In Bali

Ubud and Yogyakarta - names close to home but places farther than that.

            As in some other South East Asian countries, in Bali too where Ubud is located, the 'Hindu' influence is strong. It is said that Maharishi Markandey, an India holy man, followed the voice and vision of his dreams and came from Java to Bali to open new lands for cultivation. He is supposed to have singled out Ubud as a place of beauty and spiritual power and was the first among many to have founded Ubud and the very civilization of Bali.

          An hour's drive from Bali airport and we were at 'our' villa. It was a lovely place -  2 huge bedrooms with partially 'open to the sky' bathrooms, a spacious veranda, a clear blue pool and a veritable jungle on the other side.

 

BahuBali - Bahus in Bali

Nature seemed so close to us. We saw snails moving house slowly but purposefully and brilliant-coloured birds gave us a fleeting glimpse of paradise. At night, myriad sounds from the roof filled the room. Only our very own lizard's click click seemed familiar. The wakeup call came regularly from a cock's crowing but is seemed to like its work and its voice and would continue to stir people up long after daybreak. Outside the villa were the sprawling rice fields.

Today's Ubud is made up numerous villages, amazing in their diversity. To go to the city centre, we had to pass through these villages, each one known for one particular craft. Batuan is home to traditional painters who did not fight shy of assimilating modern styles and techniques; Seluk is famed for its gold and Silver workmanship - as there are no mines in Ubud, the material is brought from Borneo. Mas is renowned for its intricate wood carving.

The variety of wood used - mahogany, ebony, hibiscus and crocodile, is as interesting as the variety of objects created. Animals right from the cat to komodo dragon as well as other creatures, human characters, ornate doors and furniture, Gods. One can only marvel at the brilliant forms of creativity especially when it is all chiselled by hand. The finished objects are a fine result of immense patience and skill. We could not resist buying a couple of exquisite items.

Batubalan is the home of stone sculptures and the huge sculptures of Gods, humans, demons which are lined up on the pavements outside the workshops for sale are mind boggling. They also adorn the houses of the locals.   The black stone comes from the lava of the active volcanoes of Bali. The sculptors mainly focus on Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The sculptures adorn even the intersections. We saw gigantic creations based on the Ramayana, a favourite epic for the Balinese, not surprising since Bali boasts of a 95% Hindu population.    

Most of these craftsman, alone or in groups, work in the compounds of their traditional houses creating magic on wood, stone and silver. Ashwin also put on his creative cap and imagined a Balinese Romeo and Juliet with the stone sculptor’s son falling in love with the wood carver's daughter.

     

The Goa Gajah, an 11th century elephant cave temple has a unique entrance – menacing creatures and demons are carved into the rock facade. The images of elephants dominate, naturally. Inside the cave are niches for meditation. Going farther into the darkness we saw a beautiful Ganesha. The trimurthi – Siva, Vishnu and Brahma – were ensconced in an alcove in their raw, original, formless form. They could be distinguished by the colour of the fabric on them. Offerings continue to be made here each day.

 

            The Holy Spring temple or the Thirtha Empul Temple was a revelation. The temple compound consists of a bathing structure famous for its holy spring water where Balinese Hindus go for ritual purification. The temple pond has a spring which gives out fresh water regularly which is amrut to the locals. This temple is dedicated to Vishnu. The tank-like structure has about a dozen spouts from which water gushes out. We saw people forming lines to experience this purification. They had to go from one spout to another ducking their head under each spout till the end for the ritual to be complete. We saw many non-locals and foreigners bathing in the tanks, showering holiness on themselves and looking quite excited about the entire process. We also sprinkled a little water on our heads, enough to be purified!

            On a hill overlooking the temple, a modern villa was built for President Sukarno’s visit in 1954. Currently it is a rest house for important guests. The location and the greenery around it makes it an impressive residence.

            In most of these temples, visitors must wear appropriate clothes. Those exposing their legs had to rent a sarong and cover their skin. We also had to wear sarongs though we were fully covered because the guide gave us some reason we couldn't comprehend.

            The Tegallalang rice terraces which were on our to-see list presented an awesome site. The lush green terraces on the slopes could be called dramatic. Both utilitarian and aesthetic, they were a sight for sore eyes. It’s no wonder then that this is a favourite spot for taking pictures – painters and nature lovers must find this place congenial too. We were happy to view the terraces from a comfortable distance.

            The official residence of the royal family of Ubud, the Ubud palace is not vast but it has its own beauty. Its location is strategic, in the center of Ubud on a very busy intersection. It has existed in the same place but has undergone renovation and extension. When we visited the place, work was going on and we had to watch both our steps and our heads. Beautiful ornamental carvings can be seen on the walls and buildings. Many pavilions and some areas in the palace compounds are out of bounds for the general public. The beautiful main entrance gate is completely carved with gold engraving. The royal family did not merely occupy the palace but almost single-handedly gave an impetus to tourism by accommodating well known painters and artists in the palace and then bringing foreigners and local people together to add value and marketing opportunities to the painting scene of Ubud. However, despite the foreign influence, the soul of the paintings has remained Balinese portraying everyday life and activities as also stories from the religious sphere.

            The Royal family temple contains both the royal family ancestral shrines and the strayed Meru shrines dedicated to the major deities. The temple is surrounded by a beautiful lotus garden. The pagoda – like structures, the expansive grounds and the proportionate courtyards present a picturesque image. Here also, we can see the traditional outer, middle and inner courtyard structure.

            The Uluwatu temple us renowned for its magnificent location, perched on a top of steep cliff, approx. 70 meters above sea level. It is one of the top places on the island for sunset delights – it overlooks the Indian ocean and the views of water surging up against the rocks and the ocean horizon are a spectacular sight.  We did not visit the temple but enjoyed the panoramic seascape. The temple is also known for its monkey menace. The monkeys are prone to get attracted by shiny objects and may snatch dark glasses, earring, chains etc. Our guide advised us to take off our jewellery etc. I was quite ready to obey him and covered my neck, ears, head and felt I could sacrifice my goggles too though it was a very hot day. Aruna was braver and nonchalant and said she would take care of things when the monkeys came.

            The Tanah Lot temple boasts another breath-taking location. Built on a small island, the temple is to be reached by crossing the open waters and we voted against it. The two temples revealed incredible natural splendour.

            We couldn’t have ended the day without frolicking on the beach. It was a long drive and we stopped at a coffee place to stretch our legs – and what a lucky coincidence it turned out to be. Our guide took us around the spice garden and the Luwak coffee plantation. Kapi Luwak, the costliest coffee in the world, refers to the coffee that includes part digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet.

The civet cat eats the coffee berry but doesn’t digest the hard stone which is the coffee bean which is then excreted. But we need not screw our noses because the coffee is not raw or neat luwak poop. We listened to the whole long process with a sense of amazement. The poop is collected and cleaned in water at least 5 times – then it is put in the sun 3 or 4 times for it to become completely dry. The outer skin is then removed, and the roasting commences on medium wood fire, one kilo taking about 45mins. Then the roasted coffee beans are pounded manually in a wooden bowl with a pestle for better quality and taste. Finally, the powder is sieved and packed. We were offered about 15 kinds of coffee and tea to taste – Ashwin, Aruna and Kuppu tasted the luwak coffee.

           

The beach we went to was filled with people sitting at the hundreds of tables set on the white sands, eating seafood, a speciality, drinking, chatting, imbibing the atmosphere – chilling out would be the way to describe it -  the carnival mood was infectious. The beaches are known for the kaleidoscope sunsets which arrive on cue at around 6PM every day of the year, we were told. We enjoyed the breeze as the surf hugged our feet and the when the sun started to set, we were rendered speechless by the resplendent hues colouring the sky. We didn’t get back to our table till the sun slid fully into the ocean. It was akin to a divine revelation.

            Our guide was very well informed and also displayed a wry sense of humour. When asked what the popular sport in Indonesia was, he said ‘Football’ and added that you could also get to see a boxing bout as “we (spectators) fight a lot during football games”. Two for the price of one, he said. There are no arranged marriages, he volunteered. When asked if couples are happy, he said ‘Yes, the 1^st week’. He also said that women normally cooked only once a day. One ate anytime one wanted – there was no fixed dining time and no dining table conversation.

            The public transportation is not very adequate, so we noticed thousands of motorbikes on the roads. They are used by the locals and school children – again because of lack of school buses. It’s scary to see such young kids on two wheelers but they ride them like pros.

            The clean villages with their traditional houses which normally have a split gate (depicting good and evil), inside which is a wall that prevents evil from entering. There is usually a temple inside the house which is adorned with many stone sculpture. Lord Ganesha is the guardian for these houses. Even hotels and shops propitiate Him at the entrance and the staff burns incense and wears flowers in the ear.

            We knew we shouldn’t miss the mask museum, so we started a little early to visit it on the way to the airport for the next leg of our holiday.

            The museum houses an amazing collection of masks and puppets in the 5 or 6 different rooms on the premises. There are used during festivals and special occasions. An entire room was devoted to the masks for the Ramayana characters. There were masks which depicted different emotions – anger, fear, love, evil etc. Mr Obama featured in the wooden masks section, albeit in his full glory. Masks from Japanese, Chinese and other international sections were also given a pride of place.

            Ubud was truly a delightful, heart-warming experience, an exhilarating destination. Apart from stone sculptures, wood carving and silver work, Batik work and the tinkling gamelan music have become welcome features of the tourist industry. As also adventure sports which have picked up momentum over the years, white water rafting attracts tourists as also bike rides (we saw groups of bikers weaving their way along the roads more than once) which are organized. They pass through forests, emerald green rice fields, temples and villages. Trekking is also gaining popularity. Foreigners, specially Australians come to Bali for surfing. At the airport we saw many of them with just a backpack thrown carelessly on their shoulders but holding on to their surf boards passionately. Bali, they say, is a surfer’s paradise.

            One thing that struck us as emulation worthy was that there was hardly any honking on the roads.  No driver got down and confronted another. There were no signs of impatience or road rage. Perhaps the Balinese principle of Tri Hita Karana (achieving harmony with God, nature and between humans) stands them in good stead. Perhaps eating organic food on banana leaves also contributes to their serene attitude and outlook. Their concern for community could also be the secret.

            The beauty of village life we felt, has not been disturbed by tourism. The bedrock of Hindu Buddhist co-existence has not been eroded. The experience of going through clean traditional villages, seeing their culture depicted on stone, canvas, wood, silver and fabric is comforting. Modernization or the tourist influence has not overwhelmed culture. The Balinese may be learning English because it will open many doors, but they will not close their minds to their own traditions, religion and past.