After dinner our guide Sudi dressed us in traditional batik sarongs, white pants and headbands and placed fragrant plumeria blossoms behind our ears. It was the night of the full moon, and Sudi prepared us for one of the most mysterious and magical evenings of our visit to Bali.

On full moon nights villagers dress in traditional finery to parade colorful, hand-crafted offerings to their temples. The colossal temple we visited probably inspired Hollywood set designers. Huge knife-wielding demigods guarded the gate. Inside, the main shrine was packed with groups of village men who were busy preparing rocket-shaped offerings decorated entirely with a mosaic of pork satay and red chilies! Everywhere there were pavilions decorated with colorful offerings, banners and colorful rice paste sculptures. The giant moon hung directly over us as we lit incense and made our own offerings of flowers as an aged priest anointed us with holy water. The whole experience was simply fantastic.

This morning around the pool we heard other hotel guests bragging about the great tourist show they saw last night. I could not bring myself to boast about my incredible night under the full moon. Utopia Tours really knows how to make a holiday into the experience of a lifetime.

Don't work too hard,