Blogs from Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, Asia - page 28

Advertisement

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 19th 2010

Ok, here goes folks! We're leaving on a big jet plane tonight and will be in transit for a looooonnng time. We'll try to send an update as soon as we land to let you know we're there safe. Ba bye! Mona & Deb... read more

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 17th 2010

Day 9 Nov. 7 - Flight to Semarang –( Pronounced Samara with emphasizes on the second syllable.) We were met by our Semarang home stay hosts and stayed at Hotel Gumaya. The Hotel Gumaya is a 5 star hotel but we did not come to Indonesia to stay at a 5 star hotel, we can do that at home. The Semarang Friendship Force group wanted us to stay in Semarang. Meanwhile the FF Club of Yogyakarta had made arrangements to have a bus pick us up in the morning. There was no way I was going to get between our friends in Yogya and our friends in Semarang, so I made it very clear that they had to settle it even as Mt. Merapi was blowing its top. I was pretty sure that Dr. Adam, President ... read more
Lan, Kay & Jill
Presenting the Present
Merapi Ash 1

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 8th 2010

The ferry journey between Java and Bali was short but our boat took some time finding a docking platform. A myriad of ferries and cargo ships steamed out to all areas of the archipelago from Bali’s western harbour, Ketapang. The ferry eventually docked and I made my way through the throngs of aggressive touts to the bus station. I was bombarded with offers of private transport and onward tickets by a group that crowded round me but I made it to my destination eventually. The mid-day heat was incredibly oppressive making the crowd of touts even more annoying. These groups are all over Asia, making small commissions from the hotels, buses and taxis they try to ferry you into. Basically meaning you end up paying more. Despite the price being printed on the wall of the ... read more
Menjangan Beach
Storm Clouds above Bali
Ship to Shore

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 6th 2010

Day 7 - Visit to Made’s compound and the Palace of Princess Atun Today was our cultural feast. I don’t know where to begin, how to describe or end my thoughts on today. Made invited us to his family compound which has been in his family for 7 generations. The whole extended family lives in the compound and the center of the compound is the family temple. Made spent an hour or two explaining the temple and then showed us some of his art. Paul loved one of Made’s larger paintings symbolizing the need for cooperation to resolve global warming. Spirituality and symbolism are really at the heart of Bali art. Made said the painting represented about 3 months work. We then went to his village temple which is 2000 years old. Late in the afternoon ... read more
Day 6
Day 6
Day 6

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 6th 2010

Day 5 - Day of the Cremation There are two ceremonial kings of Bali, one in Ubud and one in the northern part of the island. Indonesia is a republic, but some of the ruling families have retained inherited leadership symbolically. Burial tradition on Bali is to have a ceremonial cremation months after a person has died; the body is kept in the home until then. The burial area for royalty is a short distance from our hotel in Ubud. We went to the cremation ceremony of the northern king today. A kingly cremation only happens about once a decade. I am glad I went, but the next cremation I go to will be my own. The cremation was a short distance from our hotel in Ubud but we decided to take the cars to the ... read more
Cremation
Street Vendor
Day 5

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 6th 2010

Day 6 - Day of the rice terraces, temples and a drive in the country. Unbelievable! You must see the terraced rice fields. They go on as far as the horizon unless a purple mountain frames the view. The area we visited has applied to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. We had lunch at a nice hillside restaurant. They also sold herbs and coffee. One of the coffees was the type that passes through the weasel and costs a ton of money. Enjoy Paul’s pictures, but remember, no matter how wonderful the photos, they do not do justice to the beauty of Bali. At the second largest temple in Bali, we all (yes, men too) put on sarongs and scarves around their waists to be respectful. Our guide Made explained the symbolism of each building ... read more
Day 6
Day 6
Day 6

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 4th 2010

Right so we’ve had lengthy discussions about how this blog is going to be written, as you may or may not have noticed, we take turns blogging, and this time it’s my turn. However, it’s a big one, (fans of short and to the point blogs, may want to break this up into chapters, over the course of a few days) a lot happened and Verlie has lots to say, so how we are going to do it is like this: I’m going to write the blog, and Verlie is going to add paragraphs and sentences in italics ok got that? Right then…………. We booked our week long break what seemed like months and months ago, in fact it was only in August, but it was the longest 10 weeks of our lives. We’d both been ... read more
Tepi Sawah Villas
Tepi Sawah Villas
Tepi Sawah Villas

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 4th 2010

Day 2 Today is Sat. Oct. 30th. The reason I am relaying this bit of surprising information is because it is surprising to me and I just figured it out. By the way, in the US it is Friday Oct. 29th. I find it is important to center yourself, not metaphysically but where you are in terms of date and time. Made, Wyman, and Darsana (our guides) took their newfound friends to Pemaksan Barong Tegaltamu to see a classic Balinese dance that is the perfect time capsule incorporating the spirituality, culture, humor and history of these beautiful and gentle people. Rather than me outlining the 5 act play, Paul Martin has provided us with a photo essay. We then went to a Batik exhibit and store. Batik is a uniquely Indonesian art form that most everyone ... read more
Dance 1
Day 3
Day 3 & 4

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud November 4th 2010

Days 3 & 4 We now have almost everyone checked into the main hotel (SRI Bungalows-Ubud, Bali). Ken and Lan Tran have taken off on a motor bike for parts unknown. I think you will enjoy Paul’s pictures of the hotel and the Arma art gallery. Our guides’ father and uncle are featured in the gallery. Tomorrow we are going to the cremation of the King, a very big deal. A number of people have asked how I chose the people to go on the trip -- good question. My first criteria was color (personality), secondly was independence and third flexibility. After two days there is no question I have succeeded on the color and independence criteria while flexibility remains an open issue. Our Ambassadors are really a neat group of interesting, very nice and colorful ... read more
Day 4
Day 4
Day 4

Asia » Indonesia » Bali » Ubud October 29th 2010

Die Zeit in Ubud fing eigentlich richtig gut an. Ich fand sofort im Ubud Inn ein schönes, sauberes Zimmer und konnte den Preis noch bezahlbar herunterhandeln. So war auch der Luxus einer Klimaanlage drin. Ich erkundete gemütlich das Städtchen und streifte mit Britta und Ullrich am nächsten Morgen über den Markt. Dann zogen die beiden weiter und meine alleine-reisende Zeit begann. Ich besuchte die sehr unterhaltsamen Affen im Mountain Forrest Parc und organisierte mir schon einmal die Weiterreise nach Padangbai. Gemütlich mit einem leckeren Abendessen ging der Tag zu Ende. An meinem 2. Tag mietete ich mir eine Vespa. Es war ein komisches Gefühl, seit langer Zeit wieder damit herumzufahren. Aber es war genial. So spürt man Indonesien gleich ganz anders (einige Ladungen Abgase aus den Bussen und Lastern gehören dazu und machen braun). Zuerst verfuhr ... read more
Prozession in Ubud 1
Prozession in Ubud 2
Fledermaus neben dem Frühstücksbereich im Hotel




Tot: 0.116s; Tpl: 0.006s; cc: 3; qc: 80; dbt: 0.066s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb