Does everyone already know this? I don’t think I did until I started considering my first trip to Southeast Asia, 10 (!) years ago. Bali is not an independent country or a territory – it’s part of Indonesia.

“Bali” usually refers to the island, but it’s also the name of one of Indonesia’s 31 provinces. Bali province includes the main island, plus three tiny islands off the coast: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan. (Some bonus facts on Bali: the word “nusa” means island in Indonesian – but the main island of Bali also has an area called Nusa Dua, which is not an island in itself!)

Like many tropical destinations, Bali experiences a rainy season and a dry season – but the heat and humidity never go away, especially near the coast. Average high temperatures are in the 80s all year (with overnight lows just 10 degrees cooler), and the humidity makes it feel even hotter. You can get a bit of a respite, though, by heading inland to higher elevations – like Munduk, which was one of our favorite spots!

Mt. Batur and Mt. Agung both active volcanoes in northeastern Bali. Mt. Batur most recently erupted in 2000, and a sunrise climb to its crater is one of the top things to do in Bali.

One look at Bali’s traditional architecture and ornate temples, and you get the idea that this is a place rich in artistic tradition. You’ll find distinctively Balinese styles of theatre, opera, painting, woodcarving, batik, and more.

It’s 2021 in Bali, of course – but it’s also 1943, or maybe there’s no year at all. What?

The Gregorian calendar is widely used in Bali, but like many societies, it also has a lunar-based calendar. The lunar year also has 12 months, but each starts the day after the new moon. It’s 78 years behind the Gregorian calendar, making it 1943 in Bali.

But Bali also uses a third calendar, called the Pawukon calendar. It has just 210 days, so it really doesn’t correspond to the Gregorian or lunar calendar, and it’s nearly impossible for outsiders to understand. Why? Well, the first day of the year is the first day of ten simultaneous weeks of differing lengths. The Pawukon calendar also doesn’t have a year – it’s just a cycle that repeats again and again.

You might have heard people say that there are only four first names in Bali – and by the time you meet your tenth person named Wayan, it definitely feels that way.

I actually think this is one of the most interesting facts about Bali. Balinese children are named according to the order of their birth, and there aren’t male or female first names for the most part. The Balinese traditionally had four children, so there are four common names: Wayan, Made, Niyoman, and Ketut. Those with bigger families would start over again, naming the fifth child Wayan.

You’ll definitely encounter people with other names, though, since there are a few alternates, and some Balinese people use different names that denote their caste. Still, most people on the island have one of ten or so names, although (no surprise!) many go by nicknames.

The most expensive coffee in the world comes from poop. Yes, really.

In Bali and some other parts of Indonesia, a cat-like critter called the luwak eats coffee cherries and then (of course) excretes them, at which point they’re collected and then roasted, ground, and brewed. Known as kopi luwak, a cup of this special (and supposedly less acidic) coffee can run you $40 or more.

Of course, that doesn’t apply to this past year. But in the Before Times, Bali got a shocking 6 million or more tourists every year (more than doubling since 2010), and I’m sure it will be that way again soon. It’s hard to overstate the island’s reliance on tourism, the businesses it supports, and the jobs it has created.

But the sheer number of people on such a small island – and the sometimes less-than-conscientious tourists – is creating an environmental disaster. Water is in short supply, heavily used land is eroding, there’s no way to dispose of all the trash, and the list goes on.