To the Bat Cave and Beyond

Above entrance to Bat Temple

We decided we needed to get out of our comfortable routine and surroundings, so two days ago we hired a driver  for the day (at $50) to take us to the eastern part of Bali.  We drove through forests, villages, rice terraces, and a couple of famous places.  It was rough and long enough in a car; we don't know how we managed 35 years ago in the back of bemos, which were Toyota pickups with a canopy and benches in the back.

one of countless and amazing  & beautiful rice terraces

The Bat Temple

One of them was the so-called Bat Temple on the coast.  It lived up to its name with lots of bats, a fat cobra that feasts on them, and beautiful architecture.

Priests' entrance to temple

Ceiling of temple altar

Tirtagana water temple

The other place was the Tirtaganga Temple, a water palace.  We had last spent a couple of nights there 35 years ago.  I don't remember much about it because I was sick with dengue fever at the time. We stayed in a little room; now there is a big resort there.  We wanted to see if they had poached eggs on the menu because we had taught the kitchen staff how to make them.  However, we opted for something more tasty at a nearby roadside establishment--babi Gulang, which is roast suckling pig, with lots of other spicy things along with the ever-present rice.

'Ingat, sekali!' as they say here

Yesterday we set off on what we thought would be a straight-forward hike through rice fields.  But we soon found ourselves descending a stair-step path into a steep jungle canyon.  As luck (or Balinese entrepreneurship) would have it, a guide (Gusti Ngurah Arya) appeared at a very reasonable price.  We'd still be in that canyon or lost amongst the hillside terraces were it not for Gusti.  Not only that, he spoke very good English, which was so much more informative and relaxing than yesterday when nearly all the conversations with our driver were in clumsy Indonesian.

Way, way below the paddies

Yet another canyon

We learned so much about the plants, the wild spices, birds, language and culture from him, including where they "do it" for the MBA degree.  (Answer--at the girlfriends home at midnight when the whole family pretends to be sleeping.)  He also saved us in a lot of tolls to local farmers for walking across their terraces.  Some of them were his relatives.

Last night we attended a gala fundraiser sponsored by the local Rotary club for its HIV clinic and water projects.  First western food in 18 days, and it was so bland and boring, except for the deserts.

Ironically, we won the raffle prize for a lunch and massages at one of Bali's most exclusive resorts.  It overlooks the canyon pictured above.

Offerings, Large and Small

outside a pharmacy

Canon for a holiday

A huge part of the daily Balinese lifestyle is to place offerings just about everywhere, but especially in Bali's 10,000+ temples and the entry ways to homes.  But wait---there's more. You can see them on dashboards, motorcycles, and in shops.  Called canon (pronounced channon), they are to show gratitude and respect to the gods, or for those placed on the ground,  to ward off evil demons.  A gift to a higher being must look attractive, so each one is a work of art. They must include food, usually rice, and often we see them with Ritz crackers and incense.  Typically they are the size of the one outside the pharmacy or on the motorcycle seat.  However, as the major holiday of Galungan approaches, larger and more elaborate ones abound.  Here are but a few of the hundreds--perhaps thousands--we have seen in the past two weeks.

On a wall

The entry way to our villa

She has a lot of deliveries to make

Motorcycle seat

The entry way to a home

On the way to the temple just 50 meters from our villa

One canon too many

Back of scooter

Just inside a resturant

Just inside a guest house

VW Beetle dashboard

Entry to our compound*

*Shortly before I took the photo of the canon outside our villa, I was awakened from a nice nap by some loud gong-like sounds.  I went outside, and across the lane was one of several village garage bands playing. It was an afternoon delight--even better than my nap! Enjoy this short link!

A Long, but Amazing Day

Carrying offerings

"When will the procession get started?" we asked a bystander after standing in the hot sun and excitement for two hours.  "When the electric power goes out," she replied.  "They need to cut the power lines so that the bade (the large tower that holds the dead body) and the giant bull can get down the street."   Sure enough, when the power went out around noon, things started happening.  And we saw a lot of downed power lines along the procession route.

Blessings for family members

We had walked nearly two miles in sweltering heat to the main temple and got a good location to just take in the whole experience.  Many others had come from much greater distances.

Coming to pay their respects

It was a joyful festival, rich with color and gamelon music.  Women hawking ceremonial saris, generals from Jakarta taking selfies, countless extended family members, tourists, and thousands of Indonesians were all there. This was all in honor of a

Going "native"

former Bali king who also happened to be a civil engineer.  He had designed the Asian version of freeway overpasses, which are now in use all over Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.  Although he was Hindu, dignitaries from all over--including many Muslims--came to pay their respects an actively participate in the ceremony.  And like American weddings, all the guests were held hostage by the photographers.  The power lines couldn't be cut until all the offical photos were taken.

One of many offical photos

Bring the body to  the top of the tower

It was some bull!

It passed us in a flash (mob)

When things finally started happening, the body was taken to the top of the tower.  It weighed over 6,000 pounds and was carried by 200 pall bearers, who were relieved by 200 more about a half mile later.  The a gamelan band led the way, followed by the big bull, then the tower. Unlike a typical parade, this happened at a very brisk pace, and spectators could be part of the parade and get right up and personal with it.  The police (most of whom were armed with nothing but a hunting knife) were too busy taking photos, and trying to memorialize this moment of history just like the rest of us were doing.  This short video clip gives you an idea of what it was like.

Queen Kathy waving to the bystanders

Here it comes!  Be sure to see the video!

Words  can't describe our joy and excitement about being included (with thousands of other foreigners) in this special day. We hadn't had so much fun since the spray foam and water fights in Cusco, Peru last March.  Some of the energy came from the mesmerizing and rhythmic gamelan music.  (Please listen to this YouTube link for even a few seconds, or go to our YouTube channel  later to listen and see a couple of the one minute clips of the whole day.)  

At another temple, where the pyre is located, the pall bearers celebrate.  We thought we were going to be crushed in the stampede as they left,  but it was yet another adventurous twist to our day.  This very short video captures the crush and the energy.

At the pyer the body is placed inside the bull, which is ignited with gas burners.  The ashes are then spread on the sea later in the evening.  (Note, there were two bulls--so it was a double burner.  The other person was a relative, but of lesser stature, hence, the smaller bull.) The tower is also burned.

A son says a prayer

Offerings and preparations for the cremations.

Wilting away, sunburned, and dehydrated we waited forever for the cremation to commence.  Bring on the matches!  But yet to come were the military honors, the 8-gun salute, and the eulogy (almost as long as the procession) .  Next came the generals and government officials ('pegawais' in Indonesian).  We had spent half of our Peace Corps days in Malaysia trying to stay awake every time a pegawai took the podium, so we knew that we were a long way from ignition.  Reluctantly, but exhausted after seven hours, we headed back to our village.  We think we were home long before the first flicker of flames started.

It would have been spectacular to witness, and missing it--being so near, yet so far--is already our big regret of this trip so far. But we're glad we got to experience what we did.  It truly was an long, but amazing day!

Three Funerals and Maybe a Wedding

The front side of the funeral pyre

Today after a
very decent (and secular) Pilates workout, Kathy and I wandered about in Ubud.  We came across preparations for a funeral, a procession, and preparations for a HUGE cremation and procession tomorrow.  Actually, we've been watching the scaffolding and construction of the float and pyre ever since we got here.  A former king of the Ubud region died about a month ago.  I guess they decided that tomorrow was ripe enough.  It must be an auspicious occasion, because today is the first day since we've been here where it didn't rain, but it is extremely hot and muggy.

Procession for a high caste dignitary

Funerals are a big deal here, much more than weddings.  The richer and the higher caste you are, the more elaborate--and traffic stopping--one you can have.

Does this make me look fat?

After lunch we came to the main temple to check on the progress of the huge preparations that have been going on for over a week.

Where the gamelan band will play

I bought my way into the inner temple for the ceremony of the king by purchasing a sarong and headpiece.  That gave me license to wonder around and take photos inside, and I got a lot of approving comments in Indonesian from the higher-ups hanging about.  We had a good time bantering and bargaining with the old woman in Indonesian.  She drove a really hard bargain!

The ramp to the top of the pyre

One of the many offerings

We encountered more drama and excitement on our way home.  A large Nandi (a bull) couldn't fit under the power lines and overhanging trees.  Actually, we thought Nandi was trying to eat the mangoes.  So they climbed up him and cut off his horns. Hopefully, we'll see them reattached tomorrow.  

Nandi on the way to join tomorrow's procession

In the evening we went to the Ubud Bali Sunset Rotary club  to hear a 30-something woman from Canada talk about her blog, "How to be an Indonesian."   Met a lot of interesting Westerners who live here full and part-time  We're not so sure this is the retirement for us, especially given our love of camping, bicycling, our home community, and (for me, at least) snowboarding.    We're trying to plug into some volunteer activities, and there may be one just down the road in our village.  More later.

As for the wedding?  Well, we didn't see one but we're sure there were many, and probably some of them were MBA's (see previous blog). 

Empty Nesters Again

On our way to the mountains

We’re empty nesters again and it never gets easier.  Skyler left for Boston yesterday at noon, and Shanti left for London this afternoon.  Our annual quality time together reminds us just how much we enjoy being around them.

Breakfast at our villa

So now it’s just the two of us for the next three weeks in Bali and for the many months until we get to spend time with them again.  But we don’t feel sorry for ourselves, and you shouldn’t either.  Our future always seems to get better than our past.

Mt. Batour

The other part of Mt. Batour

On Thursday we traveled through some beauiful rice fields and villages to Mt. Baaur, the site of a massive volcanic eruption in 1969.  Then we toured a coffee plantation for a coffee tasting.  Skyler and I sprung for a $5 cup of coffee lewat (weasel).  The Indonesian word is ‘tahi coffee’ and the literal translation of it is ‘shit coffee’ because

Coffee tasting

the weasel eats the coffee beans and digests the hard outer shells of them, making the coffee strong, yet very mild.  No wonder it costs US $50 per pound!

We then rode bikes about 18-20 miles mostly downhill through remote villages.  If it weren't for the rust, the bicycles may have fallen apart.  Our guide arranged for an unscripted stop in a typical Balinese household compound, not staged or sanitized for our viewing.  The flies, rubbish, smells, pigs, chickens, and laundry were all present, as were children playing and women weaving.  In spite of it all, Bali is much cleaner than India and other places we have been.  Teenage boys and young men hung out at nearby warungs (shops) drinking coffee, smoking Keretacs (clove cigarettes) and playing video games.

riding through a typical village

Every household has a temple, some of which are larger than the living quarters.  The compounds also  have several standalone rooms for different family members, such as grandparents, parents, and adult children.  When a couple gets married, they stay in the grandparents’ room for three days.  Ideally, the wife is pregnant soon thereafter, but often beforehand.  They jokingly call it an MBA degree—marriage by accident—but our guide explained that it is rarely an accident.  “Where do they do it?” I wanted to know, because there is no privacy at home or elsewhere.  He couldn't or wouldn't tell me in either language.  

The backside of a Balinese compound

We also learned that the parental care responsibilities and the inheritance to the land falls to the youngest son, which is so contrary to that of most other cultures.

Shanti and I elected to ride for an optional five miles uphill to lunch.  We got there just before the heavens opened up with the daily monsoon downpour.  It has rained here every afternoon, except for yesterday.  Fortunately it let up by dinner time, where we discovered a new footpath to a small restaurant.  The walk home in the dark is so pleasant, as we can see people hanging about, hear the sounds of insects, and even see gamelan practice (click here to play this short video clip!)

Mushroom soup

As you may have guessed, we are foodies, and this trip has been a delightful adventure every single day.  Friday we were fortunate enough to get into Locavore to experience the most amazing meal of our lives!  A fusion of Balinese-Western cuisine, it was five courses, plus a lot of extras.  What a sensory feast to see, smell, taste, and savor over nearly three hours.  The cost with drinks?  About the same as an evening in one of Salem's upscale restaurants.

Then to top off our indulgent afternoon, the four of us enjoyed either a massage, pedicure, facial, or manicure at the spa in our village at very reasonable prices.

Skyler enjoying a pedicure

We were serenaded by the sounds of new Bali music—not gamelans and or typical Yani massage stuff, but that of brick cutters, carpenters, saws, and drills.    Construction is going on everywhere!

Kathy and Shanti have been going to a number of yoga classes.  I may go to a Pilates class tomorrow while Kathy goes to yoga.  Hopefully I'll get a solid 1.5 hour workout without all the new-age woo-woo, incense, and candles.  Meanwhile, we've been getting in a lot of walking, about 4-5 miles per day, according to the pedometer on my phone.  Before Shanti left today, we took another stroll through some rice paddies, among occasional art studios, warungs, and guest houses.

Walking in the 'hood'

Neighborhood hike

Salad excitement

Then lunch at a raw food organic place.  I never saw Shanti so excited over a salad.  I had a durian-almond milkshake.  Ecstasy!

We've really enjoyed visiting with nearly every Balinese we meet.    Being able to speak just a little Indonesian really opens up a lot of doors.  The people here are friendly, welcoming, respectful, helpful, and proud of their culture and homeland.