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Published: June 25th 2017
Setting Out the Daily Offerings
I managed to capture a photo of this young woman at our hotel as she was just beginning her rounds to put out these offerings to the Gods in numerous spots in the hotel gardens. This tradition is very closely followed everywhere in Bali. Every home and business will have new offerings to put on the floor, street or sidewalk - somewhere near the ground where it is believed the evil spirits linger. It is impossible to walk down any street without seeing hundreds of these. And every night they are cleaned up and newly prepared offering put out the next morning.Prior to arriving here, my knowledge of Balinese culture was limited to what I had absorbed from reading Elizabeth Gilmore's "Eat, Pray, Love", which was, basically, that the Balinese are a deeply spiritual people who don't make decisions about anything important without consulting a holy man for guidance. The other preconception I had was that Bali's beaches would be one big five star hotel strip of western luxury tourism, overpopulated and overdeveloped. Both ended up having elements of truth, but like all preconceptions, there is usually more to be discovered when you look a liitle more deeply. Which again is why we travel, is it not? To try to understand better the other stories?
We had no intention of seeking out any holy men while here. However, our very first taxi driver, whom we hired to take us on a tour of Bali's southern beaches, generously provided us with a wealth of knowledge on this topic, as his own brother was a holy man. We learned not only how one discovers this calling, but what it entails. He also pointed out numerous holy men whom we passed by on the streets, or who passed us on their motor scooters, as
Garden Gargoyle
This big boy was another of the many gargoyles who graced the garden. It was such a treat to walk through, because everytime you looked somewhere closely you would always find another creature, large or small, that you had not noticed before. Delightful. they are both conspicuously dressed all in white - Balinese style head scarf, shirt, and pants - and they are everywhere. That was a bit of testimony to Gilmore's contention that this belief system is alive and well in modern day, well developed, prosperous Bali. Further proof could be found in the daily offerings visible on the streets, in businesses, in restaurants, in houses, and essentially everywhere. These simple offerings put out to the Gods were replenished every morning, and one would have to be blind not to notice them. In fact, it was impossible to walk five feet anywhere without having to sidestep them. The offerings were usually placed on low ground, as it is there that the evil spirits are believed to lurk, and the good spirits are invited accordingly to accept the offerings in exchange for warding off the evils.
Our next indicator came when we spent a day biking through the Balinese countryside on an Eco-bike tour that started near the top of a mountain. The downhill ride, with stunning rice paddies, lush tropical vegetation, and beautiful architecture in the many villages we passed through was complimented by the numerous stops along the way, when
Surfing Uluwatu
Look real closely. There are guys inside that wave doing 360's. And there is a guy who just tunneled through that big boy. And then there are all those in the water behind the wave, waiting for the next big one to come. Watching this was like watching a professional surf video. These guys were no amateurs. Amazing. our very informative guide gave us further insights into Balinese culture. We had no idea, for example, that Bali is known as the island of a thousand temples, because every family home has its own temple - a separate building - for daily family use, and every Balinese home an elaborate wall surrounding it with a small temple on the northeast corner. In addition, every community has its own much larger temple for community worship. We visited a very modest family home in rural Bali and there indeed was the family temple at the centre of the family compound. Further evidence of their profound spirituality was, of course, the small daily offerings of fruit and incense evident everywhere in the countryside, just as in the city.
The Balinese also love carving, in a big way, and everywhere you look you will find massive reproductions of lions, tigers, gargoyles of many shapes and forms, Gods, Goddesses, and human forms expressed in elaborate wooden and stone creations. No garden would be complete without some of these sculptures. The hotel we stayed at was densely populated with beautiful stone creatures, but it was the norm, rather than the exception.
In addition
Bali Cultural Dance
They love their masks and artistry here, and it shows itself on stage as well as in their crafts and architecture. to the insights into Balinese culture, our bike tour also included a visit to a small botanical garden and coffee production site, where we tasted cinnamon, clove, vanilla, and ginseng leaves, and munched on cocoa and coffee beans directly from the plants. The most interesting part of this visit, however, was drinking a cup of the world's most expensive coffee, which retails for $60 per 100 grams, which works out to $10.00 a cup. This, of course, is Luwak coffee, made famous in the movie "The Bucket List", when Jack Nicholson's character tells Morgan Freeman's character that he just drank the most expensive coffee in the world, which is made from Luwak shit. True indeed, we saw this critter, who looks a lot like a Canadian mink, and got a shot of his cage full of crap, waiting to be harvested. And yes, it was tasty!
As for the overdeveloped beaches, we did drive through the area of Kuta, where every inch of beach space was devoted to resorts, and the streets were prolific with expensive designer shops. We devoted about one half hour of our stay here to that area, knowing there is much more to this island
Balinese Dancers
In addition to masks, they love facial expressions and hand movements, both of which are quite mesmerizing to watch. beach scene, and one beach scene we could not miss was Uluwatu, the world famous surfing destination.
Getting to Uluwatu was no easy feat, as it required descending, I'm sure, over a couple hundred steps from the parking lot, with or without surfboard in hand. Some accommodations and restaurants were to be found at varying levels along the route down, although the array of options in the Uluwatu area ranged from budget to extreme luxury. But it is the wave action, not the accommodations, for which Uluwatu is renowned, and they were breathtaking from the first glance. The huge intimidating waves rolled in powerfully but slowly, eventually ending on sandy beaches with no fatal rocks to threaten the wave riders. And what riders we saw! It really was like watching a professional surf movie, with advanced surfers whom we were sure had been decimated by a massive wave pop up, having done a 360 inside it, and tunnel their way through it as it rolled powerfully into shore. Astounding.
So Bali is many things, and one can find here both fast pace and slow, old and new. It has been a perfect introduction to Indonesia, and the many,
Ellie's Hotel Balcony View
This is what we woke up to in the morning, after arriving into Bali at 2 a.m. after a fourteen hour trip from Katmandu. Welcome to Bali. many islands and rich cultural traditions that comprise it. Certainly enough to entice us to continue the exploration that has just begun, at another time.
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![Our Humble "Cottage" in Ubud, Bali](http://photos.travelblog.net/370570/968350/t/9166470-our-humble-quot-cottage-quot-in-ubud-bali-0.jpg "Our Humble "Cottage" in Ubud, Bali")
Susan
non-member comment
And you're bringing some home for all of your dear, coffee-loving friends right?Makes you wonder how/who discovered this technique in the first place doesn't it?