Bali: Landscape

The natural landscape of Bali is quite diverse and so beautiful.  From black-sand beaches to rice terraces to volcanoes, there was always something to 'ooh' and 'awe' over.

Tegallantang Rice Terrace

Say that fast five times!  This is the don't-miss rice terrace near Ubud.  It was our first stop on our first day.  There were pushy vendors so we only stayed a few minutes and didn't get a decent picture.  It was so bright and hot.  We didn't realize until later that you can walk down it.  I'd definitely recommend spending more time here and making it past the vendors.

Plantations

There are several coffee and spice plantations you can visit.  Samara is feeding a bat coffee beans from the tree (she is fearless when it comes to animals).  In the cage next to the bat, there was some animal that eats the coffee beans then poops them out.  This pooped-out coffee is supposedly the best and people pay pretty high prices for it.  We stuck with the hot chocolate.  

Batur Volcano

We had lunch at a cafe on the volcano's rim--the food was sub-par, but view was wonderful.  We were told to avoid the rim as it's a tourist trap, but we enjoyed it and saw nothing to suggest it being too touristy.  You can hike the crater and bike down it.  River rafting is also very popular and we've heard it's amazing.  Lizzie wasn't quite ready for any of that yet.

Rice Paddies

We stayed in a villa 15 minutes outside of Ubud in the middle of the rice paddies.  We loved it and are so glad we did.  It gave us a good feel of what Bali is like and we were out away from the touristy hotels.  It was peaceful and so pretty.  I am fascinated by rice cultivation.  It is back-breaking work and makes me more grateful for the rice I eat.  These fields were being harvested.  Since I'm always awake at the crack-of-dawn anyway...

I left my little family safely tucked in their beds and out I went for a bike ride two of the mornings we were there.  

I love the early blue of the morning.  Besides skiing, there is nothing more liberating to me than being out with just me, myself, and my camera in a foreign country or in nature.  Lucky me the bikes rides included both.

Livestock was out and people were getting ready for the day.

The full-moon was on the horizon.

I love warm morning light.  These cute kids were on their way to school and called out to me so I stopped and talked to them a little wishing I spoke their language.

This is an representation of a Balinese god.  I think it probably evokes the same response from us as Ben did from the villagers when we was out for his morning jogs dripping with sweat and similarly clothed like this guy (people were staring at him with open mouths).   I don't think non-western cultures run around like that for fun. :)

I passed people preparing offerings and produce and this village temple.   Each village has three temples.  

I throughly enjoyed my little bike rides.  I told Ben I'd be gone an hour and when I got back it had been two but it still seemed much too short.

Bali: People

I have fallen in love with the beautiful people of SE Asia and Bali was no exception.  The people we met were gracious and friendly and so lovely.  I could have spent days photographing them.  Their culture and religion are still so living, which is what I think makes Bali such an interesting place.

Haggling or bartering is a way of life in Bali and they are disappointed if you don't join in.

Mara had her first experience with this.  While shopping at the market in Ubud for her souvenir, she eyed this bracelet and HAD to have it.  We hid it under the others and went to look a little more.  After several minutes of her insisting someone else would buy it, we went back and I told her to ask how much.  "50,000" says the seller. I tell her to say 20,000.  "40,000" replies the seller.  Mara, with no clue what is really going on, agrees, "OK".  Quickly I whisper in her ear that we can't pay over 25,000 (~$3USD) Mara says, "25,000 and no more." The woman LOVED it!  She giggled and said, "Ok. It's yours!"  Ben is terrible at bargaining and insisted that I play that role as it's my strong suit, so I'm just aiming to pass those skills onto the next generation.  Had I intended beforehand to have her do the buying, I would have pulled out the video camera to record the transaction.

Ok.  Back to the beautiful people of Bali....

 Girls at a temple.  Their bindi are so unique.  I'd never seen ones like these before. 

Is it wrong that I thought these little poker players are the cutest thing ever?!  They were so darling and very methodical about their game.  I'm pretty sure the little guy in the orange shirt is spying for his friends. :)

Like all important events in their religion, wedding dates are based on the Balinese calendar.  We happened to be there during the ideal time to get married.  We saw many homes decorated like this.  Both the groom's and the bride's houses are decorated as celebrations take place at each one and last for days.  They start at the bride's house and then move onto the groom's, which is where (I'm almost certain) the official ceremony takes place.  We saw a  couple wedding parties en-route to the groom's house. 

A maid-of-honor, who let me photograph her.  I loved her beautiful attire.  What you wear is determined by the groom's caste.  The bride marries into the grooms caste whether it is to a higher or lower caste.   Our driver then asked the wedding party whether I could take a few photos of the celebration. 

I was so thrilled to have a chance to go in a see what it was like.  They were all so kind and gave me a yummy cake to try.  I'm not sure how I would have felt having some foreigner off the street show up at our wedding wanting to take photos.  But everyone was just sitting around seeming pretty bored. :)

Does anyone know if there is meaning behind how the men where their head scarves?  I noticed several different styles.  I wondered if it was just a preference for a certain style or whether it had something to do with religion, i.e. their priesthood. 

The bride and groom 

I spoke with this sweet family on my way out of the wedding.  I asked how old their daughter was and commented on how darling she is (all in Balinese, of course).  They said, "Take a picture.  Take a picture of her."  I was more than happy to oblige. 

Looks like a comfy spot to read the paper but I am pretty sure he was sleeping! 

 I was so impressed by how much they carried on their heads.  They must have really strong necks.

 Darling girls on their way to school in the morning.

 Last but not least, I kept running into these two lovely ladies on the trip. 

Bali: Religion and Offerings

We got a steal on tickets and were able to visit beautiful and unique Bali last week.  Bali is the only island in Indonesia, the world's largest Islamic country, where Hinduism is the predominant religion. The religion is a called Agama Hindu Dharma or Agama Tirtha.  

Buddhism was the state religion of Bali's early kingdom.  In the 10th century, Bali's King Udayana married a Hindu Javanese princess and the two religions fused.  During the 16th century, high priests moved from Java to escape the encroachment of Islam and introduced the caste system to Bali.

The Balinese people are very dedicated to their religion.  Their devotion is inspiring.  Balinese Hinduism lacks the traditional Hindu emphasis on cycles of rebirth and reincarnation.  The religion focuses on a myriad of "hyangs", the local and ancestral spirits.  The Balinese have long regarded the universe as a structured entity where everything has it's place.  They recognize the duality of nature: male and female, good and evil, day and night, life and death. 

Balinese Hinduism is interwoven with art and ritual.  Rituals and ceremonies are a part of everyday life.  It is definitely not a "sunday-only" religion.  We drove past this procession.  Our driver said I could take a photo (so I stuck my head out the window and lost my sunglasses) but to never stop or interrupt the procession.  He said this was the most sacred ceremony.  I'd love to go back and see more of their fascinating religion and culture.

Order and harmony are personified by deities who live on mountaintops and bestow their blessings on humans.  Demons symbolize disorder and dwell beneath the sea.  Offerings (banten) are made at least daily to both ancestors and gods and demons.  

We spent our first few nights in Ubud, in the center of the island, which is surrounded by incredible rice fields.  Samara and her cute friend were up with me bright and early one morning.  With their sashes donned, they were appropriately attired to help Made, the Balinese woman, with the offerings for our villa.  Adult women require a sarong and their shoulders covered to participate or to enter one of the temples.

I read an average household can spend at least 50% of their income on offerings.  The physical parts of the offerings are eaten and regarded as leftovers from the Gods.  Those made to demons are discarded.   Creating them is an act of devotion and a sign of their gratitude.  The offerings are everywhere in Bali and are gorgeous!  Ever village has it's own unique style.  I'm so glad we could see how it was done.

Presenting the offerings requires incense, holy water, and prayers.  The holy water and prayers, or "mantras", purify the offerings.  The smoke of the incense wafts the essence of the offerings to the intended destinations.

The offerings in the blue plate are rice on banana leaves.  They are ones that would typically be eaten later.

Offerings are placed according to their destination and function.  Those places up high like these are for gods and ancestors.  This is to ask for blessing and to give thanks.  While the demons receive theirs on the grounds to keep them appeased and away.

More posts to come... 

TGIF

Samara had an awesome Friday a few weeks back.  She got to be a Jr. Zookeeper at the zoo.  Local schools were on holiday so they were running the program all week.

I conveniently did not notice the minimum age requirement.  Just-turned four is almost five, right?  She was the bravest in the group, so I felt good about my decision. :)

First stop was a lesson about the different kinds of horses and ponies and learning how to groom them. 

Next was learning all about grooming and feeding the rabbits. 

And last, but not least, was feeding the goats.

It was a fun and neat experience for her.  For those in Singapore--it's just $10 and the zoo is running the program on Saturdays from now on.

I'm trying to get Lizzie used to her stroller.  She loves it in small doses and lasts about 15 minutes then she wants back in the Bjorn.

That evening, Samara and I went on a special date to Disney on Ice.  Maybe I need to get out more, but I really enjoyed it!  I went to one as a kid and it was a lot different than I remember.

 Such a darling bunch of kids!!  Thank goodness not every Friday is this exciting.  I was worn out at the end of the day!

The Squatty Potty

This is what Samara affectionately calls the squatty potty.  "I can go in the squatty potty." She often brags.  Still, we avoid them whenever possible.

The morning we left for Bali I woke up with a bladder infection.  Only my second one ever and they stink! We somehow lucked out with seats at the front of the plane making my frequent trips to the toilet more feasible.  We got off the plane, got our visas, and it was time to hit the loo again.  Samara had to go as well, so I took her with me while Ben waited for the bags.   When we got to the bathroom Samara said, "I have to go poop!"  I  helped her on the toilet.  I  HAD to go so I was left with no other choice but the squatty potty.  Not an easy task with baby Lizzie strapped to me in the Bjorn.  Samara's door was not closed since I'd helped her on the toilet.  I hear Samara yell out, "Don't look at me when I'm going poop!" Oh my.  Apparently, some poor woman walked past her stall.  She tried to avoid eye contact and hurry out when I came out of my stall.  I tried to hold Samara's stall closed with my foot to give her some privacy.  "Mom, how can I go poop if I can still see your toes?  I need privacy."  It was a glamorous start to our holiday! And I think I deserve the mom-of-the-year award for giving up the regular toilet to my child.

But don't think this bathroom experience was all peaches and cream ... my squatty potty was NOT nearly this nice.  I stole this from Jessie's blog.