Bali, Indonesia

Bali

Bali is an exotic place. A land of contrasts – Bali can be beautiful, peaceful, quiet – and bustling, jostling, chaotic. Bali is a symphony of sights, smells, and sounds.

Forty hours in this paradise island seemed magical. Arriving at midnight, we went straight to our hotel – the Mercure at Sanur Beach – just thirty minutes from the airport.

We woke up early – went for a walk along the beach, checked out the very colorful outrigger canoes, took a swim in the Indian Ocean and a fresh water rinse in the hotel’s pool. Breakfast beside the pool was quite nice – eggs Florentine Indonesian style and very delicious.

E-mail and skype kept us busy until we were ready for another swim and then lunch. Just wandering around looking at flowers, Hindu shrines, the architecture of these thatched roofed hotel units, and the two pools with various stone gargoyle fountains. What a relaxing day!

In the afternoon, we had arranged through the hotel for a driver to take us to Uluwatu Temple to see the ancient temple on the cliff and the Kecak dances at sunset. We had to cover the bottom half of our bodies to go in the temple, so Jim had to wear a purple sarong. We both wore yellow ties around our waists. We used the toilets near the parking lot – oooh that was a nasty experience. Jim said they were not that bad, just old and not that clean. Parwasta asked me to take off my hat, my necklace and my earrings because the wild monkeys would steal them! As we walked along the path up to the temple, many monkeys ran around being curious and pesky as monkeys usually are. I was amazed to see so many monkeys in the wild running through the crowds of people.

How they built that temple in the 11th century is a wonder. The ornately carved limestone structure was perched high on the cliff edge. Hindu temples are open air – no roofs! Each temple consists of three parts, the outer, middle and inner. We walked around the outer temple. Only people who were worshipping could enter the middle and inner sections. 85% of Bali’s population believe in the Hindu religion. Parwasta told us there are over 5,000 temples in Bali. Most people have shrines in their homes. Everywhere in Bali people make offerings at all hours of the day – asking for spiritual guidance in every line of work.

Parwasta took us up to the outdoor amphitheatre for the Kecak Dance performance. Seventy half naked men created a harmony with all their voices chittering -chattering, hissing, and chanting with rhythmic patterns. All the men danced in a circle around the large black carved wooden structure with a dozen fire blazing torches – sometimes standing and moving, other times sitting and ‘dancing’ with their arms and upper bodies. Beautiful Balinese dancers joined them as the story of a stolen lover rescued unfolded. The drama and eventual help of a magic monkey was another reminder of good conquering evil. Fire blazing, fighting, along with the continual chanting created the most dramatic performance we have ever seen. Consider the amphitheatre looked out of the Indian ocean for beautiful sunset as the full moon was rising. Ah!

For dinner Parwasta took us to Melasti Kedonganan Café on Jimbayen Beach. We sat at a table in the sand listening to the crashing surf and traveling musicians going from table to table. When they came to serenade us, the first song was “What a wonderful world”!