| Many people choose Bali, Indonesia when planning a | | | | entertainment, dining and shopping. The traditional |
| vacation. Its diverse culture, indigenous cuisine and lush | | | | Balinese dances are performed at various hotels and |
| tropical surroundings provide a gorgeous backdrop for | | | | resorts to charm the guests. Food ranges from |
| a time of relaxation and pleasure. | | | | Japanese restaurants to native cuisine to Italian |
| Bali's hot and sunny climate make it a popular | | | | eateries. The Monkey Forest is popular with families, |
| destination for tourists. Being situated just south of the | | | | but watch out for the monkeys! They enjoy stealing |
| equator gives Bali a year-round season of | | | | little trinkets, and their claws can cause quite a bit of |
| summertime, with temperatures ranging from 80 to 90 | | | | pain. |
| degrees Fahrenheit. The monsoon months (October to | | | | The money used in Bali is called the rupiah and is quite |
| April) bring about often unpredictable rain, but even | | | | confusing to those not familiar with it. Notes range |
| then the days are mostly clear and sunny. Locals can | | | | from denominations of 1,000 to 100,000, though their |
| been seen on the beach as early as 6:30am and they | | | | American dollar equivalent is quite low, with one US |
| don't retire until twelve hours later, when the sun begins | | | | dollar being worth nearly 10,000 rupiah. Coins and |
| to set. | | | | smaller currency are rarely used. When change at a |
| The Balinese are an interesting people. Their religious | | | | retail store or restaurant cannot be made with |
| views are based on the Hindu caste system, in which | | | | available currency, it is often paid for with candy and |
| there are distinct classes of people. At the bottom - | | | | peanuts. |
| and comprising most of the Balinese natives - are the | | | | Be careful, though, when changing money in Bali. There |
| peasants. Just above them is the warrior caste, then | | | | are many predators eager to rip off an unsuspecting |
| the king caste and finally the caste belonging to the | | | | tourist who doesn't understand the money. By keeping |
| holy men and priests. Even more fascinating is the fact | | | | a currency cheat sheet on hand you can make sure |
| that each different class of people has their own | | | | that a money changer isn't giving you less rupiah than |
| spoken dialect by which to identify themselves, as well | | | | your money is worth. Never give them your money |
| as one general dialect, in order to avoid embarrassing | | | | until you have counted and recounted the rupiah, and |
| situations in which one person isn't sure which caste | | | | never return the rupiah once you have made the |
| another is from. | | | | exchange. |
| Amidst this rich cultural heritage is an abundance of | | | | |