“What is it about Bali that keeps you returning there?” we are often asked. Our answer is always the same – the people are genuine, warm and friendly; the Balinese Hindu culture is unique; the value of accommodation is unequaled anywhere. Despite becoming ever more increasingly popular since our first visit back in 1998, those qualities have remained unchanged in the ensuing years. Each and every time we visit (this trip marks our sixth) we marvel at the people, food, architecture and spirit. Our go-to spot has become Ubud, in the central highlands, a cultural and artistic center for the island. People are drawn to the yoga centers, the fantastic artwork on display and sale and the profusion of cool and hip cafes and restaurants. Ubud suffers some from its popularity, however. Traffic is appalling. The sidewalks are too narrow and falling into disrepair. The key, we’ve found, is to find a guesthouse just outside town, amongst the rice fields, where the traffic noise and crowds fade away and the serenity of the terraces and forest envelop you. We typically spend a part of each day strolling through town, peeking into temple courtyards, catching a glimpse of families in their holiday dress making offerings, sampling fresh-made coconut ice cream to find which small shop has the best (hands-down it’s Tukies, topped with toasted coconut curls and ground coconut brittle), and maybe enjoying a few cold Bintang beers at a cafe and people-watching. Then we return to our beautiful guesthouse, take a swim in the pool to cool off (it’s so hot and humid just blinking can make you sweat) and relax on our balcony. That’s when Ubud’s real attraction becomes apparent. Swinging in our hammocks, gazing across emerald fields of rice plants, egrets hunting among the paddies for insects, bamboo chimes making soft music, doves cooing in the trees . . . magic.

Our plan was to spend a week in Ubud through the Christmas holiday. Two days into that week, we extended our stay for a second. That would take us through the Balinese holiday of Galungun and into the new year. Galungun is a time to celebrate the triumph of good over evil and make offerings to ensure good luck through the next six months (it’s celebrated twice a year). Locals were busy crafting penjors, tall bamboo poles decorated with colorful fabric, paper cutouts, rice panicles (the top of the plant containing the grains) and flowers, which are erected outside each home and business. Groups of kids roam through neighborhoods, some dressed in a mythical lion costume, called a barong, while others bang drums and gongs, collecting donations from onlookers and homeowners who hope to build good karma. What’s amazing to us is that these types of sights and events happen nearly every day in Bali, as it seems nearly every day there’s a reason to celebrate something or other.

Thinking that New Year’s Eve wouldn’t be a big thing on Bali, given that their traditional calender differs from our western one, we couldn’t have been more wrong. The Balinese are crazy about fireworks! Starting just after sundown (7 o’clock) and continuing until well after midnight, the sky was lit up with the colorful starbursts of fireworks in a circle around us. Bursts from as far away as Denpasar to the south could be seen. At midnight, a deafening crescendo of explosions encircled us to ring in the new year. Just to show everyone that they weren’t done, the fireworks started again, albeit briefly, the next morning at sunrise.