Random Bali Tidbits

The flowers were incredibly beautiful:

The signs were ‘normal’:


Except this spraypaint, which was intriguing:

Every hotel was called a “Villa.” And our villa had a ganesh snorting into it:

Figures and carvings were everywhere

This was a 30 foot tall statue in a traffic roundabout.  Why can’t we have these imagination inspiring figures in roundabouts in the US?

The money is out of control.  These are 5,000 rupiah bills.  They’re each worth about $2.

“Draft Beer” isn’t always what you think it is:

And this pig’s tail was just too cute:

Fish Pedicure

Enjoying a fish spa experience in Ubud, Bali.  Basically, the fish eat the dead skin off of your feet (or whatever other body part you put in the water).  Felt like a cross between little (tiny) pinchers, and very light electrotherapy.

 

 

Those fish sure do love human.  Mmmm, mmm!

   
The twingyiest feeling was when they were trying to get in between my toes!

 

(I chose Pr. 50,000 - US$5 for 10 mins.)

Emphasis on “temporary treatment”  ;-)

Balinese Kecak Trance Dance

The Balinese have a long and rich religious history, mainly Hindusim, though there are elements of Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism around.  Lots of gods, lots of temples.  Each house has a minimum of 4 temples in their yard, and usually around 7.  The complexity decoration of the temple will be in step with the family's means.

We saw a really interesting performance of the Kecak Trance Dance (Kechak / Ketjak / Ketjack); here’s a video clip of one from the excellent movie Baraka (1992):
(Watch full screen, with speakers turned up!)

There’s quite an interesting story of how this dance came about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kecak (“the West or the central power adopts, transforms, and consumes non-Western or peripheral cultural elements”)  And now my photos:

Getting into the rhythm

One of the mesmerizing parts of the dance!

Hanuman (monkey god) doing his thing

Perfectly coordinated dancers using very delicate movements of their fingers, faces, arms, legs, etc.

Kicking & walking on coconut husk coals (using a horse (?) costume).

The fire-walker taking a well earned rest.

 

Stone version of two-person dance costume

Bali Temples and Inland Activities

There are temples everywhere in Bali.  Public temples, village temples, private house temples, you name it.  Here’s my Adventure Buddy at a “floating” temple.  (Just a temple built within a pond, with various stepping stones and walkways to/from the banks to the temple.)

This is a private mini-temple; I’ve zoomed in on the bees nest that is found inside.  I wonder if the bees know they’re sacred?

This is one of the more ornate temples that we visited (though not adorned in gold): Gunung Kawi Temple.  You might recognize it from the professional video that I linked to in this post about a Kecak Trance Dance.

We decided to do some more active adventures in Bali, including white water rafting & bicycling down from a volcano:

Can you spot the “Holden” in this waterfall?

All geared up!

Riding through the countryside / rice paddies / wood shops of Bali:

Did I ever mention that I LOVE riding bicycles?

Apparently there’s a wedding celebration in this village.  LOVE the streamers!

Diving in Bali

We went diving in Tulamben, Bali, and it was mindblowing.  Inexpensive, high quality, great visibility, vibrant colors, wide selection of aquatic life, etc.  On two of the five dives we did, we took an underwater camera; here are the results!

Immediately following our pre-sunrise dive to see the massive bumphead parrot fish.  Many of the other low light photos are from that morning dive; others are from one later in the day with better light.

 
Each fish was roughly 1 meter (three feet) in length!  They were slow moving, but beautiful!

Lots of tubes!
 

 
Sometimes a fish just poses for you!

 
Curious lobster face

 
Mantis shrimp!  Learn a bit in this comic by the Oatmeal: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp

 
School of jackfish

 
spotted Moray Eel

 
Dark lion fish (usually they’re white!?)

 
Large Box Fish (~1 foot)

 

 
Large sea star (starfish)

 
“All okay / super” –Dive Buddy

 
Turtle up close & personal!

 

 
Octopus swimming!  Captured!

 
Anemone – so spikey!

 

 

 
Dive Buddy at the helm / door lock

 
Trumpet fish getting frisky with someone!

 
Blue spotted stingray!

Other highlights of the trip were more lion fish, cleaner shrimp, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, giant clams, and two black tip sharks!