On our third day in Bali Brenda and I went on a 4×4 LandRover trip for 8 hours while Dale and Bob took a day off. Our trip went into a rural area where we saw a bit of natural beauty, agricultural practices and lots more Hindu temples. We visited another house temple and it was very much the same as the one in town; focused around the alters and their offerings, primitive and depressing. The culture and daily life here is more involved in their religion than any other place I have ever observed, even India.
The hosts cooked little snacks for us and I tasted one tentatively, as we are always wary of “street food”, before I set out to see the neighborhood. I love these infrequent times when I can get away from the group and see more interesting things for a few minutes and I wasn’t disappointed today. The neighbors’ homes varied greatly in size and type and sure enough there was a village temple and the all-pervasive offerings lying about everywhere.
Some of the rice was getting close to harvest and as everywhere, it seemed, the farmers were out working in that oppressive heat.
This being an agricultural area we got to see farmers winnowing the rice, pig styes and lots of very odoriferous “chicken motels” where the chickens lived for 3 months and then were sold to McDonald’s.
In another area we saw larger scale rice farming and enjoyed the beauty of the fields — a breath of fresh air — and the ingenuity of the generations of farmers.
Although I didn’t really want to see more temples I couldn’t resist walking through this one which was 1000 years old and situated in a lovely forested area. Some of the people on the cruise just take in whatever they’re told and even participate in small ways but we stayed clear of anything relating to the Hindu religion as opposed to the architecture and even then it was sad and oppressive. So my pictures here will show you the beauty of God’s creation, especially my favorite lichen and moss!
We were so hot I can’t describe it to you! Take that into consideration when you look at this picture of me and my friends.
But it got worse. After a fabulous lunch of typically Indonesian food in a very out of the way place in the bamboo rain forest we experienced rain like some people had never seen before. After waiting unsuccessfully in hopes that it would stop we walked right through what they said would be about 1.2 ” of rain in a very short time, back to the 4×4 for the ride back to the ship. I’m trying here to give you an idea of the beauty of the lunch — and the rain.
As we drove life unfolded around us and as one point we had to stop for a cremation ceremony. This one was apparently for a “rich” person (the average daily wage is $5 so I don’t know how rich rich actually is) and the entire village was participating as we are told they do.
Maybe this uphill push of the deceased elder up the hill to cremation is a picture of the uphill battle I think Bali has if it is ever going to get into the modern world or free itself from superstition and slavish religious practices. I feel a great sorrow for the country.
Thank you for sharing so much of your experience in pictures and in words. I must admit, I’ve never given much thought to what Bali is like. I’ve just noticed Bali silver, which is supposed to be very high quality. If you find a piece of jewelry made of silver and it says Bali on the tag, it is supposed to be very good silver and craftsmanship.
Wow! Your photography is astounding, Jenni! What a remarkable place to visit with you! The blending of two or three worlds into one, sort of. Thanks for taking the trouble to post!
Your photos do not match the mental picture I had of Bali. So depressed not just financially but in their religion. We are truly blessed.