Guest article by Jendrik:Bali? Why Bali of all places, the island of gods and demons? Bali is not just the island of package tourism, party-loving Australians and cheap "Nike" T-shirts.
No, Bali is much more! Bali is also the island of dream beaches, surfers, MILLIONS of scooters and an alternative way of life. In terms of landscape and culture, Bali is an extraordinary experience. The only one of over 17,000 islands of the world's largest Muslim state (Indonesia), which is characterized by Hinduism, has a lot to offer, from jungle and white sandy beaches to volcanoes and huge green rice terraces. Bali is not just an island, Bali is an attitude to life and a way of life. On the one hand, you meet the somewhat alternative dropouts of the western world, who make your time in Bali very pleasant and easy. In addition to many vegan and "healthy food" restaurants, they offer a lot of luxurious villas and accommodation that allow you to live a carefree life to European standards.
In stark contrast to this is the Hindu religion and culture of the Balinese, which is just as concerned with material values as we Germans are with gods and demons, the Balinese way of life. What counts in Bali is the family, the community and faith. In a village, the common good is above all else. Everyone in the village is an equivalence member of the community and has to do their part, whether they are a simple rice farmer, a university professor or a rich investor. Everyone is needed to build the road to the village's sacred temple and can also be found at each of the many ceremonies, whether young or old. The Balinese, especially the women, spend a large part of their lives making offerings to the gods to please them. 
This is usually done by placing folded banana leaves filled with flowers, cookies, cigarettes or even money in their own house temple, on the street or in front of the store of traditionally dressed Hindus. In this way, objects and places are consecrated, protected and guarded against evil demons.traffic in Bali, on the other hand, takes some getting used to, and not just driving on the left-hand side. Thousands of scooters and a few cars and motorcycles crowd the streets, which are far too narrow. If you are looking for traffic rules or signs, you are unlikely to find them. The most important rule in Balinese traffic is: there are no rules. Lane lines are an ornament to the road and are generally ignored. You drive and overtake where there is space. There are only speed limits at the many, usually completely pointless roadworks, which often bring the already gridlocked traffic to a standstill for kilometers. When a traffic light turns red, it does not mean that you have to stop. The traffic continues at least as long as it takes for road users on the other side of the road to start crossing the junction. If there are no traffic lights, the driver who enters the junction fastest and most confidently always has right of way.the most important function of a scooter in Bali is the horn. However, unlike in Germany, the horn is not used to express anger at someone else's misbehavior.
Instead, the horn is used to draw attention to oneself and signal that a daring overtaking maneuver is about to be carried out. The scooter is the vehicle for any occasion and any weather. It serves as a simple means of transportation, but also as a practical means of transport. From animals to refrigerators, building materials and tools such as ladders to the transportation of large families, the scooter is multifunctional. Of course, there are no passenger limits on a scooter, and participating in road traffic is not for the faint-hearted! If you head for one of Bali's many beautiful beaches, you don't have to think twice to find the reason why most tourists visit Bali. Waves! - Big, small, green, white. Bali has them all. From the beginner's wave on the sandy beach to the wave on the reef, there is a wave for every surfer or anyone who wants to become one. The classic surfer can be recognized by his long hair, tanned, well-trained and tattooed body. Most of the time, he is either running towards the sea with a surfboard under his arm or is struggling back towards the beach, completely exhausted but with a big grin on his face. surfing can almost be described as the national sport in Bali. Almost every young Balinese owns at least one surfboard and can be found in the water almost every day.
My name is Jendrik Maschke, 23 years old, a culture and management student in Görlitz, and at the beginning of September 2015 I made my way from Munich via London and Hong Kong to Denpasar, the capital of Bali, to complete my semester abroad at Udayana University. Once I arrived there, I had just over a week to acclimatize and organize everything else, such as an apartment, scooter, etc. My actual studies began in mid-September. I got to know all my fellow students and was shocked to discover that they were all German students and that we would not have any courses in common with the local students. I was also surprised that we were already taking our graduation photos on the first day.
I quickly realized that studying in Bali would be very different from the previous semesters in Germany, as the timetable stipulated that we would study at the university from Monday to Wednesday and go on excursions to companies or places of interest on Thursdays. Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of Indonesia, was taught every day. I also attended courses such as: Cross Culture Management, Marketing, Finance and Investment. All classes / courses were held in English. When I wasn't at university, I spent a lot of time exploring the island on a scooter or improving my surfing skills in Bali's waves.Bali is not only a fascinating island to explore and traverse, it is also the perfect starting point for trips to other islands in Indonesia and other countries in Asia.During a two-week semester break, I traveled to Bali's neighboring islands. I climbed the second highest volcano in Indonesia, Rinjani at 3726m, which erupted only four days after I had climbed to the top, went on a four-day boat tour, visited the almost extinct Komodo dragons, which are the largest living lizards in the world, and dived at my personal favorite spot and one of the world's best diving reefs.
After successfully completing my semester abroad in Bali in mid-December, I had planned just under two months in which I had time to travel around Southeast Asia.
Bali via Singapore, the most modern city (city state) I have ever seen, to Kula Lumpur (Malaysia), where I celebrated New Year's Eve in the shadow of the famous Petronas Towers.
From there I flew to Vietnam, which I crossed from south to north in two and a half weeks by bus and motorcycle. I then spent two weeks on particularly beautiful islands in the Philippines, where I devoted myself to surfing, motorcycling and diving with waal sharks and thresher sharks, and was able to meet people from a vibrant and joyful culture who changed my world view and broadened my horizons.
