in many ways, it has given me many friends, my wife and on the 5th of March 2008 the ultimate smile, my baby daughter Luna. For all these, for all the many beautiful things to come, I will be forever grateful.

Jorge Monje