Bali - offerings and ceremonies

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Many thanks to all who have sent me emails and apologies for probably not replying to them all ..sorry !!! Not every internet cafe is fast ! And apologies for lack of photos ..I keep forgetting the lead to connect but after this entry it is will be my priority ( apart from collecting laundry, watching the waves and deciding what to eat )

So the real Bali.....
Everything revolves around offerings to the gods. the women spend hours making little woven baskets which are filled with flowers and food and offered at the shrines which every home, shop, establishment has. Ceremonies go on all the time especially cremations which are are very important and involve huge celebrations, processions and feasts. Traffic jams are caused by a cremation procession...amazing. Each village has its own temple celebration which seem to be every week at least! In Ubud the Full Moon celebration went on for 3 days and 3 nights..quite noisy when you are staying a few minutes away. But what a sight...girls dressed up and dancing, young boys dressed up and dancing, and men dressed as animals ( like Chinese dragons) which the offerings are made to.
I am finding that Bali is a land of contradictions....there is beauty but there is ugliness. Men wear flowers and everything is decorated with hibiscus or frangipani. BUt there is rubbish especially plastic as there are no regulations for disposing of plastic bags. Other rubbish is burnt. Recycling is not really a Government policy as far as I can see. A french woman I met said there is much corruption and so nothing moves forward. Service in every way is far superior to England ...politeness and smiling is the norm even the young boys ! But the persistence is irritating....walking down a road you will be asked by everyone if you want transport, maybe tomorrow, where are you from, what is your name etc etc, It's hard not to be impolite but I just smile sweetly and say no in Indonesian.

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