Continuing our search for the cultural/artistic/spiritual side of Bali, we watched kids playing soccer in the mud. We found out later different teams were playing all day til dark, in the slop. What world culture! But then we spent the day in a 80-km radius of Ubud exploring the arts that made this island notable. Villages that used to be separate have now been swallowed by Ubud sprawl; they specialize in wood carving, silver smithing, stone religious statues, and those gaudy but blindingly colourful wall-size paintings.
First stop of real interest was at a batik factory. Outside, women painstakingly dotted the i's and loomed the t's. Inside, the variety and quantities of batik clothing and accessories made your head spin in technicolour. Upstairs were hundreds of batiky wall-hangings in both traditional and modern themes. Could easily spend the whole day appreciating.
Next was a so-called agrotourism corner of a backroad. Guides explained the native spices and fruits from ginger to cloves to tea to coffee. The yummy specialty? --- luwak coffee! They feed raw coffee buds to a mongoose-like creature called a luwak. Overnight the beans ferment and digest, then the luwak poops them out in the morning and they are made into the most expensive gourmet coffee you can buy! (Try this with your dog at home??) Visitors can free sample 21 other teas and coffees (luwak too precious, only a few pounds made per day and they are --- gobbled up!) Like a wine tasting, and we actually liked the saffron and coconut teas.
Then to Goa Gajah Elephant cave/temple. Amazing history. Sublime spirits carved in huge boulders. Beautiful fountains. Ancient hill trails and tree roots. We have seen variations of these in all the southeast Asia countries. Then up steep roads to the UNESCO-protected rice terraces that can stretch from mountain to the sea.
Last highlight of the day is the "Mother Temple" at Besakih. Sort of equivalent to Islam's Mecca, this is the holiest place for Balinese Hindus. Our welcome was marred by an attempt at extortion --- a compulsory "donation" to the temple. Pat says the gatekeepers and I exchanged insults, no donation paid, no police called. We have had to cover up our bare legs on these temple visits --- how do I look in red? The Mother Temple is at 1000 metres altitude and cloudy with threatening skies snagged on the heights. It was a high holy day so we could not enter the inner sanctum. But the structures are impressive and the atmosphere reverent. The guy must have seen me coming at the exit --- notice the takeout pizza slices!
Overall, a very interesting and reassuring day that Balinese spirit is still strong. In truth, we spent 80% of the day in a van grinding through ridiculously heavy traffic. Spiritual quest or bad car-ma?
First stop of real interest was at a batik factory. Outside, women painstakingly dotted the i's and loomed the t's. Inside, the variety and quantities of batik clothing and accessories made your head spin in technicolour. Upstairs were hundreds of batiky wall-hangings in both traditional and modern themes. Could easily spend the whole day appreciating.
Next was a so-called agrotourism corner of a backroad. Guides explained the native spices and fruits from ginger to cloves to tea to coffee. The yummy specialty? --- luwak coffee! They feed raw coffee buds to a mongoose-like creature called a luwak. Overnight the beans ferment and digest, then the luwak poops them out in the morning and they are made into the most expensive gourmet coffee you can buy! (Try this with your dog at home??) Visitors can free sample 21 other teas and coffees (luwak too precious, only a few pounds made per day and they are --- gobbled up!) Like a wine tasting, and we actually liked the saffron and coconut teas.
Then to Goa Gajah Elephant cave/temple. Amazing history. Sublime spirits carved in huge boulders. Beautiful fountains. Ancient hill trails and tree roots. We have seen variations of these in all the southeast Asia countries. Then up steep roads to the UNESCO-protected rice terraces that can stretch from mountain to the sea.
Last highlight of the day is the "Mother Temple" at Besakih. Sort of equivalent to Islam's Mecca, this is the holiest place for Balinese Hindus. Our welcome was marred by an attempt at extortion --- a compulsory "donation" to the temple. Pat says the gatekeepers and I exchanged insults, no donation paid, no police called. We have had to cover up our bare legs on these temple visits --- how do I look in red? The Mother Temple is at 1000 metres altitude and cloudy with threatening skies snagged on the heights. It was a high holy day so we could not enter the inner sanctum. But the structures are impressive and the atmosphere reverent. The guy must have seen me coming at the exit --- notice the takeout pizza slices!
Overall, a very interesting and reassuring day that Balinese spirit is still strong. In truth, we spent 80% of the day in a van grinding through ridiculously heavy traffic. Spiritual quest or bad car-ma?
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