Om Swasiastu! That’s a traditional greeting in Bali – our second stop in Indonesia (on March 8,9, and 10). It means more than “hello”; it literally translates to “May God Bless You.” Isn’t that nice? When we were in Darwin, Australia we ran into a Canadian couple who had just been in Bali and she described it as “walking into a big hug.” After visiting, we can understand why she would describe it in that way. Everybody is so incredibly welcoming and friendly. Everybody smiled and waved at us no matter where we went. People seemed so genuinely happy the entire time, even in the crazy traffic!
Technically speaking, Bali is comprised of four islands, and we were on the main island. We had two stops here. First, was in North Bali, at Celukan Bawang. The second stop (which was for two days) was on the southern side in Benoa. These were very different stops.
For the first stop, in Celukan Bawang, we just got off and wandered around the port a bit. There wasn’t much there and it was extraordinarily hot. John wore pants and I wore a long dress because we wanted to dress appropriately and thought we needed to be more covered up. In truth, we probably could have gotten away with wearing shorts given where we went (no temples – just around the streets of the tiny town near port). We were literally drenched with sweat by the time we returned to ship, so we spent an hour in the pool to cool off.
Let me pause for a second and say that Bali is unlike the other islands of Indonesia in that it is actually the only island that isn’t predominantly Muslim. Rather, it is largely a Hindu community. In addition, it’s quite accustomed to tourists, so the ‘dress code’ is more relaxed (though visits to temples still require things like knees to be covered). Nevertheless, we erred on the side of caution – so, when you see photos and we’re not dressed in shorts and tank tops, that’s why.
Our stop in Benoa was much different, mostly because we had a couple excursions that took us further away from the port. Our first excursion started out with a stop at a silver and gold shop. We weren’t particularly interested in shopping, but we couldn’t resist getting a silver and shell turtle for our turtle collection back home.
While at the shop, we saw several people with what appeared to be rice stuck to their forehead. Curious about it, we learned that there are many worship ceremonies conducted every day in Bali and at the end of the ceremony, you’ll receive what is called a bija – a grain of rice that has been washed with holy water and sometimes mixed with turmeric. It’s usually placed in three places and the placements also have different meanings. When it’s placed on the forehead between the eyebrows, it is believed to give wisdom rays to the person. When it’s on the neck area, it symbolizes happiness. If one swallows the rice grain, it is believed that your life will be filled with prosperity.
After the stop at the shop, we went to the Bali Bird Park, which houses more than 1,300 birds representing more than 250 species in an enclosed aviary. Here, we saw many different birds, many of which are endangered. There were several birds that we were able to hold, which was fun.
At one point, which holding the birds together, one of the birds on my shoulder started to nibble on the flower behind my ear and I was concerned it was going to miss and get my ear. While that was occurring, John had two birds on his arm that started fighting with one another. I love this photo because it captures our facial expressions while this was happening!
We were actually at the bird park for dinner and a show. Prior to dinner, we wandered around the grounds, viewing the various birds. My personal favorites were the owls. After our stroll, we returned to our seats and had an authentic Indonesian meal, complete with baby octopus salad, rice with chicken, and some lovely desserts. And, of course, a local beer.
After dinner, we were treated to a show. Entertainment consisted of a traditional kecak dance that recounted a tale from the Ramayana, an epic passed from India to Indonesia. Technically the kecak dance was invented in the 1930s by a German called Walter Spies but it’s still considered the traditional dance of Bali. Anyway, prior to the show, they gave us a piece of paper that told the story for us, which was good because we never would have been able to figure it out based only on the show itself. The show had people dressed in costumes who danced around some torches while men sat around them, providing the musical accompaniment via chanting and shouting. Technically, I think they were supposed to have only been illuminated by torches, but it was raining so they had to do the dance on a stage near where the food was served, so there was artificial lighting as well.
After the main kecak dance, we moved locations for a fire dance in which a guy in costume (barefoot, by the way) kicked at some fire on the ground. That doesn’t sound near as cool as it looked.
On the second day, we had an excursion that first took us to Pura Taman Ayun, the royal temple found in the town of Mengwi, once the center of a powerful kingdom. A spectacular landmark of historic architecture built in the 17th century, Pura Taman Ayun served as the family temple of the Mengwi dynasty, whose kingdom survived until the late 1800s. This wonderful temple complex includes a wide moat, exquisite wooden shrines and beautifully carved gates, making it one of the area’s main attractions.
Leaving Mengwi behind, we continued on to Bali’s most photographed temple, Tanah Lot. Also referred to as the Sunset Temple, the impressive black lava towers of this sacred 16th century temple are dramatically situated on a rocky outcrop that extends 656 feet offshore. Surrounded by pristine aqua waters and the white surf that crashes against the rocks, it’s easy to see why this location has become a favorite with photographers.
For this excursion, we wound up driving quite a bit around Bali, which was an additional plus for us. As it turns out, it was the eve of Nyepi, which is their Day of Silence. Nyepi is essentially their New Year, and the Balinese practice self-reflection. They don’t light fires, turn on lights, go on the internet, etc. etc. Instead, it is a period of quiet self-reflection. They stay inside (and will get fined and publicly shamed if they venture outside) the entire day. Originally, we were scheduled to be in Bali on Nyepi, but that wasn’t allowed so they switched around some port days. There aren’t even flights in and out of Bali on Nyepi. The thing that made this cool for us, though, was that the eve of Nyepi is a day of celebrations and parades. The parades (which we weren’t there for unfortunately) are called Ngrupuk parades and feature Ogoh-ogoh statues. These statues take the form of mythological beings, mostly demons. They are created for the purpose of destruction, namely they will carry the statues around in the parade and ultimately light them on fire as a form of purification for the new year. We saw a ton of the Ogoh-ogoh statues along the roads as we were driving. They were incredibly detailed, making it hard to believe they were going to be burned! We imagine the parades would be fascinating to attend.
Ooh, here’s a fun fact that we learned while on the shuttle bus: In Bali, many locals go by the names Wayan, Made, Nyoman, and Ketut, which mean First born, Second born, Third born, and Fourth born, and can be given to boys or girls. Oftentimes, personal names are attached to them as well, but our guide said that if you were to shout “Wayan” in a crowd you would likely have hundreds of people turn to respond. I thought that was interesting. And if you have five kids, you just start over with the name Wayan.
Another fun fact was that babies rarely touch the ground in Bali. Basically, this is to protect their spirits from being overwhelmed by predatory spirits lying in wait on the ground. Speaking of spirits and many gods, there are offerings called Canang Sari all over the place to keep bad spirits at bay and make the good gods happy. You see the offerings in doorways, the middle of the road, in containers on the sides of the road, in shrines, etc. At first we thought they were only there because of Nyepi, but we were told the offerings are there all year long and is a reflection of the Hindu belief system of Bali. Here’s a photo of a sample offering that we saw in the middle of a walkway. These little woven baskets are made from coconut leaves, and then they’re filled with snacks, flowers and some burning incense. Offerings are made all day long, but most frequently in the mornings.
The last thing I’ll mention are a few things we kept seeing everywhere. First, we kept seeing black and white checkered fabric wrapped around shrines and statues. It turns out that this fabric is called kain poleng and a symbol of “Rwa Bhineda”, which refers to the balance of nature – similar to the idea of yin and yang it’s the balance of good and bad, male and female, night and day. It’s a fundamental belief so you see this fabric all over the place.
Another thing you see all over the place is the swastika. While the swastika has been closely linked to Nazism in recent years, it is actually the oldest religious symbol (all the way from 10,000 BCE) that represents good fortune. The Balinese place the swastika all over buildings and in entryways to guard against negativity.
Lastly, something you see everywhere is a gate / temple / statue that looks like a mountain cut in half. It’s called Candi Bentar and you see them all over the place, from temples to people’s homes. It looks like a mountain divided as two, a symbol of Kailash mountain where Lord Shiva meditated. It is supposed to symbolize the harmonious relationships between humans and God, the environment, and with other people.
This concluded our Bali time. Overall, we found Bali to be a very welcoming place with some of the friendliest people we’ve ever encountered. It had a ‘lived in’ vibe – not a crisp and clean ‘sanitized’ look. In fact, at one point I commented that it looked like a ‘before’ picture of a power washing ad. But it still had a magical quality that made it an intriguing stop. And, again, it really was like walking into a big hug, and you can’t beat that!