500 Word Essay

Task: Write a descriptive essay of your favorite place.

Outline: Thesis- My favorite place is Bali in Indonesia.

I. Bali is an exotic, beautiful island.

II.The people of Bali are simple and friendly.

III.In Bali, people live their arts and religion.

Heaven in Indonesia

Over the past forty years I have traveled over much of the world. I love the islands of the South Pacific for their beauty, sailing and scuba diving, and simplistic culture. I have discovered the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Asian cultures combine the ancient with the latest of technology, and it has been intriguing to learn of the civilizations of Mexico, Central America, and South America. Travel to new and exotic places has been the most exciting part of my life. But the place that I have now been to three times and continues to call me back is the island of Bali in Indonesia. The island is beautiful, the people are friendly, and the people of Bali live their art and religion. These are the reasons Bali has become my favorite place.

When you arrive on Bali, you see immediately that it is a beautiful, exotic place. Flying in you can see the lush, green landscape and the cultured fields of rice paddies. There is a volcanic mountain range down the center of the island with only one active volcano. There are high mountain lakes. Then the water is controlled for farming as terraces harness the water as it runs to the sea. Everywhere you look around the cities and village you will find examples of their art in stone statuary and temples. And, because there is so much rainfall, there is a green moss growing over everything giving it all the consistent look of Bali.

The people of Bali lead a simple life based on their families and their Hindu religion. They live in compounds where each family has common and private living spaces. In the morning, everyone goes to the fields for a few hours to tend their crops. The older members teach the younger to tend to the rice, since it is the staple of their diet. In the afternoons, the older members of the family teach the children an art or craft. Each person learns to dance, to carve from wood, to play music, or even to build fruit baskets, which you will recognize as an art form when you see the women carry them down the streets on their heads. Despite, the vast differences in language and culture, the people are friendly to strangers. The people are sweet and will help you as much as the language barrier allows

The most interesting thing about the people of Bali is that they live their art and religion. In most places in the world, the locals serve up some form of local culture to the tourists. The best example of this might be Hawaii, where any tour package includes a luau with some dancing and music. But in Bali, the people still play the music and have dances to scare away evil spirits and build beautiful little offerings to their gods. You can hear the music tinkling as you walk down the street, and you have to watch your step to avoid the offerings that are everywhere. The people still dress in their traditional dress, and you can go to shows of dancing and music, but they would be doing it anyway.