Bali

Bali is one of more than 18,000 islands (based on a satellite view) in the Indonesian archipelago, and is just over 2 km (almost 1.5 miles) from the eastern tip of the island of Java and west of the island of Lombok. The island, home to a little over 4 million people, is about long from east to west and north to south. The word "paradise" is used a lot when describing Bali. Friendly, hospitable people; a magnificently visual and spiritual culture; and spectacular beaches with great surfing and diving have made Bali the top tourist attraction in Indonesia. The vast majority of international visitors to Indonesia go nowhere else but Bali. This popularity is not without its bad sides—once paradisiacal Kuta has degenerated into a congested warren of concrete, scammers and touts extracting a living by overcharging tourists. The island's visibility also drew the unwanted attention of terrorists in 2002 and 2005. However, Bali has managed to retain its magic.