Bali, Indonesia
Feb. 20, 3008

Bali is an Indonesian island located east of Java and 8 degrees south of the Equator. The island is home to the vast majority of Indonesia’s small Hindu minority. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music. The island itself is surrounded by coral reefs with beautiful beaches. The island is small about 95 miles wide and 69 miles north to south.

Before our tour we were told not to wear shorts or tank tops as our knees, upper arms and mid-riff could not be exposed. A couple of men wore shorts and had to don the traditional mens skirt before they could enter certain buildings.

We took a comprehensive tour that encompassed a little of everything and lasted 8 ½ hours. The temperature was in the 80s and very humid, but it was overcast which helped. First we traveled to see a Barong Dance which is a traditional dance depicting the timeless theme of good versus evil. This dance was put on for tourists so it was just pretend but in the real dance some of the dancers go into a trance and actually stab themselves several times and also eat raw chicken and raw eggs. They do the real dance every six months because they believe that if they don’t something bad will happen to their village. The dance was accompanied by a background of gongs and percussion instruments. We will post a picture of the shrine where the dance occurred and I will write a later paragraph about the Hindu religion.

We continued on to the village of Mas, where skilled carvers turn slabs of teak and ebony into many different forms. We also went to an artists’ colony, famous for its painters’and artists’studios and museums where we could watch painters at work.

Our lunch was in a beautiful place overlooking the slopes of Mt. Batur. Mt Batur includes an active volcano. We enjoyed stunning views of the volcano and the lake in the distance.

We then went to the Tirta Empul–the temple of holy springs. This 1,000 year old temple complex is built around a sacred spring, and Balinese journey from around the island to bathe in its protective waters. We were told we had to wear a sash which you will notice in the posted picture taken at the Temple. There was a huge market not far from the temple and we were directed to walk through it. We thought we were never going to get out of it and we were followed and hounded by the people selling things. They would surround us and follow us to the bus, then try to get our attention even after we were in the bus. When we were waiting in line on a bridge to catch the tender back to the ship little boys swam out and would dive for coins thrown in the water.

Some interesting information about the Balinese:

They have a different calendar, there are 35 days in a month.
Their main crop is rice and it is harvested by hand, cut and then hit with a stick to beat out the grains. They also grow soy beans, coffee, vanilla beans and cloves. They have many fruits and vegetables and eat a lot of fish.
They have a caste system and everyone is cremated. Their homes consist of several rooms and each room is in a separate building. There is a building for the kitchen, there is another for the children and for the grandparents etc. Each compound is 200 square feet and always includes a temple or a shrine. There will be as many as five buildings
Hindus believe in reincarnation.
They believe in God and spirits and believe we get the fruit of what we do and they believe in heaven.
Hindus pray 3 times a day and have 13,000 temples in Bali plus many, many shrines. Everywhere we looked we saw offerings to the spirits. Usually a square basket made from leaves with some kind of food enclosed.

The Hindus say they and all people have 7 enemies. If they can conquer these 7 enemies, they will go to heaven. When a child becomes an adolescent they file their 7 front teeth so they will be aware of the 7 enemies. The 7 enemies are:
1. Greed
2. Jealousy
3. Anger
4. Desire
5. Confusion
6. Selfish
7. Envy
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