Culture in Bali

Yesterday, was yet another jam packed day of travel in Bali. These types of days are exhausting, but we are able to see so many different parts of the island its well worth the time!

We drove toward the rice fields, volcano's, and the art center of Bali. Each village in central Bali specializes in a different type of craft; woodcarving, silver and gold, painting, and batiking. We stopped in each village and watched the skilled craftsman create the different types of art. In many cases the trade is a family business, that is passed down through generations. Each artist is encourages to create in whatever style they wish, and they work solely from their imagination, no sketches or copying of others creations.

Below are photographs from the batiking process, as well as a women working on a loom weaving textiles. The loom she was working with was very old, and clearly has been used often throughout its lifetime. Both processes are fascinating to watch, and the amount of time and skill put into each piece is very impressive.

In the morning we saw our first traditional Balinese dance, the Barong and Kris Dance. The play represents an eternal fight between good and evil spirits. Barong (a mythological animal) represent a good spirit and Rangda (a mythological monster) represents an evil one. The performance was very interesting, with brightly colored costumes and makeup, along with precise and controlled movements from every dancer. We are hoping to see more of the many different styles of Balinese dance over the next week.

We were able to see two very beautiful, and very different temples as we traveled through Central Bali. The first temple was a rather large temple that is reserved for worship only by the people who are residents of the town. Bali has thousands of temples ranging in size from small temples located in homes, to large city temples for anyone to worship at.

A good Hindu, prays three times a day, and even a "bad Hindu" still manages to pray once a day. Religion here is not an afterthought reserved for Sunday service, but rather an important part of each day, an opportunity to stay connected to the spirit world in all activities.

The temple below was filled with men and women making many different types of food and offerings. Groups of women sat in the shade talking and laughing as their hands stayed busy creating small works of art. While the men sat together looking over papers and finances in a much more serious tone.

For lunch we were able to dine at a restaurant over looking the Kintamani Volcano and Lake Batur. This stunning view allowed us to see our first Balinese volcano, and the evidence of its last eruption in 1995.

The second temple is set in the remote and lush jungle of Bali. There were several different pools of water and fountains, making this one of the most beautiful and peaceful temples of the region.

Another unique part of this temple was its wildlife. With several Balinese deers in cages, we were able to see this unique and strange animal that sadly is at the brink of extinction. Notice their two fang like teeth!

Finally we made our way to the terraced rice paddies, something I have been looking forward to since we started planning this trip. They were magnificent, and true sight to been seen, and we made it just in time to see them before harvest started. The rice fields rely on a complex network of irrigation channel, tunnels and aqueducts that diverts water from sources high up in the mountains to the flat lands. This system dates back to 9th century AD and allows for "wet rice farming" to continue today.

Another wonderful day of new experiences, and our first look into the culture and rural lifestyle of central Bali.