Do you think hobbits live here? But no! They make dark chocolate here and the soap is not hobbits at all... And the smells are such that you want to eat both!

This fairy tale for adults and children was created by the enterprising American Charlie. His name is Charlie. He had been looking for something all his life and when he got to Bali, he found it. He fell in love with this place and first built a small soap factory here 15 years ago; about 5 years ago he began making chocolate from the fruits of the chocolate tree grown on the island. Then coconuts from palm trees began to fall into his hands, and he set up the production of coconut body oil and “tasty creams.” But they say that he fell in love, for the most part, with a beautiful surf spot in the Ocean))


And it’s a fairy tale not only because it’s delicious, but because there are houses all around with bizarre broken shapes: either huts or spaceports made of dark wood. Charlie himself calls it BAMBOO PYRAMIDS. You don’t immediately understand where you are. His friends helped him build his first pyramids; now he is building a ship-cafe to pamper tourists with hot chocolate overlooking the waves.


Fabulous, because every respectable guy can jump off the swing between the palm trees and fly towards the waves, even with a big belly!! The swing is simply huge! To climb them, they even made special steps. They forced me to ride twice to overcome fear and have fun. Happened.

Unlike the swing on the lookout above the Buyan and Tamblingan lakes, where I posed, frozen over the cliff, here you do what we called in childhood, “Moon”. You swing 180°. And one boy in the yard was doing “Sun” and broke his hands, but that’s a completely different story...

It’s nice that no one fusses over anything here, but they willingly show the production of chocolate with 65% cocoa content, I talk about “my Nutella-Nuteresa,” and the workers bang with hammers, tearing down architectural patterns.

Soap from Charlie In my hands I have the fruit of a chocolate tree The same chocolate

It's a pity that Charlie himself was not at home - he went to Jakarta. I was very interested to know how he came up with the idea of ​​packaging soap in this romantic story "A Soap Story By Salvador BALI" It would seem that there is no greater pop - handmade soap in Bali, but all the supermarkets are overwhelmed! And he managed to present it so subtly and creatively! And the prices are quite reasonable.

You can see not only how soap is made, but also how it is packaged. In total, the factory employs 14 people. And it seems that half of them are Balinese, who hand-pack every piece of fragrant, while their babies crawl around. Very old-fashioned - homely.


Which of us loves chocolate? Chocolate cakes, hot cocoa. The answer is simple, practically everything. Today we will talk about Balinese chocolate and its production. As a rule, chocolate products contain two main ingredients - cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Most Russians only know cocoa powder and it can be easily found everywhere in our stores. Why is cocoa so beneficial? Cocoa increases vitality, that is, improves mood, stimulates the production of the hormone of joy - endorphin. Our sense of pleasure and pleasure depends on it. Cocoa also has a stimulating effect. When consuming cocoa, additional vital energy appears. Asians advise consuming raw cocoa, in small doses (4-6 raw beans per day), which helps increase vitality. Blood circulation in the brain improves and blood pressure decreases. Raw beans, most importantly, prevent the occurrence of malignant tumors and help strengthen the nervous system. Cocoa relieves nervous tension, relaxes, and improves overall performance. Did you know that cocoa beans are leaders in the content of antioxidants, which protect us from bacterial and viral infections. It turns out that all white tourists who come to Southeast Asia need to eat products made from cocoa beans, because the melanin contained in cocoa protects the skin from infrared and ultraviolet radiation. Cocoa butter also contains fatty acids. Fatty acids stabilize cholesterol and vitamin E levels in the body. Most importantly, cocoa butter has anti-aging properties. I would like to emphasize that not only raw cocoa beans, but also finished chocolate products have all the beneficial properties, although some of the beneficial properties are lost during heat treatment. Sweet tooths live everywhere: both in Russia and in America. The people of Bali also love cocoa. It must be said that Indonesia is one of the largest suppliers of cocoa beans in the world, and the island of Bali, in general, is ideal for growing cocoa. There are several factories in Bali producing this delicious product. Cocoa has a large fruit (15-17 cm), and its shape resembles both a lemon and a cucumber. At first the fruit turns burgundy, and as it ripens it acquires a beautiful, rich bright yellow color.

The rind of ripe cocoa is quite hard, but you can cut it with a regular knife. Asians traditionally cut the fruit without a knife. You just need to hit the ripe fruit against a sharp stone, the fruit will crack and it can be broken. Inside the fruit there are rows of large seeds, which are surrounded by white pulp. You can enjoy this pulp. It tastes sweet, with a slight sourness. Cocoa matures completely in 4 months, and large beans sometimes weigh up to 500 grams. The tree produces a harvest starting from the 12th year of life. Cocoa beans are harvested twice a year in Bali. It is characteristic that the first harvest on the island. Bali is considered to be of higher quality. It is from the first harvest that the mass production of cocoa butter and cocoa powder for sale begins. For export, processed cocoa beans are bagged and shipped to countries where chocolate is produced.

Particularly interesting is the production of Balinese chocolate. Balinese chocolate is an organic product, that is, environmentally friendly. Even the walls of the chocolate factory are made of bamboo: everything from the walls to the roof.


You can get acquainted with chocolate production in Bali as part of a tourist group. At the chocolate factory they will show not only the process of producing environmentally friendly chocolate, but all tourists will also try hot chocolate.


The recipe for tasting chocolate is not original, but simple. Jaggery is added to hot water followed by raw cocoa bean powder. The drink itself is very tasty. Most of the beneficial substances contained in Balinese chocolate are preserved because chocolate is produced using low-temperature technologies. Chocolate factories on the island of Bali produce about 3 tons of chocolate products per month. Most of this tasty product goes to America and England. Tourists are told about the entire cocoa production cycle. In factories you can try organic chocolate - milk, bitter, salty.

You can also taste different types of honey and raw cashews at the factory. Photography is prohibited in the workshops, but nosy tourists still take pictures on the sly. The workshops are sterile clean. The first stage of production is drying the beans at a temperature of 40 degrees. According to the technology, the beans are dried for 12 hours. The cocoa beans are then ground into a paste. The technology is divided into 2 stages:

1. Part of the ground beans goes into a press, from which cocoa powder and cocoa butter are obtained.

It so happens that this is not the first time I have been to Bali. Therefore, most of the attractions there are already familiar to me. But you still need to have fun somehow! So we decided to experiment and go to a chocolate factory called “Pod”. The factory is located near the town of Ubud. You can get to it from the center in 10-15 minutes. Theoretically, the factory can be found even without using a navigator, since in the vicinity of Ubud I often saw signs with the factory logo. And local residents will be happy to show the direction of travel with their hand, since this place is known to everyone. We arrived at the factory at about four o’clock in the afternoon. And I must say, we are very lucky, since their last chocolate-making session starts no later than four. Knowing the Balinese, this time can be safely reduced by an hour. So, if the road is not close, you should take care of the time in advance and calculate everything so as not to come in vain.

Arriving at the place, I could not think about anything other than chocolate. Its sweet aroma wafted everywhere! At the reception desk we were shown cocoa fruits, told about their types, differences and methods of preparation for making chocolate. Of course, I tried each of them. The taste was very different from the chocolate everyone is used to, but the aftertaste remained exclusively chocolate.

Next, we were asked to fill out questionnaires and choose materials for making candies: milk or dark chocolate and three fillings to choose from - from all types of nuts to coconut flakes and marmalades. My choice was milk chocolate with peanuts, cashews and hazelnuts. And while the confectioners were preparing our sets, we could watch the chocolate being made. The guys poured it over surfaces and shapes so carefully and soulfully that it seemed that their chocolate would come out even sweeter and more pleasant than usual. Still, handmade goods are very different from factory ones. Having mixed the chocolate on the table to the desired consistency, the confectioner measured its temperature with a special device-gun and poured it into small bags.

Watching this process was so unbearable that I ran to a local cafe-shop, where you could buy everything that could be made from chocolate. Armed with a chocolate bar and a mug of hot chocolate, I went back to waiting for my tools.

After a couple of minutes, my molds arrived and I began to carefully place the nuts in the molds and fill everything with chocolate, periodically tapping them on the table. The activity is both incredibly simple and exciting. And if you take into account the fact that periodically chocolate ended up in my mouth, I would have been doing this all day!

We had one child with us and it is worth noting that he was completely captivated by this entertainment. We used the leftover chocolate to draw mustaches and beards on each other and coat our hands. And now the forms are filled, the fillings are eaten and it’s time to give the candies away for freezing. Despite the fact that the freezing lasted only about 15 minutes, we were out of sight for half an hour, or even more. The fact is that there are wonderful places for walking around the factory.

All chocolate lovers will definitely love the unusual chocolate factory, which is located in the east of Bali. This wonderful place creates the feeling of a real fairy tale and delights not only children, but also adults. What could be more beautiful - five original bamboo huts on the ocean shore, where they make delicious natural chocolate. Just the limit of imagination for a lover of chocolate and exotic things!

Small houses with conical roofs and round windows are surrounded by tall coconut trees. It is here that the production of Balinese chocolate is located. The factory is open to the public and here you can buy any delicacy you like.

The factory's helpful employees will definitely treat you to something delicious. The range of sweets here, of course, is small - chocolate, coconut syrup and honey, but this is perfectly compensated by the kind attitude, exotic surroundings and beautiful tropical landscapes.

It is not at all surprising that this chocolate factory has become one of the local attractions that tourists who come to Bali are sure to visit.

For Christmas we decided to go to one of the most famous (advertised) attractions in Bali - Pura Tanah Lot. This is one of the seven water temples that protect the island from evil spirits. The temples are located in a chain so that they are visible to each other (only I didn’t notice the neighboring temple). Usually tourists are brought here closer to sunset, because the view immediately becomes much more picturesque, and at dusk they put on a performance, you can watch Balinese folk dances. We wanted to come during the day so that it would not be so crowded. We were mistaken, there are always crowds of not only travelers, but also Balinese themselves from all over the island, because the temple is very revered.

During high tide it is impossible to approach the temple; the road to it is flooded. And we arrived at low tide (it happened by chance), so we were able to walk a little next to it and admire the crabs. They are not allowed inside, you can only walk nearby. What I liked most was another entertainment - standing on the rocks and admiring the breaking waves that periodically splash over tourists who come too close to the edge.

It is impossible to walk for a long time near the temple because of the heat, and there is almost no shade. We quickly walked around the park, admired the rock, a kind of “natural arch”, on which the Pura Batu Bolong temple is also located. In a matter of minutes, we drank all the water we brought with us and headed back. In total, it took us an hour to explore the sights, and entrance, by the way, costs about 600 rubles. for two. It seemed to me quite an expensive pleasure compared to other prices.

The following weekend we headed to the east of the island to visit Charlie's Chocolate Factory. According to information from the Internet, Charlie (American by birth and surfer by vocation) moved to Bali and organized environmentally friendly chocolate production. It is obtained by cold pressing cocoa beans, which grow right there. It is believed that raw cocoa powder is the most beneficial, it is rich in antioxidants and magnesium. Actually, there are 4 chocolate factories in Bali, excursions are organized there, you can see the entire production process from the very beginning and, of course, taste the product. I chose Charlie's Factory because of 1) the bamboo houses that are somewhat reminiscent of fairy-tale gnome dwellings, 2) the picturesque location on the ocean, near one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, 3) the swings.

We drove to the factory for about 2.5 hours on a moped, the fifth point was pretty tired during this time. But we looked at the eastern part of the island, which is much quieter and cleaner than Kuta; here, it seemed to me, there were more local residents, and not immigrants from other islands of Indonesia. The eastern side of the island is mainly chosen by those who want silence, lovers of scuba diving and snorkeling (snorkeling). All major diving schools are located here. The road is quite picturesque, passes through the jungle and small villages, construction of new houses and hotels is actively underway.

Google maps let us down a little; we didn’t turn straight to the factory, but a little earlier, we had to walk along the embankment. As it turned out, it was for the best, because cunning local guys, when approaching the Factory, stop cars with tourists and demand a bribe for travel.

While we were driving, we were pretty hungry, and we were also late for the excursion, which takes place at 9 am (we arrived around 11). We decided not to be upset, but to drink cold chocolate (like hot chocolate, only cold) and eat pancakes with coconut syrup. The guy, who was at the same time a caretaker, administrator, salesman and cook, quickly organized drinks and pancakes for us. And that’s when a local beggar, a huge goose, started pestering us. This insolent fellow did not leave our table, hissed, pecked at Carimajo’s leg and tried to reach the plates. He didn’t react to our indignant cries; he didn’t care much about blows on his beak with a boot. The feathered insolent reacted only to the call of the multi-functional guy, immediately ran to him, but as soon as he realized that there was no treat in sight, he returned to us to continue the terror.

Besides us, there were several other visitors, so the guy was simply torn, but at the same time he looked absolutely calm. After we had refreshed ourselves, we went to taste the products. The assortment is very small: round dark chocolate candies with 86% cocoa content, crunchy chocolate, dried Goji berries (sour), crushed cocoa without sweetener, chocolate spread with the addition of coconut syrup. To be honest, we tried a lot, it’s not for nothing that we traveled so much! The chocolate is delicious, the mood immediately lifted, and we went to test the swing. Absolute delight!

After the chocolate factory we went to the white sand beach or Virgin Beach. I read that this is almost the best beach on the island. You won’t be able to get to the beach itself, the road is blocked, you need to leave the bike in the parking lot, give some money to the local guys (about 100 rubles) and go down the mountain. Along the entire coast there are restaurants that offer free sunbeds and showers if you order food from them. Prices, by the way, do not differ from Kuta; lunch and drinks for two cost us about 800 rubles. I want to say that we really liked the beach: clean and, most importantly, cool azure-colored water, sandy bottom, absence of waves, a picturesque rock on the side... This beach somehow reminded us