Gallivanting Grandma

Thursday – August 27, 2015

On the way to the purification ceremony, we stopped at a weaving factory where rows of women were hand weaving beautiful cloth.

Wealthy Indonesians purchase cloth from this company.  The weavers acknowledged us with smiles but didn’t miss a stitch.

Further within the factory there was another open-air building where several men were operating mechanical weaving machines. In another section, several people were spinning thread onto large spools.

Bali is often referred to as the island of “holy water” because of the countless number of sacred springs. As one of the five essential elements, water represents the flow of energy (chi) connected with emotion and intuition.

We drove to the purification temple and climbed down the steep steps to the river bank. Balinese water blessings are called Melukat and people believe the purification ceremony cleanses our bodies physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Jumena gave us water sarongs to wear and we stored our clothes in lockers. We stepped into the shallow river and took our places in front of the temple priest. We were given incense and a small palm tray of offering flowers.  We followed the sequence of  prayers with appropriate flowers and the priest gave us holy water to receive, all the while he chanted mantras in ancient Sanskrit.

Then we were invited to stand under the holy water fountains.  I regret not having more photos, but I decided to participate in the purification ceremony rather than record it with my camera.

We changed into dry sarongs and went into the temple compound to receive more blessings from the priest. We sat on the ground while he chanted and blessed us.

Later, the priest joined us outside the temple and, with Jumena translating, we asked questions and thanked him for allowing us to visit the temple.

Within another section of the compound, women were gathered and created offerings:

After our purification, the group was relatively quiet as we passed  rice fields on our way back to Jimbaran.

Jumena must be familiar with every inch of Bali because he continued to find interesting places to stop along the road. The bus rolled slowly through a village and Jumena said the town was famous for manufacturing gamelans. How could we pass up this sign?!

We had been hearing gamelans everywhere! These are the percussion instruments which create the essentials of Indonesian traditional music and were developed during the 13th century.  The ensemble usually includes several different sizes and varieties of metallophones, hand drums, gongs, bells, and larger drums.

In a small back room, a man in his 70s was hand-scraping layers of metal from a bronze bars. He held the bar steady with his left foot as he scraped the surface. After a few minutes, he tapped the bar to test the tone and compared it to sound of another bar on the ground.

He told Jumena he had been doing this sort of work since he was six years old. He set the finished bars on the ground next to him in tonal order.

A complete ensemble of gamelan instruments:

Visiting the gamelan factory was one of the highlights of the trip for me. What a unique experience! Thank you Jumena.

Wednesday – August 26, 2015

Happy Birthday, Gigi!

Two nights in Lovina passed quickly, and we were back on the hot dusty road traveling south to Jimbaran. It was the ‘dry season’ in Bali. The road twisted through the lush green interior of Bali. Rich volcanic soil and tropical climates “bless islanders with year-round crops.”

Today was our chance to learn how to grow and process rice. Every phase of growing rice, from planting seeds to milling grain, is incredibly labor intensive.

After harvesting, rice farmers bring bags of grain to a mill like the one pictured above. The grain was set out on the concrete to dry in the sun to decrease moisture content. Workers spend the day raking through the grains to help the drying process.

Large bags of rice filled the milling room. Two men poured grains into the top of the machines which loosened the hull from the white interior kernel. As the rice poured into plastic buckets, Jumena told us the mill takes a percentage of the rice from the farmer as payment.

Rice fields were everywhere in Bali, reflecting blue skies and providing beautiful photogenic landscapes.

Subak is the name of the water irrigation system for the rice fields in Bali which was developed in the 9th century and continues today. It is a complex ecosystem of terraced fields and water temples for the management of a cooperative water system.

Subak, which has been included as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, is managed under the authority of priests in the water temples to promote a harmonious relationship between the human world and nature.

Jimbaran is a fishing village and tourist resort located in southern Bali on the Indian Ocean just south of Denpasar and the airport. We were going to spend our last three nights at the Keraton Jimbaran Beach Resort & Spa before heading home.

The architecture of the buildings of the hotel and the grounds were exceptionally beautiful. Paths down to the beach are lined with forty year old bonsai trees and lovely tropical flowers. I just wish my spacious room had been cleaner.

I enjoyed walking around as the sun set over the ocean. The white sand beach was alluring.

Tuesday – August 25, 2015

One of the many uncertainties of traveling is staying healthy. No matter how hard you try, things happen. Today was supposed to be a special day for our group to visit the Tiga Wasa Village School and have lunch with a local rural family. Preparations had been made, gifts and supplies had been purchased, plans were confirmed. But…..

Unfortunately, I had been ill during the night and didn’t sleep well. I informed Jumena that I would stay at the hotel to rest. I felt very tired and my asthma was kicking up as well. I drank some black tea with honey and retreated to my room.

After a bit of a nap, I went out with a book and sat in the shade by the pool to rehydrate and recover. It was one of the most brilliant ideas I’ve had in a long time. I really needed a down day and, after several hours, I felt much better.

By late afternoon everyone returned from the village with stories about the visit. A few of us walked to several establishments along the beach as the sun set.

Later, we met Jumena for dinner and he led the way to a local restaurant. I hadn’t eaten all day except for several Cokes so I was hungry. The lightly fried rice was very good!

Monday – August 24, 2015

Ubud is a town in the center of the island of Bali which, over the last decade, has become a prime tourist destination with many shops, traffic, restaurants, construction, hotels, spas, etc., etc. It wasn’t quite the tropical paradise we all had expected.

The Sacred Monkey Forest was located near our hotel in Ubud, so we stopped to visit the nature reserve and Hindu temple complex. The macaque monkeys roam freely and are protected because the reserve is sacred.

We were on our way to the northern coast of Bali to the village of Lovina located on the Java Sea. The distance isn’t far in miles, but takes several hours due to the narrow mountainous roads.  I watched fields of rice, corn, and other vegetables pass outside my bus window. The dense tropical forests were full of trees and plants which were unfamiliar to me.

Jumena broke up the long trip with a stop at a fruit stand along the road which was brimming with every imaginable tropical fruit: mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas, salak (also called snake fruit), jack fruit, durian, oranges, coconut, melons, mangosteen, rambutan, soursop, and others which I didn’t get a chance to try.

The terrain became more mountainous and we learned that the region is recognized for cooler temperatures due to higher altitudes and the possibility of growing different varieties of crops.

Our next stop was the beautiful Ulun Danu Bratan Temple, located on Lake Bratan.  The temple was built in 1663 for people to give offerings to the Balinese water, lake, and river goddess Dewi Danu. Lake Bratan is important as a main source of irrigation in central Bali. The grounds were beautiful and peaceful despite many tourists.

Of course, the light was wrong and the season was not right and there were too many people, so I couldn’t take the perfect photo of the temple! However, I tried. Classic pictures have been taken during the ‘rainy’ season when the temple is flooded and access is only by boat.

We had a tasty Chinese lunch overlooking the lake then we continued driving north. Everyone seems to own motorbikes like the one pictured below carrying an entire family.

The bus parked again and we hiked down along a narrow paved path along lush green vegetation, to see Gitgit Waterfalls.

Youngsters swam in the pool or cooled off under the falling waters. It was very peaceful and an idyllic setting. Close by was our destination of the Lovina Bali Resort. We checked in and I explored the property as the sun set across the black lava beach.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

We had a free morning so I decided to go shopping with a small group of fellow travelers! Bali is world famous for craftsmanship in wood carving, weaving, silver jewelry, painting, batik, and puppet making, therefore shopping becomes wandering among current artists and craftsman to admire their work and, perhaps, make a little purchase….

There were numerous wood carving shops which created incredible pieces. After browsing through several, we found a master mask-maker whose work was amazing.

We found the shop of a man who painted beautiful designs on real ostrich eggs. He also offered less fragile versions made of carved wood. His children watched as he worked and his mother sold the eggs.

Later we visited several silver jewelry shops, all with many stunning pieces. We watched a silversmith demonstrate his art in the workshop.  Notice his foot pedal operating the flame of his torch in the first photo.

Batik shops were numerous and are always interesting to watch the hot-wax procedure.

Balinese markets are bright noisy colorful bazaars which were everywhere selling everything imaginable for tourists and local people.

We had hired a driver and his car for half the day – he was excellent: spoke good English, was patient with us, and was very accommodating. On the way back to the hotel, we saw a smoky area and the driver explained that a ‘mass cremation ceremony’ was underway. After yesterday’s experiences, we all quietly peered out of the window.

In the evening, we were fortunate to be able to visit the compound – home and theater – of a master shadow-puppet maker. Called wayang kulit, the tradition began a thousand years ago. UNESCO designated the art as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and requires its preservation for future generations. I had been introduced to Indonesian shadow-puppets at the NY Museum of Natural History during the 1970’s when my sons were young. What a treat to see a real demonstration!

This was also a unique experience because we were finally able to enter one of the Balinese compounds that I had been observing from the bus since we arrived, and I was very curious about what was inside.  The compound contained everything a multi-generational family needed for existence: work space, living space, and places to pray and give offerings to the deities and pay homage to ancestors.

The fifth-generation puppet master’s eyes twinkled as he explained how his puppets were made and the stories of the Hindu epics he performed. He graciously answered our questions about his home and family.

Today, the Master’s sons assist to make the shadow puppets out of carefully chiseled leather. We saw one son demonstrating the process, and another son painted bright-colored details, while several grandchildren quietly watched.

The short performance was magical! The puppet master provided exciting percussion sounds with his foot and dramatically changed his voice with each character while a musician played gamelan music. Great fun!!

We left the compound and returned to Ubud after dark to have dinner at the renowned Cafe Wayan & Bakery which was featured in the memoir and movie, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.