From the island of celestials on the island of skyscrapers

Each traveler seeks to combine three tasks: first, relax and relax, secondly – to have new impressions, thirdly – buy something for the soul (or for the body). The most important thing here is not to turn rest in throwing between beaches, shops and local attractions. Well, when you can just trust those who cares about the incarnation of all the wishes of their customers. I mean Moscow travel agency "Irene", developed a new route, including staying on Bali Island and in Hong Kong. At the power of impressions, this tour is difficult to compare with any other. Imagine: On the one hand, the most affected by civilization place on Earth, wildlife reserve and prehistoric beliefs, on the other – a shining megapolis in which all the achievements of world progress are concentrated.

Bali is located at the very border of the so-called Wallace line separating the flora and the fauna of Asia and Australia. Representatives of the Asian animal of the world in the form of tigers and elephants perfectly cohabit here with immigrants from Australia: wood kangaroo and volatile dogs. Local exotic starts at the airport, where every guest meets beauty and puts him on the neck of a wreath of lotuses and orchids. Flowers here everywhere. They are made by numerous deities, stick into their hair and put in bed before bedtime. Balinese live in full harmony with surrounding vegetation, covering roofs of rice straw houses, sticking with high bamboo poles in front of the entrance and constantly carrying some stems from place to place. At the same time it is necessary to consider that most of the Balinese plants belong to the herbs unusual for us hypertrophied sizes (by the way, even a banana is grass), – so there all the time you feel yourself a character of a children’s book "Dunno in the flower city".

To feel the whole local charm, it is not necessary to even go beyond the location of the hotel: inside each hotel recreated corners of the local landscape in the form of a row with water lily, stone figures, woven benches, paper lanterns and carved argots. And all this – with the highest level of comfort, coziness and service. It is difficult to allocate some one hotel – each of them has its own highlight. As an example name "Grand Mirage", The famous thalassotherapy complex (i.e. sea treatment), tennis courts, golf courses and excellent conditions for diving, wind surfing and phishing (i.e. fishing). The Best Cooks are awesome, fry and bake indescribable goodies for visitors of the Grand Café, Grill Restaurant, Karaoke Bar and more than six enterprises of exquisite food. About the beach I am generally silent: the snow-white quartz sand, from which it consists, is suitable for use in the most accurate hourglass, and marine water in its transparency and blueness reminds genuine "Borjomi".

Traveler who seeks to learn more and see, Bali can plunge into a real cultural shock. If you just just go on the road, you can see so much that the stories are enough for the whole year. We manage to jerk only. And the photographer here can shoot even without looking into the viewfinder – whatever falls in the frame, it will definitely be tremended.

Here, for example, there is a festive procession. Not dropping down the eyes like the queen, each other step by young girls in gilded blouses and high heads. The guide explains: these are local virgins. On a certain day they are collected in the temple, and then lead to the river where they bathe, completely naked. All the surrounding grooms gather on the shore, look at the young lovers to stop their choice on one of them. Such naturalness of morals is combined with the fullest chastity of Balike: Do not hope to find here women of easy behavior. Where and where, and here you can go with children, without fear that they will have unhealthy questions.

They say that on this, in general, a small island, there are about twenty thousands of temples. I myself, of course, did not recalculate them, but everywhere, wherever it turned out, I found a multi-tiered turret-measure – an integral part of the Balinese sanctuary. Hinduism has been preserved here in its earliest form – based on ancient myths and legends. Imagine: you fall into the temple where you expect to see the strict ceremony – and find yourself on the play, the participants of which are dressed in motley clothes and multicolored masks. Playing an orchestra consisting of xylophone tools. The people are dressed in a festive: Men in motley skirts, called "sarong", Women in silk blouses and with offerings on the head.

You can only enter the Balinese temple in the national costume. It is said that ten years ago the rules in the sense of the European clothes were more liberal. But since a certain Swede appeared at the service of the topless, before the entrance to each sacred place was put on a table, who has for a small fee (but necessarily) it is necessary to rent a sarong at the time of visiting the temple. And right: try taking risks to appear in some shorts in the Cathedral of St. Peter to fall in Roman dad during Easter worship.

From a materialistic point of view, religious representations of Balinese are naive and primitive. They deeply believe in the real existence of evil spirits that go to the streets and steal human souls. The leader of the demons is Rangda. She reigns among Lyakov (sorcerer), which spend time on cemeteries, pretending to vampires. Two more evil geniuses – boot and feces – they are horrified on the beaches and forests.

To draw otherworldly creatures, you must necessarily arrange sacrifices. In the seventies, during a big holiday, which is held in a century, was caught by one copy of each of the representatives of the Balinese fauna – ranging from flies and grasshoppers and ending with crocodiles and lions. Insects, herbivores, mammals, winged, painline and reptiles were ruthlessly brought sacrificing on the square in front of the main temple of the island of Pura Besakov. At that time, the world progressive public was rebelled against such atrocities – but even the threat of world boycott did not stop the Balinese. In accordance with the type of Hinduism, which is confess the islanders, the soul of the most corrupted people and even demons move in animals, so good attitude to them – sin. Moving souls must pass purgatory or test hell on earth. The only respected animal is a monkey.

And otherwise – there are no more meek and unlobs, than residents of Bali. They do not speak "No", fear of offending the interlocutor, and can’t tolerate cry and disputes. A wide smile will be answered simple "Selamat Pagge" ("good morning").

Your serene stay on Bali ends in an airplane taking the course to Hong Kong. Some couple of hours – and you are among the central skyscrapers and neon advertising. I just lost you a leisurely-natural naturalness of life – and now life is still stunning the concentration of all world technical progress.

I will not stop on any kind of collisions accompanying the History’s story – this is the subject of a special article. I will only say that Hong Kong has developed from two parts – the island (actually Hong Kong), captured by the British, and rented by them later by the peninsula (called Kowloon). They are separated by a strait of approximately kilometer width – this is the only city in the world, in the center of which not the river splash, but the most real sea.

One of the most gorgeous Hong Kong hotels is called "Harbor Plaza". This masterpiece of modern architecture stands right on the shore of the strait. On his roof – the pool, one of the walls of which is completely transparent – as in the aquarium. Directly from under the water you can observe the life of a huge city.

Empty over his head take off and sit silver aircraft, fishing junks, ferries, yachts and ships will be blown through the strait. By underground tunnels racing the subway train. Car flows move along the world’s long in the world. In Hong Kong exclusively roads every square meter of the Earth – so houses here are growing in height. And not only at home, and also buses – two-story, just not red, as in England, and multicolored. But the two-story trams and in England do not find. Only here. Ride on such a pleasure even for an adult, not comparable to any attraction. You sit at the top, having shook out in the window and overlooking the evening street, according to a variety of crowd.

It seems that you are at the exhibition of achievements of international economy. Jewelry of the best designers, clothes and shoes of the latest models, the latest equipment, toys, albums, clocks, wigs, antiques, tools, discs, computers, weapons, cars are sold cheaper than in countries where they were produced: Hong Kong – duty-free zone. And if you still consider a huge number of seals, discounts and sales – it turns out quite cheap. There is still Temple Street, a multi-kilometer night shop, where all the same can be to buy quite a task. Personally, I acquired there fashionable Bushlates (France) in just fifteen dollars, Diamanda CD (England) – for six, and several animals cut out from jade (real China) – even inconvenient to say how much.

On the plane, flying back to Moscow, my tanned compatriots shared their impressions and demonstrated to each other purchases. They were able to fulfill everything they planned. According to the full program.