Bali's landscape
is characterised by abundano thousands of verdant rice fields, gracefi
coconut palms and a myriad of tropical fruit tree coffee plantations
and even vineyards make up tl cultivated areas. On the slopes of the
mountain lush tangles of vines and creepers link huge tree many dripping
with or chids and ferns. It is not hard to understand why the island
is often described as "the morning of the world," "island of the gods"
and "the enchanted paradise".
Lying between 8 and 9 degrees
south of the equator, Bali is only 144 kilometres east to west and 80
kilometres north to south. Its extraordmary richness is the result of
a combination offactors. The island, and most of Indonesia, lies above
the join of two of the earth's seven tectonic plates, and the towering
volcanoes that dominate the landscape are responsible for much of Bali's
fertility. Occasional eruptions, while potentially destructive, paradoxically
increase fertility as they scatter rich ash and debris over the soil.
The tall mountains (Gunung
Agung is 3,142 me tres and neighbouring Gunung Batur 1,717 metres) help
generate heavy downpours of rain, which collects in a number of springs
and lakes. The wate flowing down the mountain slopes creates rivers
which carve deep ravines as they make their way down to the sea.
Bali experiences two seasons,
a hot wet season from November to March, and a cooler dry season from
April to October. Long periods of sunshine and adequate rainfall create
a monsoon forest (as op- posed to rainforest, which grows in tropical
regions without a dry season). Natural vegetation, however, covers only
about a quarter of Bali (mainly in the west). The rest of the countryside
has been extensively modified through cultivation.
The Balinese eat only very
small amounts of meat, poultry or fish. Rice is the centrepiece of every
meal, accompanied by a variety of vegetables, spicy condiments or sambals,
crunchy extras such as peanuts, crispt-friedshallots, fried tempeh
(a fermented soy bean cake) or one of dozens of types of crisp wafer
(krupuk). Although rice is the staple, certain other starchy
foods such as cassava, sweet potatoes and maize are also eaten, sometimes
mixed with rice, not just as an economy measure (they cost less) but
because they provide a variation of flavour.
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