Beautiful Bali - 2007

In June and again in December we spent time on the beautiful island of Bali.  As expected, it was wonderful! 

We visited a number of sacred sites, temples and saw many traditional ceremonies. We watched rice terraces being prepared for planting, had dinner on the beach and enjoyed fantastic Indonesian food and beer!
     
 
     
 
     
  A couple of the temples are located on rocky cliffs near the ocean, giving us some excellent views at sunset. 

Our June visit was during the religious festival of Galungan, which celebrates the creation of the world and the descent of the Deities and Ancestors to Earth.  It is a time for visiting family, houses are beautifully decorated and many special ceremonies are performed during this week-long celebration.

It was a bit cloudy and rainy, but we didn't mind too much.  It made the mountains misty and the temples quiet and more mystical.
     
 
     
     

There are several Monkey Forests where you can come quite close to these curious and intelligent creatures. Watch your glasses, hats and cameras, though!  (Deb found this out the hard way - and we had to bribe a monkey with potato chips to get her glasses back!)

 
     
 
     
     
     

Beautiful flower offerings are made daily in Bali... 
You find them on the sidewalk in front of businesses, near doorways and on the edges of brick walls. 
The Spirits of the land are honored in this way
and evil spirits are appeased.

Each home has a shrine where the Deities, Ancestors and Nature Spirits are honored.
And, in the rice fields you find small shrines where gifts of food and flowers are offered the Rice Goddess, Dewi Sri.
She is honored at every stage of field preparation, planting, flowering and harvesting.  

 
     
 
     
 
     
We visited a temple built around a sacred spring and were fortunate to arrive just in time to see a procession of elaborate offerings entering the temple.  We were part of the crowd as Priests performed blessing ceremonies and people bathed in the sacred water...             
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
 
     
     
     
In Ubud, we watched as a procession of people made their way to a temple located in a sacred place where two rivers come together.  This was a particularly auspicious day and they were going to the temple collect water for use in ceremonies and blessings. 

 

  
     
 
     
  The children were dressed for special, traditional dances
to be performed at the temple. 

 
     
     

We enjoyed tropical gardens filled with orchids and lotus...

    
 
     
     
     

We saw a traditional Barong dance...

    
   
     
     
And, we met a few people in the markets...    
 
     
 
     
     
     
And, of course we took a walk or two on the beach...     
 

 
     
     

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All photos copyright Deb Swingholm 2007 .  All rights reserved. 

    
     
     
     

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